Dave Chappelle: The Age Of Spin
"The Age Of Spin" is one of three Dave Chappelle specials recorded for Netflix. This and "Deep In The Heart Of Texas" were released in March, with the last to follow later this year.
I'm not hugely familiar with Chappelle's history save for the fact that "Chappelle's Show" on Comedy Central was massively popular before he elected to walk away during the production of its third season. Since then he's sporadically performed stand-up before a more sustained return to touring in the past couple of years. He's frequently courted controversy and starts here by providing a broader context to a disastrous gig in Houston where he took to the stage stoned, brushing it off with the line "I'm like Evil Knieval, I get paid for the attempt".
He possesses a cool natural authority that makes him a likeable stage presence in spite of such indiscretions. And there are a few in this show. His revelation that he chose to go the Oscars instead of the benefit in Flint, Michigan he was booked for seems at best callous, yet we forgive him. The show is loosely themed around the four occasions he met OJ Simpson which yield the largest laughs of the show, with two especially terrific punchlines and a fine encore closing gag.
His trains of thought occasionally lead to a tasteless denouement, but Chappelle's craft is undeniable. A millenial member of the crowd becomes the start of an extended history lesson, where lofty rhetoric is undercut beautifully. Chappelle's son's admiration for Kevin Hart provides a strong routine in the special's closing stages, where his begrudging respect and admiration for his younger colleague comes to the fore. The show's strongest routine comes as Chappelle attempts to wrestle with the legacy of Bill Cosby in light of the allegations of recent years. It's a thoughtful, intelligent and abrasive bit that demonstrates to me, a newcomer to his work, what he's capable of. There's much to enjoy from The Age Of Spin and there may yet be better to come from Dave Chappelle.
I'm not hugely familiar with Chappelle's history save for the fact that "Chappelle's Show" on Comedy Central was massively popular before he elected to walk away during the production of its third season. Since then he's sporadically performed stand-up before a more sustained return to touring in the past couple of years. He's frequently courted controversy and starts here by providing a broader context to a disastrous gig in Houston where he took to the stage stoned, brushing it off with the line "I'm like Evil Knieval, I get paid for the attempt".
He possesses a cool natural authority that makes him a likeable stage presence in spite of such indiscretions. And there are a few in this show. His revelation that he chose to go the Oscars instead of the benefit in Flint, Michigan he was booked for seems at best callous, yet we forgive him. The show is loosely themed around the four occasions he met OJ Simpson which yield the largest laughs of the show, with two especially terrific punchlines and a fine encore closing gag.
His trains of thought occasionally lead to a tasteless denouement, but Chappelle's craft is undeniable. A millenial member of the crowd becomes the start of an extended history lesson, where lofty rhetoric is undercut beautifully. Chappelle's son's admiration for Kevin Hart provides a strong routine in the special's closing stages, where his begrudging respect and admiration for his younger colleague comes to the fore. The show's strongest routine comes as Chappelle attempts to wrestle with the legacy of Bill Cosby in light of the allegations of recent years. It's a thoughtful, intelligent and abrasive bit that demonstrates to me, a newcomer to his work, what he's capable of. There's much to enjoy from The Age Of Spin and there may yet be better to come from Dave Chappelle.
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