Dave Chappelle didn’t go to college, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a thing or two to teach today’s college kids. The comedian, who is most well known for weed jokes and race gags, has (believe it or not) a sensitive, smart and serious side that he says has aided him in becoming a successful stand-up with his own sketch comedy show on Comedy Central.
‘Chappelle’s Show’ parodies pop culture and tackles racial stigmas and stereotypes in a lighthearted, comedic way. But the show is not a forum for Chappelle’s own racial opinions or political agendas. As he puts it in a mock HBO commercial, ‘It’s just regular-ass TV.’
Despite his flippant attitude, the young comedian could easily be seen as a role model to young people of all races, and the lessons he could teach are surprising. Chappelle lesson number one: don’t compromise your beliefs. When Chappelle was offered a sitcom deal from FOX in 1998 following the success of Half Baked, which he co-wrote and starred in, he ended up walking away from the deal when producers suggested he add white characters to draw a larger audience.
The move could have been a career-ender. Sitcoms are the height of any stand-up’s career, and Chappelle could have very well have walked away from his only chance to make it big. Five years later, though, Chappelle has another shot at TV and this time he’s doing it his way. The most important part of doing things his way was finding the right network to work with. After the FOX fiasco, Chappelle wanted to steer clear of network television.
‘I think Comedy Central was just the first network to really invest in me as a talent,’ Chappelle said in a recent interview. ‘A lot of networks [would] have put money in my pocket, and it would be like, we’ll do a show around you, but they [would] try to change the essence [of my comedy]. They’ll take Dave Chappelle and throw him in Urkel suspenders … Comedy Central was like, just go on in, do your thing.’
Chappelle lesson number two: don’t listen to your critics. Chappelle’s comedy is characteristically controversial, and ‘Chappelle’s Show’ tackles subjects like crack addiction and racism with a tongue-in-cheek humor that is not for the easily offended. For example, in some sketches, the use of the word ‘nigger’ is absolutely essential to the plot of the sketch, and Chappelle and his cohorts use it with relish. So what does Chappelle think about those who claim his race humor pushes too many buttons?
‘The thing about the ‘n-word’ is I don’t think the word itself is offensive as much as the malice that’s associated with the word like the hatred that the word embodies,’ he said. ‘A lot of younger black people embrace that word, and [we’ve] changed the meaning amongst ourselves, amongst our friends. Even white kids call each other niggers now. So, I didn’t make the word up. But as far as people who criticize [my use of it], I’m not going to blast my critics.’
Chappelle lesson number three: don’t do crack. Chappelle’s mentor, Charles Barnett, was a comedian in New York in the late 80s and early 90s. His crack addiction and subsequent infection with HIV led to his death and probably kept him from making it big in the comedy world. Chappelle watched Barnett suffer from his addiction, and he now bitterly jokes about crack addiction, even creating a reoccurring crack addict character for ‘Chappelle’s Show.’ Chappelle is currently working on a biopic of Barnett’s life and work.
‘[Charlie] had learned that when you’re a drug addict you pick your friends by your addiction,’ Chappelle said, speaking of his friend.
‘He liked hanging out with me because I wasn’t doing drugs, so he felt like I’d keep him clean … For me, as far as personal growth and also artistic growth, [the summer I spent with Charlie in New York] was a real pivotal summer in my life. The movie that I want to do about Charlie deals more with the strength of what he gave me.’
Dave Chappelle can teach everyone a lesson about strength, perseverance and success sparing the world, of course, from another boring lecture. You can watch him on his successful, critically acclaimed show, ‘Chappelle’s Show’ Wednesdays at 10:30 p.m. on Comedy Central.
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