Hector Saldaña
San Antonio Express-News Staff Writer
SAN ANTONIO - In case you didn't get the memo, comedian Dave Chappelle's OK.
Or as he sometimes calls himself, the man who walked away from $50 million. Chappelle said that even his wife hated his decision to walk out on his hit Comedy Central series, "Chappelle's Show."
But it was a lucky day for standup comedy, because he's back on the road.
Chappelle performed at a sold-out first show at Municipal Auditorium on Saturday for about 4,200 people. Promoters were expecting nearly as many for his second show later Saturday.
He just may be the funniest comedian on the planet. But he's not crazy, though even he said he's had his doubts: "They called me a crackhead in Newsweek magazine," Chappelle said, joking that he started to believe it if it was in Newsweek.
Dressed in a white T-shirt sporting the image of Kurtis Blow, jeans and sneakers, Chappelle performed for one hour.
He said all the tabloid sensationalism surrounding his Comedy Central split had him living life like a Bigfoot sighting.
This talented comic is seriously lovable, and just his action of trying to light a cigarette caused an eruption of lighters to be tossed on stage — much to his surprise. "I need a bag a of weed and a helicopter," he said.
Like "Blue Collar" star Larry the Cable Guy, who performed at SBC Center on Friday, Chappelle is foul-mouthed but not mean-spirited. It's an odd line that both men walk in front of their respective audiences.
Chappelle's audience at the Municipal was easily younger, more diverse and loud-mouthed wired than the countrified SBC crowd. But both were just as willing and able to handle very blue blunt material.
One of Chappelle's most winning bits was about coming up with a plan for black people. He said to be wary of "coded" language like the word "minority."
"That's just a high-tech way of calling you a (N-word) to your face," he said about politicians and bureaucrats.
One of the most important things that blacks have to do is increase their numbers, Chappelle urged. "We're got to convince Mexicans they aren't white and come on our side."
Even when he got political, it was laced with lightheartedness and silliness that broke him up. He was relaxed and playful.
He called President Bush "a serious-ass gangsta." But he said the same of Michael Jackson.
Chappelle admitted the power of money ($50 million has a aphrodisiac affect on women, he said) is scary: "I don't have the money," Chappelle said. "I'm back to being ugly again."
The line of the night: "If you see a 'Half Baked 2' — rest assured I've run out of money!" he said, referring to his panned 1998 doper bong flick.
Yeah, Chappelle's OK — and he's back, baby.
He's from dayton, ohio...or he has a big spread outside of dayton. I'm this close to buying a piece of property there. (just lose your lascivious comments directed toward the words 'spread' and 'piece.')
ReplyDeleteSo what is actually the deal about his sabbatical in south africa? did he bail on a contract?
Spiritual quests notwithstanding, he's insanely popular amongst my young (white, and generally middle-class) friends. Personally, I find him somewhat inscrutable.
Interesting that 'what's-his-redneck-face the cable guy' is mentioned in same article, presumably attempting to embrace reactionary attitudes toward pc politics: general discontent with pc in its myriad forms may have actually run its course?..........
Dave ran reactionary, "we're not PC" comedy into the ground on the first two seasons of his show. LtCG is doing that in his act as we type. Both of them are subversively funny, Dave more than Larry, but that's depending on who you ask overall. Dave courts the white, middle class; Larry, the white, working class.
ReplyDeleteI think what happenned on Dave's show is that he finally pushed too far over the line for his own comfort. Aided by his (happens to be Jewish) writing partner, he tore apart most taboos on what racial humor to show on TV. One sketch potentailly offensive to the vast majority of blacks became too much for Dave, while said writng partner was laughing it up with his (happens to be Jewish) and (happens to be white) crew.
I don't blame him for walking out. When something feels wrong, there's no need to stay with it, money or no. I hate that he's been labeled as crazy. As much as I loved the show, he couldn't keep dragging "family buisness" (winking) out in the street. He was just making a buck, but sometimes the damege done socially exceeds the value of the laughs. I'm glad the realization hit him before he went too far.