Dave Chappelle and Genius

 

Things I didn't know about Dave Chappelle:
His father William was a professor of voice and music at Antioch College.
He maintains a farm in Yellow Springs, Ohio.
He is "good friends" with Mario Cantone.

 

Essay/Editorial: Chappelle is brilliant, but it's not the same kind of brilliance as, say, that of Richard Pryor. Pryor was one-of-a-kind, Chappelle is not, though he is better than the rest of his kind. Pryor's comedy was nuanced and subtle, with layers for the dumbasses who can get only coarse, physical humor, and layers for the smarter people who knew what he was really saying. Chappelle's work isn't layered like that, not yet, anyway. Also, you get the feeling that half of the jokes he's done will be dated as hell in 10 years time. That said, he does touch subjects no one else has the balls to touch. He manages to make funny, that which shouldn't be funny, and there is where he makes the comparison with Pryor. Only a certain kind of talent can make certain subjects humorous, can see what's so funny about white supremacists. It's one of those things that work as an intellectual class separator. Dark humor (no pun intended) has a way of marking out the stupid among us.

 

Chappelle Filmography:
 "Wanda at Large"
 "Chappelle's Show" (2003)
 "Crank Yankers"
 Undercover Brother (2002)
 Screwed (2000)
 Blue Streak (1999)
 200 Cigarettes (1999)
 You've Got Mail (1998)
 Woo (1998)
 Half Baked (1998)
 The Real Blonde (1997)
 "Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist"
 Con Air (1997)
 Damn Whitey (1997)
 Bowl of Pork (1997)
 Joe's Apartment (1996)
 The Nutty Professor (1996)
 "Buddies" (1996)
 "Home Improvement"
 Getting In (1994)
 Undercover Blues (1993)
 Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993)

 

Technorati Tags : Dave, Chappelle, Chappelle, comedy, central, Chappelle's, Show, Stand-up, Oprah, Half-Baked, Menthols, Newports, Comedy, Comedian