In an October appearance at the Kennedy Center, Dave Chappelle spoke about his appreciation for stand-up as an art form. Chappelle was at the Kennedy Center last year when he was awarded the 2019 Mark Twain Prize for Humor; however, that event just aired on PBS this past Tuesday. The event was attended by numerous entertainers, including his A Star is Born co-star, Bradley Cooper and Aziz Ansari, who spoke about their relationship with Chappelle and his career.
Chapelle is perhaps best known for creating Comedy Central’s Chappelle’s Show in the early 2000s as well as being a prolific stand-up. More recently, Chappelle has released five Netflix comedy specials since 2017. His latest one, entitled Sticks & Stones, has been heavily scrutinized by the critics despite being acclaimed by Netflix subscribers. This controversy is due in large part to Chappelle’s attacking of sensitive subject matter—often a cornerstone of his honest and provocative sets—which may not vibe with today’s politically correct culture.
At the end of the PBS event, Chappelle took to the stage to accept the Mark Twain Prize. In that speech, which doubled as one of his hilarious sets, Chappelle spoke about what his genre, stand-up comedy, means to him. He called stand-up an incredibly “American genre” that allows all opinions to be expressed openly throughout comedy clubs across the country. He went on to joke about the precarious relationship between the first and second amendments before elaborating further on the importance of his art form. 'There’s something so true about this genre when done correctly, that I will fight anybody that gets in a true practitioner of this art form’s way." said Chappelle. "Cause I know you’re wrong. This is the truth, and you are obstructing it. I’m not talking about the content; I’m talking about the art form.” The entire speech can be viewed below:
In that speech, Chappelle also acknowledges his mentor, Stan Lathan who has helped him produce his five Netflix specials. He advises Lathan to stay healthy because he plans on doing many more of those specials. While this may not please the critics who equated Sticks and Stones to a temper tantrum, those who view Chappelle as fearless and intellectual will be pleased; Chappelle’s subjective format is nothing new to long-time fans of his work or the art form in general.
Chappelle’s defense of stand-up as an art form revolves around being able to speak/seek the truth when on stage. Much in the same way that writers, actors, and directors tell a didactic story on screen, stand-ups often have a point or a punchline they are trying to get across. The very fact that Dave Chappelle’s acceptance speech swiftly turned into another impeccable display of his talent as a stand-up seems to only further reinforce his sentiment.
Source: PBS