Dave Chappelle Announces his Sixth Special on Netflix and Pops-up at The Stand Comedy Club and Restaurant in NYC

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Photo @candyTman on Twitter via @thestandnyc

Dave Chappelle is set to drop his sixth Netflix comedy special, Dave Chappelle: The Closer on Tuesday, October 5th and is predicting it to be his most controversial hour yet. In the promo for The Closer Dave says, “Comedians have a responsibility to speak recklessly. Sometimes the funniest thing to say is mean. Remember, I’m not saying it to be mean. I’m saying it because it’s funny.” I’ve seen Dave perform this hour throughout it’s various stages of development, including a couple trips to Chappelle Summer Camp in Yellow Springs and two shows with Joe Rogan in Las Vegas and I found it to be as funny and reckless as it was thought provoking and insightful.

Comedy is an art form in which comedians make observations and then use their wit to transform reality into humor and produce the physical reaction of laughter within another human being. Beautiful… right?! Absolutely! Essential… right?! More than ever!!! Then why are so many comedians being canceled for simply practicing their art form? My best guess is that because in this age of the internet sensationalism and click bait people are losing their ability to use logic and reason and are instead becoming reactive and drunk off the power they’ve been handed to cancel the careers of anyone with whom they deem uncouth or in breach of their woke social contract. To be clear, I’m not saying that progress is bad or that society’s evolution needs to stop. It just needs to have better aim and stop looking at artists as the problem. Freedom of artistic expression is a necessary ingredient to finding solutions and jokes are by definition not meant to be taken seriously.

Dave Chappelle follows the school of thought that once he releases a special, he retires that material, goes back to square one and starts from scratch writing an entirely new hour and he did not get to be the G.O.A.T. by taking days off. He was right back to work with three pop-up shows at The Stand Comedy Club and Restaurant this weekend and I was lucky enough to be there on Saturday. During his set Dave made jokes, told stories, and riffed on topics tossed to him by the audience and by host, Wil Sylvince. Watching Dave Chappelle perform comedy, especially like this, is like listening to jazz. I love it! He also shared funny and yet valid advice on marriage and his hopes for the future of this country. He made us laugh, he made us think, he even made us dance… But out of all the joy and wonderment of the evening, there was one thing he said that really stayed with me. He said that out of all the comedy specials he’s ever made, Dave Chappelle: The Closer will be the one that gets him canceled. I hope he’s wrong but in the event he’s right the best defense is a good offense! When this thing drops on Netflix this Tuesday, I beg everyone reading this to remember his words…

“Comedians have a responsibility to speak recklessly. Sometimes the funniest thing to say is mean. Remember, I’m not saying it to be mean. I’m saying it because it’s funny.”

Say them. Repeat them. Tweet them. Retweet them. Remember that they are the truth and if comedy is going to stand a chance of being around for our children and our grandchildren to enjoy, it’s up to each and everyone of us to fight for it and all of it’s pillars, especially the Greatest of All Time, Dave Chappelle.

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Sara Dahms

Sarah Dahms is a comedy superfan hails from Chicago and travels all over the country checking out the best comedy everywhere.
Sara Dahms
Sara Dahms
Sarah Dahms is a comedy superfan hails from Chicago and travels all over the country checking out the best comedy everywhere.