Dave Chappelle

[journey]

Dave Chappelle Happy to Be Working Clubs Mon Sep 12, 9:56 PM ET
 


CINCINNATI - Comedian Dave Chappelle, who walked away from his hit TV series earlier this year, said working in front of smaller audiences is more his speed.

 
Chappelle sold out 10 shows at a northern Kentucky club and said doing standup is "like I'm hanging out with a bunch of people."

Chappelle stunned fans and the entertainment industry when he abruptly left during production of the third season of his Comedy Central series, "Chappelle's Show." He spent two weeks in South Africa before returning home to his 65-acre farm near Yellow Springs, Ohio, about 75 miles northeast of Cincinnati, and then returned to standup comedy.

He played the Funny Bone Comedy Club at Newport on the Levee last week, a 325-seat club.

"I like that particular kind of attention. People don't know what it's like standing up there on stage, when you have a wall of people smiling at you," Chappelle told The Cincinnati Enquirer for a story published Monday.

"Most people don't know what it's like to stand up there and speak their mind. I have a venue to do that. I get paid to do that. It's not like I'm doing heavy lifting up there. It's not like I'm solving the world's problems. It's like I'm hanging out with a bunch of people and it's cool," he said.

Chappelle has said he was unhappy with the direction of his show. His decision triggered reports that he had mental or drug problems, which he denied.

"It was a little weird," he told the newspaper. "It felt like some of the stuff was real tabloid, like raw speculation.

"It was like stuff I would normally buy and believe," he added, laughing. "I just took it as a learning experience. It was like becoming a public person and learning all the responsibility that comes with that."

Chappelle said he wasn't sure what's ahead for him: "Wow. Damn, that's a good question. ... Is 'I don't know' an acceptable answer?"

[Where is Hassan Nasrallah ?]

i like dave chapelle

[ClintroN]

Its a celabration , enjoy yourself,  'cause im Rick James bitch

why would he leave like that, i heard he went off to rehab

[journey]

why would he leave like that, i heard he went off to rehab

He couldn't handle the large crowds. And I guess the whole situation was overwhelming to him, like the pressure of having to keep up ratings for Comedy Central. Maybe he never thought his show would get as big as that, and it freaked him out.

[Kujo]

He commented in one interview that most of the people that he normally hung out with started changing how they acted around him, and he didnt like it.

Without starting another thread, for those of you that miss Chapelles' show on Comedy Central, check out "Mind of Mencia". Carlos Mencia is pretty damn funny even though he has to tone down his normal routine for television.

[Megaguns]

anyone seen halfbaked? funny shit.

[Skeba]

I think he's not too good of an actor. I'm not gonna go as far as to say that he sucks, but he's really not too good.

His standup material on the other hand is good. I haven't seen all that many of his performances, but they've all been good. Though what I don't like is that over half of his routines has something to do with him being black. I think it's just way too easy to do that. (almost the same thing with Chris Rock)

The problem with shows like the chapelle show, or movies, is that the script is too dominant and doesn't give the comedian himself the liberties he would have as a  stand up comedian.

Oh, and Halfbaked isn't good.

[Megaguns]

Thanks, you are entitled to your opinion. Half baked is funny

[ClintroN]

Half Baked is fucken funny as hell!!

thats my opinion.

[McGann]

I LOVED Chappelle's Show.
While I'm sad that it's over,
I respect Dave TONS.

Splash

/Mike

[Deez Nuts]

why would he leave like that, i heard he went off to rehab

He couldn't handle the large crowds. And I guess the whole situation was overwhelming to him, like the pressure of having to keep up ratings for Comedy Central. Maybe he never thought his show would get as big as that, and it freaked him out.

I agree with you, but just curious, what large crowds did he have to perform in front of?? All the filming of the episodes had smaller crowds than his standup routines.

Also, does anyone know if he's still with his co-writer Neil?? How far were they into the 3rd season and if possible would any of them air?

[Evolution]

That man is fucking hilarious 

[Eazy E]

"Mmm, I wish I had more hands so I could give those titties, four thumbs DOWN!"

Has anyone seen his latest stand-up DVD?  My friend bought it not too long ago, I think it was called "Live at Filmore's"... I heard it wasn't as good as Killing Them Softly.

[im rickjames bitch]

hes cool. thats interesting i didnt know he was a farmer. i say do what ever makes u happy dave 

[Evolution]

i say do what ever makes u happy dave 

YYYEAAAHH!

[AxlsMainMan]

"Mmm, I wish I had more hands so I could give those titties, four thumbs DOWN!"

Has anyone seen his latest stand-up DVD?? My friend bought it not too long ago, I think it was called "Live at Filmore's"... I heard it wasn't as good as Killing Them Softly.

I have both DVDs and I have to say Killing Them Softly is bay far the better purchase

[journey]

Chappelle Opens Up on "Oprah"
Friday February 3 7:03 PM ET

By Sarah Hall



He wasn't crazy. He wasn't on drugs. He presented no threat to Oprah Winfrey's onset furniture.

In his first televised interview since fleeing the set of his hit Comedy Central show last spring, Dave Chappelle sat down with the Queen of Daytime Friday in an attempt to explain the reasons behind his abrupt departure.

With the premiere of the third season of Chappelle's Show only weeks away, the comedian suddenly vanished without explanation, forcing Comedy Central to shut down production on the series and igniting speculations that his hard-partying lifestyle had resulted in a total meltdown.

 
Chappelle eventually surfaced in South Africa, where he was rumored to have checked himself into a psychiatric hospital for treatment, a report he has denied.

According to the comedian, neither drugs nor insanity were behind his decision to cut and run from Chappelle's Show. Stress, on the other hand, was a major factor.

"I wasn't crazy but it is incredibly stressful," Chappelle said.

After Chappelle signed an unprecedented $50 million contract in August 2004, carrying him through the third and fourth seasons of Chappelle's Show, he said he began to feel like too many people were trying to control him and the direction of his show.

"I felt in a lot of instances I was deliberately being put through stress because when you're a guy who generates money, people have a vested interested in controlling you," Chappelle said.

The comedian said he finally decided a spiritual retreat was in order, though he neglected to tell anyone but his brother of his plans.

"I would go to work on the show and I felt awful every day, that?s not the way it was," he said. "I felt like some kind of prostitute or something. If I feel so bad, why keep on showing up to this place? I'm going to Africa. The hardest thing to do is to be true to yourself, especially when everybody is watching."

After he returned from Africa, Chappelle continued to avoid the spotlight, retreating to his farm in Yellow Springs, Ohio. In June, he resumed making sporadic standup appearances around Los Angeles.

The comedian told Winfrey that he had not ruled out returning to Comedy Central to complete the third and fourth seasons of Chappelle's Show--provided that some changes were made.

"I do want to do my show again provided, one, I can make the proper work environment," Chappelle said.

In the interest of being "socially responsible," he said he wanted to begin donating a portion of the proceeds from his DVD sales to charity.

"I want to give," Chappelle said. "I don't want the money. I don't want the drama. I just want to do my show. I want to have fun again."

Comedy Central made it clear Friday that the network will welcome the return of its wayward star. "Dave is a comedic genius whose work we truly value, and the door is always open to him," the network said in a statement.

In December, the network said the four episodes of Chappelle's Show completed by the comedian before his departure would hit the air this spring.

[Where is Hassan Nasrallah ?]

dave rocks !


i like how he " went to africa .... "  and arrived in South Africa .... why ? rwanda or liberia wasnt safe enough ? needed the 5 stars hotel of cape town ? 

[Communist China]

That situation at Comedy Central wasn't really his fault entirely. I saw him on Oprah (only episode of Oprah I've ever sat through) and what he said made a lot of sense. Looked like he needed a break and everyone turned his back on him when he needed help.

[Eazy E]

That situation at Comedy Central wasn't really his fault entirely. I saw him on Oprah (only episode of Oprah I've ever sat through) and what he said made a lot of sense. Looked like he needed a break and everyone turned his back on him when he needed help.

Yeah, I watched this video on youtube.com... He just had a lot of pressure and needed to get away from the situation.  A lot of people that saw him on Oprah seemed to think he was still mentally unstable, but I understood what he was trying to say.

BTW, Communist, nice Hedberg signature... "I wanted to buy candle holders but the store didn't have any... so I got a cake".