Funny and Smart. What Else Does a Girl Need?

“Chappelle’s Show” was a juggernaut; it was bigger than a television show should be. It destroyed its competition and when people look back it will have defined its time period. Okay maybe it didn’t have as big an affect as the Beatles did (no one converted to Islam because Dave Chappelle practices, I’m sure) but for the last four years or so it has been inescapable. It created catchphrases (“I’m Rick James, Bitch”) and had frat boys and hipster nerds alike quoting entire episodes verbatim. It was thought provoking, it was ground breaking, it was controversial, but most of all it was funny, the most important feature of a comedy show. Dave Chappelle is a true artist and an inspiration to any one who believes in following your muse. He turned down fifty million dollars because he didn’t believe the third season could follow the other two (and he was right, if you’ve seen the “Lost Episodes”) so he killed his own creation rather than see it exploited. That’s an artist right there. Disagree if you’d like but Chappelle’s various forms of comedy (from Half Baked to his stand-up) move me more than all the postmodern art in all of France. And that’s what art does: it moves people.

Comedy Central isn’t about art; it’s about making money via advertisements and I can dig that. They’re big business. I just wish big business didn’t have to crush art all the time. Case in point: “Mind of Mencia.” It follows the same exact format as the aforementioned show – both guys come out in front of a studio audience tell a couple jokes then go to a prerecorded piece, both shows hit upon taboos and are controversial, both host are cocky and fearless. Only difference? Mencia’s world is not funny at all. So since this is true Mencia comes off like an ass. His controversial nature just seems like bullshit posturing. And his attitude seems overblown and boring. Any one can screaming “RETARD” but not everyone can make some subtle point about today’s society and be funny while screaming. Mencia’s show is obviously a desperate attempt by the network to keep Chappelle’s audience around for a while. And they succeeded because most people are sheep and couldn’t see sincerity if it bit them in their soon-to-be-wool asses.

I gotta connect this to music, which will be easy sadly, or I’m gonna be pissed at myself. I made rules and I’m gonna follow them. God Damn It. (I hate rule breakers like all good red-blooded, meat-eating, Republican-voting Americans do.) Every time one band makes it the record labels send A&R guys all across the country checking out new act to follow suit. Nirvana came along and Seattle clubs couldn’t host a show without dudes with suits and ponytails looking for the “Next Big Thing.” That produced Pearl Jam, a band with some good tunes and some ethos, which then lead to Creed, a band with none of the criteria, later on down the road. This sadly produces shit for the most part. You rush art and it falls apart. Let the shit develop and it may do something worthwhile. But labels can’t afford to wait, I understand that; and act that could be amazing if left to develop for five years won’t mean shit to the ever so fickle public at that time. But this kills any chance for real bands to “make it” or to be heard. Instead we still got fourth generation should be Pearl Jam cover bands flooding our airwaves.