Dave Chappelle Should Get A Podcast

That headline probably sounds like an insult to people because podcast is a stupid word, but it’s not at all. Ever since Conan O’Brien invented them podcasts have proven to be a very viable business option, an interesting medium, and one that’s not going anywhere. I think Chappelle’s would be incredible.

That last sentence probably goes without saying, the wildly funny and talented guy would be good on a podcast, no shit. But after watching his new standup, Sticks and Stones, I couldn’t help but think that he’d probably be better at podcasting than standup, a bold claim I know.

The set itself was funny, again obviously, but Chappelle never really said anything I haven’t heard before. His delivery is legendary so it’s funnier than you’ve heard it said, but there really aren’t any new ideas that you haven’t seen as long as you have a Twitter account. Cancel culture is bad, transgender people are different, school shootings, gun laws would change if all black people registered for legal guns, Michael Jackson’s accusers are liars, Jussie Smollet (this part was very funny), and more. It wasn’t bad, not by any stretch, but it just didn’t feel new.

I clearly don’t know a ton about the world of stand-up but I imagine that’s the biggest hurdle in today’s era where ideas and bits are exchanged immediately, feeling fresh. If you spend a year working on topical material then by the time it comes out then it’s not exactly topical anymore. It doesn’t matter if you’re a genius like Chappelle, if you’re this late to share opinions on things then someone has already probably accidentally stumbled upon that joke and it went viral.

After the special ends and you sit through the credits, there’s a secret 25 minute bonus video. It’s Chappelle after his show on Broaway, sitting there, smoking, taking questions from the audience, and telling stories. That was the highlight of the whole show for me. I think Chappelle is even more interesting than he is funny and I liked just hearing him casually discuss things off the cuff more than I enjoyed his cultivated bits. It’s why my favorite new Chappelle special has been The Bird Revelation, because it just feels like you’re sitting in a room and listening to a genius talk. He shares his opinions on comedy, Trump, more transgender stuff, and it was just more entertaining to see him do it that way if you ask me.

There’s no shot Chappelle starts a podcast, but still.