If you missed Dave Chappelle's appearance on Oprah, don't fret. You can
catch the interview online over at You
Tube. Since Dave's appearance there's been a lot of speculation about his mental state from armchair critics (wait,
I'm one of those) and various opinionated individuals who, through the luxury of hindsight, know exactly what Dave
should and shouldn't have done. Maybe I'm going out in a limb here, but I think Dave seemed perfectly normal. The only
"abnormal" thing I noticed was that he acted like a regular person, which is rare on television. He didn't
always have a direct answer for Oprah's questions, and yes, sometimes he did act nervous. That's how normal people
behave. It's not as if we always completely understand why we do what we do, and trying to convey our thoughts to other
people can sometimes be extremely difficult. I can't say what's going on inside Dave's brain anymore than anyone else
can, but watching him on Oprah felt to me like one of those rare TV moments when someone broke through the
inherent phoniness of the medium and actually decided to be themselves, something most television viewers aren't used
to seeing. Maybe Dave could have come across better if he had gotten his thoughts in a row ahead of time, but watching
him shoot from the hip was far better television.Oprah's Chappelle interview online
If you missed Dave Chappelle's appearance on Oprah, don't fret. You can
catch the interview online over at You
Tube. Since Dave's appearance there's been a lot of speculation about his mental state from armchair critics (wait,
I'm one of those) and various opinionated individuals who, through the luxury of hindsight, know exactly what Dave
should and shouldn't have done. Maybe I'm going out in a limb here, but I think Dave seemed perfectly normal. The only
"abnormal" thing I noticed was that he acted like a regular person, which is rare on television. He didn't
always have a direct answer for Oprah's questions, and yes, sometimes he did act nervous. That's how normal people
behave. It's not as if we always completely understand why we do what we do, and trying to convey our thoughts to other
people can sometimes be extremely difficult. I can't say what's going on inside Dave's brain anymore than anyone else
can, but watching him on Oprah felt to me like one of those rare TV moments when someone broke through the
inherent phoniness of the medium and actually decided to be themselves, something most television viewers aren't used
to seeing. Maybe Dave could have come across better if he had gotten his thoughts in a row ahead of time, but watching
him shoot from the hip was far better television.
The TV Squad Podcast: Linda Purl talks about The Office, we talk spoilers, and more
Ask TV Squad: Ghost Whisperer and more!
The TV Squad Podcast: Bill Scheft of The Late Show, Cake Boss, Mad Men and more
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-06-2006 @ 1:48PM
TuckerKatt said...
Ditto for me, Alan -- I have now watched a full episode of Oprah and I hate myself a little.
As a big Chappelle fan, I was looking forward to finally hearing from Dave what had happened. I was very disappointed with his vague answers and his rambling. It was as if he hadn't prepared even in the slightest for the interview. I thought it was cheap to call out his friend for not calling him, when Dave himself had left the country without telling his friend (or his wife & kids, for that matter!). I also don't believe him when he says he's been off drugs for years.
As for Oprah, she was her typical self-involved self, trying to inject as much of her own blathering as possible. What was that KKK story about? She didn't realize that putting the Klan on national television would be giving them a voice? Duh.
Dave definitely dropped the ball on the first stop of his "I'm Not Crazy" tour. Hopefully his Inside the Actors Studio appearance will be better (Feb 12, 8pm on Bravo).
Reply
2-06-2006 @ 4:41PM
Maven said...
Alan,
You do realize that www.chappelletheory.com is satire/fiction.
See http://www.chappelletheory.com/disclaimer.html
Maven
Reply
2-06-2006 @ 5:46PM
Anna said...
I think Oprah's personal story was an attempt to get Dave to identify with her in hopes of making him more comfortable so he could open up a little.
I definitely don't think Dave is crazy and I don't think he's on drugs, but I do think something is off. Oprah often has "regular" people on her show who answer questions better than Chappelle did.
And, you're right Maven, that Chappelle theory is crap. I think the people who wrote it are the ones who keep posting it in comments on the Chappelle stories.
Reply
2-06-2006 @ 12:26PM
Alan said...
I'm a little disappointed that I can no longer say, "I've never watched a whole episode of Oprah." I'm even more disappointed that the website
http://www.chappelletheory.com/
Is starting to make more sense. That whole part where Dave says he wants to be more socially responsible sounds like something directly from
http://www.chappelletheory.com/introduction3.html
All his vague answers and how uncomfortable he was being on the show makes me think there's something more going on.
Reply