Notes From a Comedy Junkie: Dave Chappelle, New York and the Rebirth of Comedy

Published by Sara Dahms at June 3, 2021

The world is opening up, comedy is back and we have millions of reasons to celebrate. Almost immediately after I got my vaccines and made the self-declaration that I was finally ready to step out of my home and back into the world, I received a most intriguing invitation. Let us just say, “it was a pop-up I couldn’t refuse” so I hopped on a plane and got to New York as soon as I could. The Stand Comedy Club and Restaurant is officially open for business and I was there to help celebrate as comedy legends, Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, Trevor Noah and Michelle Wolf ushered in what felt like an entirely new era of life and comedy in the Big Apple.

New York City gives me life and I was so happy to be back and hanging out at my favorite club with some of my favorite people. All I knew when I arrived was that Dave Chappelle was doing a pop-in. I didn’t know who or even if he would have anyone else on the lineup with him and truth be told, I wasn’t the least bit concerned about it one way or another. Then, one of my favorite people, Tracey Carnazzo, says as casual as casual can be, “Oh, look. It’s Chris Rock…” and as hard as I tried to be cool, I lost my cool and my inner comedy nerd came out and I got verklempt. Chris Rock is a king, and I could not believe my good fortune to be able to see Rock and Chappelle on the same stage, on my first night out, in my favorite club in the world and he did not disappoint. Not in the least. Then as if things couldn’t get any better, Kim Congdon goes, “Oh, Michelle Wolf’s here too” and bam! Michelle Wolf was crossing the street to come over and say hi and I got to meet her. She was so nice and she rocks her curls with style! This was my first-time seeing Michelle Wolf and Trevor Noah perform stand-up and they are both as good as it gets. Trevor Noah came up and did a set even though he rode his bike to the club and had absolutely no intension of going up but I am so grateful that he did because he was natural and funny and told stories that made you feel like you were just talking on the phone with your funny friend and that felt special. I got that same feeling later in the evening when Dave and Chris were on stage riffing with each other. It was a great feeling, like we were a part of something that was one of a kind and will never happen again and we truly were but the more I think about it the more I realize that is what all of Dave Chappelle’s shows are like and part of the reason why his fans love him so much. He’s natural.

As a lifelong fan of comedy, my appreciation for Dave Chappelle began in middle school when I saw him play Ahchoo in the Mel Brooks movie, “Robin Hood: Men in Tights” and absolutely loved him. Then, when I was in high school, I heard his take on Wonder Woman’s costume and superpower during his appearance on “Dr. Katz” on Comedy Central and it was official, he had a fan in me. “Hi Aquaman!” But the connection did not end there. After seeing Harland Williams in “There’s Something About Mary,” I was moved to go to my first stand-up comedy show and seeing Harland perform stand-up brought Chappelle back into my orbit with his movie “Half Baked.” What I didn’t know at the time and would not discover for many years after this was that Dave’s stand-up comedy was just as hilarious as anything I had ever seen him in on TV and in fact, stand-up comedy was actually the root of Dave Chappelle’s genius! By the time I was introduced to Dave in 1993, he had already made it up the ranks as a stand-up comedian and into a MEL BROOKS movie. He was growing and evolving as an artist, trying on different modes of expression and by golly everything he tried (stand-up, acting, writing, stage and screen) seemed to work… but of course they did. Why? Because Dave Chappelle is a genius and when you recognize and appreciate genius, what should you do with it? Give it a safe space and everything it needs to grow because the possibilities are endless. I cannot speak on what Dave’s experiences throughout his journey as a comedian have been, but I will say that the world is teeming with talented artists who have yet to be discovered as they roam the world creating their art into a vacuum and I am beyond grateful that David Khari Webber Chappelle is not one of them. In a perfect world, the function of an instrument is to vibrate, create harmony and focus on its craft. It is not to worry about all the ways in which it should be played or received. Worry and fear stops truth and stifles creativity. So, ideally, every artist/instrument should find their perfect team, partner or tribe not to “use” them, but to “strum” them in all the beautiful ways they are best able to be heard and this is another way in which Dave Chappelle shines. We’ve seen it through the crew he assembled on “The Chappelle Show,” the legends of comedy he runs with at all of his Summer Camp shows in Yellow Springs, the generations of fans who love him and most recently, with his partnership with Luminary and the creation of his new podcast “The Midnight Miracle” with Talib Kweli and Yasiin Bey.

The future of comedy is exactly what Dave Chappelle and “The Midnight Miracle” has managed to achieve. It’s music, comedy and spirit all interwoven together creating magic that is almost impossible to describe into words so please listen and hear what I’m talking about. “The Midnight Miracle” speaks to your soul; it’s moving, it’s profound, it’s honest and it’s funny. All of these are very real, very powerful emotions, so buyer beware. Dave Chappelle is tapping into some next level shit right now, so if you are looking for some surface level yuk yuks to release some of your tension with, this may not be your jam. Dave Chappelle and his crew of Comedian, Philosopher Kings are instruments who have been called to make us laugh and transform our pain into joy so if they inadvertently bring out anger or hurt instead of happiness and healing within you, I want you to be prepared so you can maximize your experience along with Dave Chappelle and his crew. You basically have two options to choose from if you ever find yourself in a situation where you are feeling offended instead of delivered.

Stay grounded and in the moment and remember that the emotion or memory that was evoked by the joke or story is fleeting and this too shall pass… and the comedian/conversation will be on to the next subject before you know it. Be here. Be now and breath in and breath out. focus on your breath until the next joke has begun.
If the joke hits too close to home for you to power through and you are totally not ready to hear that shit, get up and leave. No one will be mad at you. I promise. Go for a walk. Take a pee. Light a smoke. Breath. Repeat. Then come back in if or when you feel ready but also know, that you are not alone in your pain and many of the comedians who write the funniest jokes have the deepest wounds.
There is no question that the events of the past year have changed us, not all in the same way, but as a collective consciousness, the truth is that we will never be the same. The good news is that this is not necessarily a bad thing. The saying goes, “Art imitates life,” however, Oscar Wilde believed that “life imitates art.” I think it’s both…. An interwoven dance of life, inspiration and art all rolled into one and Dave Chappelle and his entire tribe are living proof of this through the jokes they write, the stories they tell and the company they keep. If you still have air in your lungs and blood pumping through your veins then there is hope that you can take the heartbreak, the hardship and the challenges you’ve lived through, find truth and turn them into something beautiful, then be prepared to fight like hell to protect the small piece of heaven you might have created right here on Earth and that is exactly what the late David Kimowitz, Paolo Italia, Cris Italia and Patrick Milligan have done with the safe haven they have created for both artists and fans to eat, drink and be merry while enjoying the very highest caliber of entertainment comedy has to offer at their club, The Stand NYC.

In a world full of Samurais and Geishas, be both. #RIPPaulMooney