What? Yeah!
As Comedy Central continues to take over my life, an occurrence
that makes me feel uncomfortably submissive, there continues to be
just one show that I hear quoted repeatedly through the week.
Although Butters killing 11 people in a freak tap-dancing accident
was hysterically graphic, it is not “South Park.” And even with Jon
Stewart’s freakishly adept ability to split my side, it is not the
“Daily Show.” No, it is the catchy comedy of my half-baked hero
Dave Chappelle that has led to hours of entertainment punctuated
with “I’m Rick James, b**ch!” and “What? Yeah!”
Chappelle is funny, and though I feel he might depend only
slightly too much on race issues for his material, it is probably
just the fact that he’s a middle-aged black dude and I’m a young
white boy from Fort Collins. But it remains undeniable that
“Chappelle’s Show” is the funniest sketch comedy show on
television. See if you can stay with me here.
“I’m Rick James, b**ch” has become so popular that I saw a shirt
with the phrase on it at Sullivan’s the other night and didn’t even
need to think twice as to why I was familiar with it. On the
contrary, I laughed in my head as I watched Chappelle, dressed as
James, speaking of a girl’s chest and saying “I wish I had two more
hands, so I could give them four thumbs down.” Hah!
“Chappelle’s Show,” in its short two-season history, has an
astonishing number of memorable moments. The first time I saw “The
Mad Real World” skit I couldn’t stop laughing. The skit, based on
the premise that MTV’s popular “Real World” television show would
be startlingly different if the cast were comprised completely of
black roommates and one super white guy, is simply comedic crack.
(With “super white guy” I want you to think less Superman, more
“Saved by the Bell’s” Zach Morris) Also, the skit where Chappelle
celebrates getting Oprah pregnant by moving in with her and
mooching off her wealth is a funny look at a familiar situation
from a unique perspective.
Now I think it’s appropriate to address the only problem
associated with this show. No matter what, no matter who tells you
different, no matter if you are his blood relative – you do not
sound like Dave Chappelle. When you say, “What’d the five fingers
say to the face?” I want to slap you. When you yell “what” and your
buddy yells “yeah” and then you high-five, all I think about is
kicking a coffee mug at your head before zipping a 9-inch Cutco
into your chest. Let’s call it an Uma.
Whoa, that got a little violent there; it must be that there’s
too much Tarantino in my diet. And with “Chappelle’s Show”
gathering an ever-more popular reputation, it has also got the rap
game in a chokehold. Recent guests include Kanye West and Big Boi,
among many others. That means the show poses a double-threat akin
to David Hasselhoff’s mind-expanding acting/singing career.
Apparently if I were born with the first name David I would be
ultra-talented at two things instead of, um, zero. Hasselhoff, go
on and brush the dirt off yo’ shoulder.
Being that the second season has drawn to a close with Wednesday
night’s show, we will unfortunately have to wait for a third season
to have more verbal ammo. If you missed Wednesday night’s best-of
finale you should be able to catch it this Sunday night on Comedy
Central. In the meantime, feel free to openly discuss “Chappelle’s
Show” in public, but think twice before imitating the main man,
unless you want the unfortunate luck of taking a beverage container
to the dome.
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