Even before Dave Chappellle hit the stage Thursday night, there was already a feeling in the air that something was different.
The air had a different smell to it like rain clouds were just overhead. The lights were set to a more coffee shop poetry reading setting than that of a setting meant for filming a large, soon-to-hit-theaters entertainment act. No elaborate backdrop or props, no large name in lights in the background.
Just Dave, a stool and a mic.
And a bunch of cigarettes.
How can he get away with chain smoking on stage, you ask? Not to abuse the overused, but… he’s Dave Chappelle, bitch.
Something big was about to happen, and from Seat 20, Row X in the Orchestra Level, I could not wait to be a part of whatever the night had in store.
Whatever the lingering “thing” was, it prompted the world-famous comedian to pick that Thursday night in his hometown of Washington, D.C., on his 33rd birthday, as the time to film his next big stand-up act lined up to be titled, “Iconoclasts.”
I’ll spare you the look-up if you are not familiar with the term, used to describe a lot in famous philosophers and prophets.
According to Dictionary.com, an iconoclast is “one who attacks and seeks to overthrow traditional or popular ideas or institutions.”
Out was his traditional routine of spending a whole show talking about getting high and racing cops, riding through the ghetto running into crack-dealing babies with kids and jacking-off like a ninja (ok, I lie, there were a few jokes about masturbation, most notably when he found out two 18-year olds were seated in the front row and remarked, “Thanks for taking time away from jacking-off to come out tonight.”).
In was a wiser, more insightful Chappelle, who somehow managed to use stories of high expectations in Hollywood, pimping and faithfulness to his wife to paint a clearer picture of why he turned down an extremely lucrative deal from Comedy Central and why he took a two week hiatus in South Africa, completely catching everyone off guard.
The $50 million dollar question that we needed answered was this:
“Has Dave Chappelle gone f**kin’ crazy?!”
His $50 million dollar answer?
“It’s like this stool right here is a stack of money, $50 million dollars. A man walks up to you and says, ‘Hey, this money is all yours. Here, take it.’ And you’re like, ‘Word?’ And then just as you go to reach for the money, they… whip their dick out and set it on the top of the pile!”
It’s real and quite raw. The audience loves it, breaking out into laughter.
“And you know what? There’s no getting that penis off of the money.”
He was more political than before, joking about the government, the war in Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine, genocide in Sudan and the general world perspective on the Americans.
“George Bush has been lying to us all.”
The crowd breaks out into an uproar.
“But really, we can’t handle the f**king truth, for real. I want him to lie! Nobody wants to hear, ‘Look… Americans have adopted a lifestyle that is too rich for our natural economy to sustain, so… here’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to go into Iraq, rob the sh*t out of the Middle East for some oil, and keep on livin’ how we’re livin! You see? That sh*t wouldn’t float.”
He suddenly appeared more as a new-school “Bill Cosby who cusses” than the old Dave from his old stand-up routines.
He still had old stories about his younger days when he was first dating his wife and the first time she finally wanted to go home with him, about how awful watching baseball would be without having “super-humans” playing the game and how he both loves and hates the show “Cheaters” for its thoroughness and cruelty.
But then he talked about meeting Mya Angelou, learning more about Machiavellian philosophy and his view of the game society can play, using an example from the book entitled, “Pimp: The Story of My Life,” of an old pimp named Iceburg Slim.
He was a comic inspired to throw in more social commentary than he’d traditionally used.
He’d taken to the route of his favorite music artists, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Common, Erykah Badu and The Roots, who use their stage to promote freedom of expression over censorship; conscientiousness over conformity; not letting money and fame compromise inner beliefs.
Chappelle has the fame. And even the money, despite passing on the large Comedy Central deal (He’s definitely not staying in a mini-mansion back in the hood, where he says to this day he is “traumatized forever” from living in).
Walking out of the theatre Thursday night, there was no removing the large grin plastered across my face. You would expect that from someone just leaving an entertaining comedy show, of course, but this was different.
This was type of grin you’d see on a kid who just found out where his parents hid the Christmas gifts.
I had just been witness to the best comic of my generation reaching his highest point of comic and social enlightenment.
Chappelle is funnier than ever, and those unable to be at the Warner Theatre birthday show, will have to hold out and see what I’m talking about when “Iconoclasts” hits the theatres.
And trust me when I say that will be worth the long wait.
