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.