Hoard Memories with Loved Ones with Dave Chappelle

I used to shout on my dad around town. He had this thing he would do, not with everybody, with certain people. Hey, how you doing? Hey, I'm good, man. And he would look at them and be like, Now, how are you doing? And then they'd say what the real thing was. But then it taught me again. Everyone's like a book that I haven't read. And, man, sometimes I can get past the cover. And, man, I learn so much from so many unlikely people. So, and then, of course, I take those lessons around the world and make millions and millions of dollars. This episode is brought to you by Chase Home Lending. Hey, little girl, how are you doing? Well, I'm doing just fine. We've got a special. We've got a special episode ahead. We are out of the studio, and we are in Ohio in a beautiful town. Yellow Springs. I was going to, you know. She was setting me up. Our guest is not supposed to be here. He's not. And he's not supposed to be talking, but I think it would be. He failed the first test. He's not supposed to be here. But it's good to see you. I haven't seen you in a couple of weeks. I know. It feels like months I haven't seen you. It has been months. Now that we've been doing this podcast, I get to see myself. I get to see myself. I get to see myself. I get to see my lovely sister at least once a month, but I've been really busy the last couple of months, and she's been vacationing in Hawaii. I haven't been vacationing. That's where I live. You know, see, this is how. I mean, dude, you know, I work almost every day, almost. Do you? No, not really. That's what I thought. But we have a special guest. We do. And we should do a proper introduction. Okay, take it away. And I know this will sound weird. I know this will sound familiar, but we've got Dave Chappelle, who is, I am such a huge fan of Dave Chappelle, and I'm going to read him his bio, but I want to tell you two things about meeting him for the first time. One is Dave Chappelle is one of those people who makes me laugh just by thinking about him. I can think, or someone says Dave Chappelle, and I'll start giggling. And I'm going to tell, I mentioned this to Dave in the car or when we were riding around. Everybody knows Dave smokes. No. I hadn't smelled smoke since our mom passed away. And it was such. Our mom smoked. This sounds weird, but our mom smoked. And being around Dave gave me this warm feeling. That nicotine love. Of being around my mom. Yeah, he told me that this morning, and I was like, really? You're really going to tell that story? I am. I am, because I think people relate to something like that. Okay. All right. Well, let's introduce Dave. Come on, dude. Dave Chappelle is one of the greatest comedians this country has ever produced. Full stop. Multiple Grammy Awards, the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, the highest honor in comedy. A voice that has shaped culture, challenged power, and made the whole world laugh and think at the same time. This man is a legend. So it is a genuine joy, a personal honor for the both of us to introduce a man who is not only the most important artist of our generation, but a true neighbor to this community. O-H-I-O-H. Yeah, y'all thought I didn't know about that, didn't you? Welcome, Dave Chappelle, Dave. Oh, Dave Chappelle. Wow. Thank you. Dave, thank you. Thank you for inviting us here to Yellow Springs, your home. The tour, as Craig was saying, we got in our cars. There were about eight of them, and we drove around, and we, you know, saw all the wonderful sights, had the opportunity to stop by your mom's house, Dr. Seon, thank you. Just a beautiful, beautiful, why was it important for you to have us here? Well, you know, being yourself, being Michelle Obama, I'm sure it's not lost on you that this community feels seen by the world, if it's seen by you. And unbeknownst to you, maybe you know, this community, you have an enormous amount of support. You know, Ohio elected your husband twice, and here locally, you know, the message of hope and change resonated profoundly. And I was telling you earlier, and I think you guys would agree, when Obama was running for president, it felt as if he lived in Ohio, because the presence of his ground team was so strong. And this radio station, is our community's, like, lifeblood to us. It's our connective tissue. And we got close to losing them, to Dayton, Ohio. And, you know, we were able to work things out and get this building built. And this is the first time I think this room has ever been used in any actual recording capacity. And, man, I can't think of a better way to inaugurate any room but with you and your brother here amongst us and our friends and family. And it means the world to us. It means the world to me. But all of us, I can say without a doubt, are elated that you're here. That there was. APPLAUSE Driving around, I told you, I got this familiar sense. I mean, one of the greatest privileges of my life was not just serving as first lady of this country, but getting to campaign throughout this country. And what I saw. on the campaign trail is very reminiscent of what I felt here driving around your community. And it is just a decency and an openness and a willingness to connect with people and, as Luke said, to accept people for who they are. And I always want to translate that to people across the country because in a time when we don't feel like we see each other, you know, I just want to remind people that communities like this one is really the truth of what I saw in America. It was the America I was representing. And I felt that, you know. I mean, it was oozing in every stop that we made. And I think it's important for our listeners to understand that that America has not disappeared. It is here alive and well and thriving throughout this country. So it's just been a thrill for me to be back on soil like this. But you were raised here. This was your community. Oh, absolutely. Or you've had your connection to Yellow Springs. Can you talk to us about why this community is so important to you? I think my presence, my family's presence in this community is an extension of, like, my father's life work. He lived here all his life. All my life. And a lot of the ethics of community, you know, I learned from him. My mother and he are both from Washington, D.C. So I would mostly live with my mother. But Christmas time and summertime, I would come out to Yellow Springs and it was so much different in D.C. And it also kind of prepared me for what my life would be like because I was a kid with two lives. I had friends from out here and I had friends in D.C. And, you know, D.C. is like, you know, it's black. Very. Right. But this town is white. And I would come out here and play D.C. records for them and they'd be like, what is this music? And then I'd go home and play rock and roll stuff in D.C. and they'd be like, what is this music? But I felt like before there was an internet, I got a good sampling of culture that way. And that upbringing really did kind of help me become the type of comedian that I am. It made me less afraid of people. And this is going to sound weird here, but it made me not afraid of white people. So in comedy, in like, say, the 80s, really the 90s, comedy circuits were segregated. And people don't know that. But black comedians played one set of rooms and white comedians played one set of rooms. And Washington, which was a majority black city, didn't have any black clubs until a few years, until my career. Not to say that it was always like that. But for just like full-time comedy rooms, you know, I started out in what they would call white rooms. I can remember one of the owners saying when I started out that he didn't like more than one black comic on the show because he said it would offend his audience. It's like, dude, it's Washington. Right? But I always played anywhere that anyone would listen. And I didn't realize, I was a little older when I would see some comedians hit like an invisible wall. They would never play Sunset Boulevard or they'd never go play Greenwich Village or certain like, you know, comedy staples that they just considered white rooms. They felt safer on Crenshaw or on this place or that place. They thought they wouldn't be understood. And I thought that the challenge of art was no matter where you go, you should try to be understood. And that, I don't know, something about that upbringing, the duality between Ohio and Washington, I think made me game to become what I became. What are some of your fondest memories? You know, when you think of the time with your father, your friendships here, how old were you? What was your age range when you were spending time here? It was summers, it was holidays. My parents split up when I was two. I don't think they actually got divorced until I was five, but they split up when I was two. What did your mom refer to your dad as? The gentleman? The gentleman that I was married to. The gentleman I was married to. We went to my mom's house today and she said, yes, my ex-husband used to live around here. I'm like, dad? She didn't even say ex-husband. She said the gentleman that I was married to. It's like, oh. It sounds like your dad. We can see where he gets those chops from, huh? But you know what's funny? Okay, I don't have any memories of them married. I have a couple memories of them being married, but I have a lot of memories when they were together. And it was always very polite. They never spoke ill of each other. They always found something good to say, you know. And knowing both of you, I hope you don't mind I say this, Mom, I can see exactly why they fell in love. And I can see why it wouldn't work. Exactly like time. Time. Let's call this. You know what I mean? And I think one of the funnest or most interesting parts about becoming an adult is learning what the adults in your life were actually like. And getting past the role of them being a senior and just people that came before you that were trying to figure things out. So I always. I always joke with my wife Elaine, and I'm like, you know, I don't feel like I'm getting older, but the kids are catching up. It's like, when did you get so old? Yeah. It's just like, but I have incredibly fond memories of living here. Now, when I was younger, I should tell you this place was different because Antioch College was a much stronger force in the town. And your viewers aren't going to know. Antioch College, if you think of the most radical leftist politics. Go left of that. And that's what this what this town was about. There was a policy that Antioch made years ago that everyone used to make fun of called Ask Every Step of the Way. And this was 30 years before the Me Too movement. That was like if you were getting ready to, you know, you know, yeah, we know, we know, you know, and then you would be like, well, may I kiss you or may I do this or that or the other. You would ask. Right. And man, the whole country was laughing at that policy. And even I was like, because I'm watching. I was living in New York at the time, watching the news like, oh, I'm making fun of Yellow Springs. And so I came home for Thanksgiving and I found out that my my father's widow wrote the policy. Wow. He was alive at the time. And I asked him, you know, John, what was that? And she explained to me the reasons for the policy. And I laugh about it now because it's so much like what Hollywood just went through. All this weird ambiguity. And. And it's like, how do you teach young adults how murky sexual contracts are? Because if you make them correctly, no one should see you make them. And, you know, as odd as it sounds, it worked. The problem was that people on the campus were there was like an astronomical amount of sexual assault accusations. And she says, like, is an administrator. By the numbers, you have to recognize that can't all of these be true, but you can't dismiss any of them. So we have to teach them what it is. And it worked. The those same numbers plummeted. So Yellow Springs, I say that say has been on the cutting edge of solving certain types of problems that Americans face all the time. This this is a thinking person's town. I love doing all kinds of stuff, man. And this is going to sound crazy. I have the most joy thinking. I told my wife years ago, I know you remember, I said, babe, if you ever see me staring off into space, don't bother me. Because I'm working. If you see me writing something down, I've already done the hard part. I'm going to try that with a rock. Don't bother me. I'm working. It is like that. I'll just be like. Be like, you can blame Dave. Be like, you can blame Dave for that. My life, pretty hectic right now. And what was making it all so much harder was how spread out all of my tracking was. I had reminders in my calendar, in my email, in a notes app. Then I found Yahoo Mail. Now with Planner. Planner brings your tasks. Planner brings your tasks and events together in one place. So everything stays organized and you don't miss what matters. So if I've got a dinner reservation buried in my inbox or a reminder I flagged for myself, it's all there in one view. 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Member FDIC, equal housing opportunity. You know, this is such a wonderful place. I've only been here a couple of days. I went to get coffee this morning, and I must have seen, four or five folks, they all said hello as if they had seen me before. Thank you for that. And but what I think our listeners and viewers want to know, what's a what's a typical day for Dave Chappelle in Yellow Springs when you're not thinking? Well, I was going to say, I get up at 4 a.m. and stare off into space. Stare off into space. Well, OK, this question is actually at the core of why I like it here. Because the days are predictable and they're simple. You know, not I mean, look, the rest of a public person's life, it's like circus fodder. Not nearly what I've experienced with you today, because I can't even imagine having that many people have to be involved in every move you make. But public life is is not an easy life. But for me here, like everyone. Everyone's as famous as I am here. We all kind of know each other. We all see each other every day. So, you know, I know a lot of names. I know a lot of faces. I have people here that I love. I have people here that I love not liking. If something bad would have happened to him, I'd miss. Not liking. Man, I would love to find a personal. Or cold. Cold shoulder this person, but but it's that kind of culture and, you know, like I'm not that old, 50 years old. But but there's a whole generation of kids that I watch go from like nothing to adults to like strong, really wise adults. There's just it's just it's irreplaceable. It really does remind you of the value of people. And I think most people don't, you know, I'm lucky. Because I get to be celebrated for what I do. But I think most people forget how much they influence the people around them. And there's people here that I'll see and I'll know from the rumor mill that they're going through something terrible. And I'll see them smile through it. And hey, Dave, good. Good morning. And I admire that. And it reminds me to be the same. And then when I go out in the world, I can be more courageous. Because I know I have. I have a place where if I completely wiped and came back here, they'd just be like, they'd all smile. Good morning, Dave. Even though they knew I wiped. And I'd be like, hey. And that's just that's just why I love it here. I mean, it's so important to kind of emphasize that point of simplicity in a time where especially young people are, you know, they're suffocating themselves with so much stuff. And I just want listeners and folks to hear. This from one of the most famous men, you know, because I know I feel that way. I know Barack feels that way is that, you know, we we're striving for fame, for notoriety, for all the wrong things. And the truth of the matter is that life is about that small stuff. You know, it's the the small connections that you make with people. It's about relationships with your neighbors and your family members. And you can't get that by holding a phone. And it is so important when we look at rates of depression and anxiety that our young people are feeling. It's because they've moved away from the simple, you know, just the you told us about how, you know, every morning you walk out of your house and you go over the red bridge and you walk down the bike path. And, you know, you know, your neighbors and you see those rolling hills and the trees and you take in the air. It's like here. And hearing you, Dave Chappelle, say that that is the key to your joy and your sanity is is powerful. I mean, it means everything, you know, especially with comedians. Right. So so fame is one of the worst things that can happen to a comedian as an artist because you're sequestered. You know, life is, you know, not this is not my case, but. It's not. It's not authentic. Your life, you know, the yes people or whatever the cliches are. But this place, man, this place does not do that. Like, man, at times I really wish that they would. They don't, though. They just don't. And I wouldn't I wouldn't trade it. And the other thing is that I do get to just talk to people, which a lot of people, you know, the ambitious people, especially. You know, you're going to forget. You're going to forget how much you need to just talk to people. He had this thing he would do now with everybody, with certain people. Hey, how are you doing? I'm good, man. And he would look at me and be like. Now, how are you doing? And then they well, you know, then they then they'd say what the real thing was. Yes. And man, sometimes I can get past the cover. And man, I learned so much from from so many unlikely people. So and then, of course, I take those lessons around the world and make millions and millions of dollars. I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. It shouldn't be a surprise to anybody. You know, Dave, you're not just one of the funniest people out here, but you were one of the smartest men that. That is on the public stage. Way to go, mom. So it's no surprise that your parents are bad asses, especially your mom. Can you talk a bit about her, your relationship with her? As you said earlier, what did you say she you she was she championed you? You had a way to. I said she put that battery in my back. That's that battery in your back. My mom. My mom is I called her a greatness whisperer. That's it. A greatness whisperer. Yeah. She would say things that I still meditate on that that made me not want to be great as much as this is going to sound arrogant, but it's not as arrogant as it sounds. Almost, but not quite. You you made me not afraid to be great. I think so many people who have greatness inside of them. Timid or don't shine as much or don't want to out exceed anybody. I don't want to be noticed because there's a target on you that comes with that. And my mom kind of put the soul in my back. Or if someone said or else my mom would teach me and say, oh, or else what? You know, I mean, just ask or just move or just take the step if you feel. But but but it was very moral because she also gave me lessons in what humility actually is. And and she gave me antidotes for self-loathing or like I feel like people just just swim in a broth of like just shame and self-loathing a lot. And how does she do that? How does she make me? How did she how did what was that antidote? Well, I mean, there's one I mentioned when I got the Twain Prize and I and I said, is this really move people? But some she used to say to me all the time, she said, sometimes you have to be a lion so you can be the lamb. That you really are, because she saw me being timid and she was like, OK. She used to tell me not to be afraid to fight. Let your hands go. Can't win a fight without letting your hands go. OK, mom. OK. But for real, she taught me this is going to sound it's not going to sound I can't explain this, but she she taught me how to not be afraid of getting in trouble because she was my authority figure. So you're his problem. No, I'm just kidding. But she was a loving authority figure. And to both my parents' credit, they didn't just bombard me with rules. They helped me understand the rules had reasons. And we didn't agree. Young people, don't we snap for this? Yeah. The rules had reasons. I know you know about that. I see an activist in the front row. But that sounds so much like. Our parents. I mean, we were talking in the car about how blessed we were to have two parents who loved us, you know, mother and father that poured into us. But a big thing was I talk about this all the time. Our mom loved our voices. You know, I mean, she just loved our dirty draws and loved everything that came out of our mouths. And she was interested and curious. So our parents both were. And it's that pouring into us. But the humility that comes with, you know, you don't just tell a kid no. You tell a kid why and how. And we got that every step of the way. And it's amazing how that little simple thing of seeing a child, valuing their voice, giving them some boundaries, giving them some humility. Like that's better than stuff. That's better than iPhones and new cars. and the best sneakers and contacts and connections We didn't have any of that. But we had parents who put that battery in our back. And even if we, this, what I remember is it didn't matter how ridiculous the things we said. She didn't, what she did was she would ask questions to encourage us to get to the point we were trying to make. And that patience is what I remember. And what I think gave me the confidence to be intellectual and successful that way. And you were a South Side of Chicago intellectual. Oh, yeah. Were you ostracized? No disrespect, but you were renowned nerds, both of you. Well, you had to learn how to fake the funk. You had to talk two languages. You had to talk the language of I got an A, but let's not. Let's not talk about it, because I got to get home, too. Right. And you had to, you know, own your intelligence. Now, my brother had basketball to help him. I had sports. So everybody loved you, because you could play. Oh, my God, yes. You just played every sport and throw out the N-word every now and then. Yeah, it works. You know, that always works. To show that he's hard. To show that I'm a little hard. But don't tell my mom I said that. You didn't have to. You didn't have to fight, because you were a baller. Everyone loves a baller. Everybody loved ballers, but I didn't become a baller until I was about 12. So I had my share of fights before I was 12 years old. Right. And unlike your mom, my mom would be like, be careful fighting, because you're bigger than everybody. Oh, man, my mom was like, you better fight, nigga. You better fight. See, if your mom was at my house, there would have been a couple of ass whoops going on. But you know what else? You know what else it was about your mom that I love is, okay, my mom's laugh is like music. You know, and her mom's laugh is like music. And my grandfather, her dad's laugh is like music, man. And I think that's another thing that made me want to be funny. Just hearing that music come out of them, it made me feel joyful. At what age did you realize that? Because one of the questions I was thinking about when we were talking about talking to you, is you were smart enough and talented enough to pick a whole lot of different avenues, but you picked comedy. So, okay, yeah. Or I don't know if I picked it. Okay, so I can't remember a time when I didn't feel like I was a funny guy. Okay. Or some kind of equivalent of like, yeah, I was like, that was my thing. But I didn't know that was a thing. When I was eight years old, my grandmother had a friend. Come visit. Who was a jazz singer, Johnny Hartman, the famous jazz singer. One of the only vocalists that John Coltrane has ever recorded with. Beautiful voice, smoked cigarettes. His voice sounded like velvet, so smooth. And I remember I had just done a book report on Dr. Charles Drew. How old were you? I was eight. And I was thinking, you know, I was going to be a doctor. And I showed the guy the book report. And he goes, man, he goes, that's good. I'm going to be a doctor. He goes, nah. He said, because I was cutting up all day. I was eight. He said, you're going to be a comedian. Wow. And I go, what's that? He said, well, you know, like Red Fox or Richard Pryor. You know who that is? I'm like, yeah, yeah. From Sanford and Son. I don't know him. He knows him. He said, it's a person that's funny for money. He goes, you're going to be one of those. And I thought about that. I think about it. Every once in a while, I'll think about it. Because, you know, he's long passed away. God rest his soul. But whatever he saw in me that day, he saw it so clear that it scares me to think back at it. I'm like, so did I choose this or did I? But when I finally did do stand-up, well, you know, to me, it felt like a lifetime. It was only six years from eight to 14 when I started. 14. Yeah. Which didn't seem crazy at the time. Yeah. Yesterday, I got a text message from a comedian I started out with. He's kind of a famous guy, Patton Oswalt. Oh, yeah? Yeah, yeah. He sent me a video that one of his fans has sent him. And I couldn't understand. They were in some, like, dilapidated room. And then he pans over and I look, and it's the stage that we had both started on. Was it in D.C.? On 14th and L, Northwest. It's, ironically, drum roll, please. It's a gay club now. Yeah, but it gave me chills just to see it because it all happened so fast. I can't believe how far I came. You know, something I love about this show is getting to hear so many different people's stories. And I think it's a great way to get to know each other. It's so inspiring to research each guest and discover their backstory. All the hard work and big swings that went into their success. Because, and I know this has been true for me, you need to take some big swings if you're going to build something yourself. Fortunately, there's tools out there like Shopify, a platform designed to make running your business one million times easier. Whether you're just getting started with a side hustle or growing your business, or growing something bigger, Shopify gives you the tools to actually build your business the right way. Even better, Shopify is how your stuff gets discovered everywhere, from Google to YouTube to the Shop app. I'll just say that purple Shop Pay button is another game changer for so many brands. The one-click experience means fewer abandoned carts, more completed purchases, and less stress. I'm always a little too relieved that I don't have to dig for my wallet. 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Find pieces made for real life and get even more value with Wayfair Rewards. Join Wayfair Rewards today to get 5% back on every purchase. Head to wayfair.com to shop all things home. That's W-A-Y-F-A-I-R dot com. ♪ Wayfair, every style, every home ♪ ♪ There are a lot of creative kids in communities across the land. Being a creative, going to do show business, I mean, for most Black parents, they'd be like, "You better get you a good job. What are you talking about?" Yes, exactly. You know, but your mom did the exact opposite. I mean, she got you on stage. She thought about the education that you would need. Wasn't she the one that suggested that you go to one of my favorite high schools on the planet? Duke Ellington. Duke Ellington in Washington, D.C. Yes, she was. I think with, you know, not just that, she would sit with me, you know, after school, she'd meet me. We'd go to the comedy club. We'd sit there all night. Your mom would go to the comedy club with you. After she had been working and doing whatever it was she did that day. And I didn't realize it at the time, but, you know, she's a mom. She was auditing the scene. Now, I don't think she necessarily thought I was going to be a famous comedian. But at that time, the crack epidemic and everything, all the bad things I could be doing, and I expressed such an earnest interest in being a comedian. And so she shepherded me. She figured out who was trustworthy and not trustworthy. And, okay, could you come give my baby a ride home if I leave early and that kind of thing. And then by the time I was 16, I was a professional. Like, I would get gigs and make money. And I didn't need her to go as much. And then that was kind of sad because her baby was growing up. But the big one was not going to college because I'm the first person since slavery. And I was the first person since slavery in our family to make that choice. Like, everyone's educated. Way to go, Dave. Way to break the cycle of education. Someone needs to break this cycle of learning. But I ended up moving to New York. And honestly, maybe it was the best education a person could ever get. But the guardrails of that education was ambitious. Ambition, not just like really artistic ambition. I was enamored. I always looked at comedy like, what else can it do? And I still experiment with it, which is more dangerous now, but no less rewarding. This job never gets easier. It's never not fulfilling, and it's never not challenging. So at 16, you're a professional on the road, on your own. Who were your influences? Who were your—did you have any mentors? Did you do it solely by yourself? No, no. Okay. So the local scene in D.C. was popping. Like I said, Patton, who went on to be famous, he was there. A guy named Tony Woods was one of the big guys on the scene. BET had just started, and it was local in D.C. So Chris Thomas was doing all these things on BET. Tommy Davidson was on in Living Color, but he was from our local scene. Martin Lawrence was just getting big. But these were all local guys. So I wasn't on the road yet. I would get— I would get a road gig here or there, and the principal at Ellington used to give me excused absences if I left on Friday to go on the road, because it was an artistic pursuit, not catch the train up the eastern seaboard and get a gig here or there. But it was mostly happening in town, in Washington, and the scene was very experimental and very competitive, but there was a lot of camaraderie on that scene. So New York was different, but, man, D.C. was, I think, the perfect place to start, because I had enough room to get good. Is there a point in a comedian's development where they determine what kind of comic they want to be? I mean, you are a gifted storyteller, weaving in life and observation and, you know, taking on the world. I mean, you are a gifted storyteller, weaving in life and observation and, you know, taking and, you know, taking on the world. circle did you did you have to become that did you know that as a kid that that you know that's how I want to make people laugh that's a very good question thank you no no that's like a very good question there are certain you know people ask me who are your favorite comedians and it's not like that in my mind it's a dunk reel of just different comedians doing different things that amaze me some more consistently than others but man any night it could be just some guy who just says the thing of that night um but man when I was in high school and I can't remember who I saw do it first the first time I saw a guy do what we call call back a joke make reference to something they referenced before I'm like wait a minute you do the same joke twice and and and and from then on man I'm telling you I'm like those guys that can draw a perfect circle you know I'm like those guys that can draw a perfect circle freehand if I went on stage with no material I would just know what to do but I've been doing this so long and comedy it it's almost like a language that I know how to speak I can say anything in this language but but there are real parameters and and and it's like music you also want to break out of those parameters like a bebop guy like I don't want to play the same stuff everybody plays but that being said man in my life man I've I've seen some of the greatest comedy ever done and I feel so lucky to have seen all of it but what made me want to be what I'm like there's a long story can I tell it please this is this is your interview Dave Chappelle please take your time I have so many questions it feels dumb talking about myself around y'all but I'll try uh okay the single most impactful That's the most impactful thing that I've ever seen. I was maybe 19 years old. I opened for Richard Pryor at Newark Symphony Hall. And I got there early, and I met Mr. Pryor before the show, and I could see, like I was eyeballing him, that he wasn't feeling well. Now, by this time, everyone knew he had MS and all that. I just don't know what MS does to people, but I knew that whatever it does, it was doing it. And so I say to myself, you know what? I want to do good, but let me just take it easy because it's like a legend. So I just did the housekeeping job. I got the crowd good and warm, and they didn't want to see me anyway. They wanted to see him. And then I go and I get off the stage. He had the intro where his man goes, Ladies and gentlemen, the most two beautiful words in comedy, Richard Pryor. Man, man, crowd goes nuts. And he goes out there, and you could tell early on that this was not his night. And maybe 30 minutes into his set, he stops. And this is something I wouldn't even know you could do. He looks at the crowd and he goes, look, he goes, I want to do this for you guys. But he goes, I'm not feeling well. He said, I'm sorry. He goes, I don't got it in me tonight. I'm sorry. Just like that. And man, you could hear like, like a pin drop. And then this guy in the back of the room jumps to his feet like that. He jumps up. He goes, we love you, Richard. And the place exploded. Longest, loudest ovation. Like, man, it went on and on. And he stood there. And then, OK, I'm young, right? But then I realized what I'm looking at, that this is his last show for them. They probably will never see him live again. And, and people were crying and wiping tears out their eyes. And he looked a little emotional. And, and, and to me, it was the first time I had seen like actual love, like bouncing off the walls. Like, man, they love this person. And if I had never seen that, I wouldn't even know that's something to want because no, no one has it like Richard like that. And, and when I saw that, more than any type of style, I'm like, man, I want this. I want, I want it to be like, like that. And, and that notion made me work, I think, more patiently than I would have. But that was the moment I knew that fame was one of the things I wanted. But whatever the hell that thing Richard had, that, that moment. So then what does it feel like when it doesn't work? You know? Now it doesn't, now, man, okay, this is a good question. You mean like if I do a show and it doesn't go well? You know, that and when the, when the love doesn't come and the opposite comes. Oh, okay. Well, okay. Okay. It could be both and. Yeah, maybe it's more like, in my experience, it was both. Because I was doing jokes that some people thought were controversial and some people didn't. But that experience. That experience from my perspective is much different than what it must have been like watching it. Because, you know, listen, people would think it's me versus the gay community. I never looked at it like that. I always thought it was corporate interest and culture negotiating itself. So, so, you know, most of those people who were critical of what I was doing didn't seem like they were of it. They had, they, it's like they had their faces. Pressed against the glass commenting on what we were doing in there. But they weren't in there doing it. And I think I spoke to you about this earlier. Every opinion you can think of is represented in a comedy club. Every type of person you can imagine does stand-up comedy. Transgender stand-up comics. Black, white, Asian. Every kind of perspective. And we all champion whatever opinion we champion. We would never. Think to silence one another. We might duke it out on stage in the sense of like if someone says something racist. it's not getting mad i'll be like yo put me up next because i'm going to say something about what he said but but but silencing that person wouldn't be anything and then after the show we all be upstairs drinking and we might still talk about it or argue about it but that's that's our life and and we're artists and that's what we do when we have this outlet so for a media outlet to speculate on a comedy show that they weren't at or misinterpret a joke or like you know nothing makes a comedian madder than reading his joke wrong in the paper you know and and reading a joke is nothing like hearing one or being one and the intention of a comedy show is a very unique intention we are playing with the whatever the culture is made of and we break it down and we get it right or we get it wrong but in all art if it's going to be good or even hopefully good you got to have a margin of error and and what they were doing was acting like thought or speech was binary like there's only the everything's either this or that but all art is in between it it's all nuance so when they take nuance out of words and just like did you hear what he said he said it's like yeah but but that's not what i was saying so we talked about you know the the first time i realized that i was a comedian i was a comedian i was a comedian i was a comedian oh my gosh i'm in politics was you know my husband's running for president i was campaigning heavily for him but my experience is campaigning were in communities like this it started small and then it grew from there and all my conversations would be like this extemporaneous talking to a group introducing myself telling a joke trying to humanize myself and my husband introducing us as real people but not on script um and there's a difference in how you would see the crowd respond right here you know we're all in the room together you know maybe the words wouldn't be exact but we will we would all be able to feel it you know and that feeling wouldn't just be a small group it could it could expand into a a stadium uh you know an arena the people there could feel the energy of the audience and they could feel the energy of the audience and they could feel the intent um but then i realized oh it's not about the people here it's about the people with their faces pressed against the wall interpreting what i said without being there or even more insidious trying to bend what you say to to make it more interesting or salacious or because they have a different i don't know i don't know why they do all the stuff they do but i do know in recent years it's you know you'll hear a lot of comedians complain about that and and what they'll say is we we can't say anything that's not true you can say anything that you can get away with and that's the skill you know the negotiation with the audience of what's acceptable is what makes the the the genre so interesting and it could change from room to room night to night like every room's a little different i spent a long time as a basketball coach and here's something that's true in coaching and in life everybody shows up motivated on day one that part's easy the hard part is the stretch thereafter when the shine wears off and you've got to keep showing up anyway that's true whether you're building a team picking up something new or trying to make a real change stick that's one of the reasons i think noom is so interesting it's a health and wellness app that combines glp1 medication with behavioral support to help people lose weight and keep it off medication can get you started delivered right to your door in as little as seven days but noom backs that up with a lot of real coaching daily lessons food tracking and practical tools to help your plan hold up once real life gets in the way because the goal was never just to make progress it's to keep it the noom glp1 program starts at 39 and is delivered to your door in as little as seven days start your glp1 journey today at noom.com that's n-o-o-m.com noom lose for keeps initial one month subscription from plus tax and 99 plus tax per month thereafter cost of medication not included final pricing depends upon program selection well you said younger comedians are a little bit different because they're they're not their audience isn't in their room yeah they're internet people they're internet people and you know it goes back to you know the whole point of community you know it's like sharing a space with people is really important to connection and understanding and it's no wonder why we feel so divided is because all of our interaction is happening without this heart-to-heart feeling this even seeing somebody's face nod and oh you get it or maybe you don't um we're we're losing that and you said uh young comedians nowadays have a different ethos because a lot of them are negative too yeah because it gets more engagement if they talk bad about somebody they'll get they'll get more clicks and more engagement so everything's a diss record now and it used to be it's not like that can we talk about the chapelle show oh yeah oh yeah yeah sure yeah really i i just the the what i think about you doing that show i think about how much fun it must have been just sitting around with your friends and your boys thinking up ideas to be on the chapelle show man that's the truth i had i had one guy that i primarily wrote the show with neil brennan and we're still friends but but one of the things we would do is we would take submissions we'd always rewrite the submissions but but the guy gives an idea oh that's funny we'll write it up and if we use it we pay him um but it was also that was the thing i would have been submitting man it was funny because it was but it but it was my first time being corporately funny and and it got me ready for the next time because it was always a negotiation with the network but i liked in hindsight because we had pitched that show to hbo and boy they well they turned it down in spectacular fashion uh because at that time they had the chris rock show and they felt like they were invincible man but but we went on comedy central and shot lights out and i think the show was better on comedy central because there was an era of you shouldn't be able to say these things hbo looked like you just do anything anyway but on comedy central that dance around standards and practices was joyful and shout out to south park because i i remember one time i did a a tyrone biggums uh a character i play on the show who had a addiction problem he he he uh he he's he well there's no nice way to say it craig he takes a shit in the alley yeah and and and and and the renee the standards and practices lady calls me upstairs and she's like look you can't have tyrone take a shit in the alley it's just and it was gross too because we took like a baby roof bar and like melted it and then we just dropped it in the frame it was really gross and and i was really funny she goes you can't do that you can't and i go i don't know how about this renee what if i put a christmas hat on it and make it sing a christmas carol and then she goes okay okay so we got away with a lot of stuff because south park pushed boundaries and people got away with stuff because we pushed boundaries but it was all about just kind of you know making room for everything and and to their credit uh especially at that time at that time television was governed the opposite of the internet it was called least objectionable programming how do we make sure everybody likes everything everyone says and that's that's obviously impossible but uh but they were brave in the sense that they would they would let us challenge a lot of convention chappelle show was was fun uh uh charlie murphy oh my gosh yeah you know may you rest in peace yeah uh you know i used to see charlie murphy in in hollywood at parties i shouldn't say this but one night i man i'm sorry mom i was high on mushrooms and and i went to uh some place okay now though yeah and i'm i'm fine i'm fine but i say that to say if you will have mushrooms and ran into a personality as intense as charlie murphy it's like don't he's got he talks to his teeth what's going on man and he he's real gangster he got that growl but man this one night i ran into him, and the whole night just became about watching this guy, Charlie Murphy. Now, I didn't know in the near future we would work together in such an intimate capacity, but that night I could see something great about him. And he would always talk about Eddie, but he'd always go, my brother, my brother, this, my. And if anyone said anything bad about Eddie, at any point in his life, he'd smack the shit out of them. He loved his brother so much. But what I learned that night that I. Because he was always a villain in movies. He was hilarious. He was like an artful storyteller. His stories had all this texture. And then one day on the set, we were doing some sketch and Charlie was telling us all these stories about coming with Eddie, and in the middle of the lunch, he goes, someone said something about Rick James. And he said, man, I fought Rick James on five different occasions. And we were like. What? And, man, he started telling us all the times he beat. In every story, he beat up Rick James and all this. And, man, we were dying laughing. And we pulled inside and like, man, can we do that on the show? He's like, wait, wait, you want me to beat up Rick James on the show? I'm like, not really. And we just had him tell the stories and we dramatized them. And now you think, you know, and as we're shooting it, we're like, yo, this is like. Because we were on set, dying, laughing. And then here's the kicker, and we're on the set, and Charlie goes, I bet you I can get Rick to come for this. And he did. He did. We ended up doing one sketch with Rick James and then another sketch about Prince. And I asked Prince to do the sketch, and he was like, no. But then when he saw it, he said he wished he had. And by all accounts, by his own account, he loved that sketch. And so that was just, it's just one of those things where it's like. And the other thing about that Rick James sketch, last thing about it, is Charlie made us show it to Eddie first. So I'd never been to Eddie Murphy's house, but when we go, it was with his brother. And Eddie has this big screen and room downstairs and he's sitting in like a big armchair with his back to us. And no one's seen the sketch, so there's no laugh track on it. Chappelle shot a real laugh track. And man, he didn't laugh once. And the sketch was like 10 minutes long. And man, I'm sitting behind with a pit in my stomach. And then the sketch goes off, and he doesn't even turn around, but from behind him, I see him raise his arms like this. And then he turns around and goes, it was a red couch and Rick had it on Capizios. That's what he said. And he gave us the green light, and he let us do it. And to me, it's one of the greatest sketches ever on any show. I mean, I think I watch that once a month. At least once a month. Well, being from Chicago, the player's ball is lights out and so accurate. You know what's funny? When people ask me what the. To me, that was my favorite day of shooting. Really? I laughed more on that. Not necessarily my favorite sketch, but those characters are the ones I revisit the most. And it and it's not as fun to do without Charlie, but it's still fun to do. And man, that was like Patrice O'Neal, who's a great, great comedian. He and I used to like, hate each other because he's an asshole, man. And I don't mean to say it because he's dead, but he you know, and Kevin Hart and everyone get mad when I say that because they love Patrice so much. I love him. I got there. But at that time, I was the guy to beat, and Patrice was new in town, so he would always, he was like, before the internet, he was a perfect troll. And there's a few people I've met in my life that just knew how to push my buttons. And man, Patrice could play me like a keyboard. He just knew how to make me mad. And then one day I snapped and when I finally yelled at him about it, he was like, Dave, Dave. He goes, Dave, Dave. Think about it, man. Think about it. I talked to everybody. This way. And I'm like, that's true. And then I started laughing. Get over yourself. Yeah, he was that guy. And then that same week, I'm like, you know, we wrote the sketch, and I'm like, yo, let's call Patrice. And he was great. And one of the things that made me love him for doing the sketch is that when he showed up, he was nervous, which was very, was a huge honor that he cared as much as I cared. And man, we were good. Up until the day he died, we were good. And are you guys, and when I say guys, men and women, comedians, how do you train yourselves to be such good actors? Well, I don't know that everyone can do it. I'm not going to say any names, but I think for me, it was definitely Ellington. There's a vulnerability that an actor has to have that I don't know that comedians are necessarily vulnerable the same way. And with the mercy of a script, like, you know, unless you're working on something flexible, you got to service the writer's words. But acting is an amazing skill. Now, this has nothing to do with me, but the fact that it's one of my favorite performances I've ever seen. And I think I told you about this. I saw you once in Martha's Bay. Denzel Washington in Training Day is like watching the most technically perfect actor. It's like everything I learned in school, he executes perfectly. If you know what you're looking at, it's amazing. And in the Academy Museum in L.A., they have his script with the marked-up margins, and I saw it, and it just reminded me of how much work this guy puts into acting and how serious he is. And I don't think a lot of comedians would be that serious. But Richard Pryor was a great actor because he was vulnerable. Cat Williams is a guy every time I see him act, I'm like, man, he should do that more because he's great at it. Surprisingly great at it. And he never studied a day in his life. I don't know how he knows how to do that. I went to school. I read books, and I can do it like, you know, but some people can, it's like music. Some people can just play. I don't know how. Do you feel like you tap into that vulnerability? I do. I think I'm more vulnerable on stage. I'm more vulnerable on stage than most comedians. I'll say anything when people feel like they can't say anything. Which is a vulnerable position to put myself in. But some jokes, it's like, I just want to see if it works. I don't want to not try. And I think that I've over the years cultivated an audience that's more forgiving than most people, than a casual comedy observer would be. These people, I think, almost come to experience the danger, because the audience is also vulnerable if you're taking it out of bounds. Yeah, I don't know. So there's much talk about you walking away from the show. It's been discussed, but I find it, I was reading something where you said, you know, you just went out of the country for a week or so. I was just gone for two weeks. It's just like, you know, what do you think it was about that time that made people lose their minds over you making a decision that was preserving yourself? I think at that time, it was the idea that the money, you know, comedians weren't getting $50 million checks that I had heard of. I think it was the money, and at that time, the show was wildly, popular, and it was all of a sudden it was just gone. And, you know, I gotta tell you the truth. When I quit, I thought, you know, maybe I'll go back, but it took some time for me to realize, like, oh, I'm never going back. Maybe like a year. And then I thought my career was over. I believed that for a few more years. So I went through the whole process of mourning the narrative that I had in my head of being a big star. And at that time, I was just back in Yellow Springs. You know, Yellow Springs is welcome back, superstar. I was like, oh, man. It's like, no. How are you really dead? Yeah. Yo! Perfect cold, man. Took me, I don't know, what do you think, like, maybe four years. To get over it. But, man, imagine how liberating that is to believe that it's over. And I got over it. And then I just went back to work. I still needed money. And I could still fill rooms up, because people liked the show. And, like, I started back in comedy clubs. And then I did this big tour. And the tour was tough for me, because the show was like, it's a festival thing. It was like a five-hour show. that I'd have to close. It was tough, but it got me back out there. And then when I left that big festival thing and just did my own thing, I was just in the pocket again. And then, like, a few years after that, someone would call me and be like, congratulations. What, what? You just got Tour of the Year. I'm like, I did? I would never even pay attention. And one time somebody called me and said, congratulations. I was like, for what? They're like, you just made Forbes list. And I'm like, what? And I looked. Because I don't just count the money that comes in. And I looked and said, like, Dave Chappelle, man, I don't know what it was that year. I'd never, I'd made eight million bucks. I'm like, oh. And I looked and I said, well, who? I was 10th in the top 10. And then I looked at the other nine names and I'm like, ah, I should come back. It's like, I think I can do this now. I wish Elaine was mic'd up now because I want to be like, what was he like during that period? Were you staring off into space and telling them, don't talk to me? No. What were you like then? Because Elaine does not have a mic. She was the person that really helped me get over myself. Let's give a round of applause to Elaine. Girl. And I got to tell you, especially if you want. Nice move, by the way. Yeah, you know what it is, Craig. You know what it is. But, you know, I think at that time, maybe I did. You know, you almost have to fight the urge to feel sorry for yourself if you're mourning your career. And she's not that kind of person. She just always keeps it moving. Almost. I mean, it's like too much sometimes. Like, will you slow down? She just. But she just. You know, and our kids were young. And so she was just like, come on, man, get over that. And I got to tell you, a friend of mine that was famous passed away recently. And one of the things that he said as he was dying. And, man, he knew he was dying. He said, I'll never forget this. He said, man, he said, he said, I took myself too seriously. And, man, that really resonated. It resonated with me because it's such an easy trap to fall for. And nobody sets that trap for you better than yourself. So it's good to have somebody that, you know, I mean, not to say she didn't let me mourn my career. But she also helped remind me that my life is about more than myself. And for someone that's like, you know, your wife, ideally, the best time she's at your shoulder. And for someone at your shoulder. Remind you of that. And it's like, you know, and then I had to think about it. Like, well, I guess technically she lost the money, too. I bet she knew what number you were on the Forbes list. Yeah. She's like, eight million? Okay, check. And you know what? We also always had what we needed. You know, never really worried about money. Now, what happens is when a guy gets famous, they upgrade everything. That's when they get a new wife and a new house and a new this. And I knew that. Man, we everything the same. Which allowed us to do stuff like this when we did get money. It's like, you know, why upgrade our house when we can upgrade the town we're living in? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You said something really lovely about Elaine. Because, Elaine, you grew up in, you were a New Yorker. You're not from Yellow Springs. This is. This was new. But I asked you how she felt about moving here and why you chose here. Can you talk a bit about, do you remember that conversation, Dave? Yeah. I said something to the effect, and it's true, at that time my idea was we should build a lifestyle that I can feel more secure in maintaining. So that I can, you know, be courageous. And, you know, she's from Brooklyn. She didn't have any friends out here like that or any of that stuff. And we moved down here. And, you know, at first it was just me and her and our kids. And that's, I'm sure that's tough, giving up your social life. And, you know, and New York City in and of itself, if you live in New York, it's hard to live. I mean, I'm from here, and it was hard to come back here after living in New York. But, man, but she did it, man. She learned her way around. She found everything that she wanted. And eventually, as the years went on, she made her life here. We have, you know, she has friends and I have friends. But, you know, she was a pioneer. And even now, like, I'm more inside. And, you know, a lot of people in the community don't reach out to me directly. They go through her. Really? There's a lot of head shaking here. Everybody's like, yeah, Dave, you can't count on Dave for nothing. No, you can't. But she's outside. And, you know, she's a very kind person. But she's also, she can hold a line because everybody asks us for everything. And, you know, it's part of being in a community. Everyone's like that. But she's been amazing at helping. She's helped me do all of the things we've been doing in the community and, you know, having a relationship with the community. When I go travel, she's the one that tells me what's going on in town. Yeah. Well, you're a father of three. Oh, yeah. What's Dave the father like? Who can we get the mic to? You know. If my kids were vegetables, they'd be organically grown. I don't, I don't, I don't, I don't. That's got a big definition in the organic community. Okay. Well, meaning number one is with the soil, which would be Yellow Springs. This is a place where they can independently learn to be courageous. And like I learned before them, no offense again, to not be afraid of white people. Yeah. My kids are, unlike me, they're, they're mixed race, right? Their, their mom is Asian. Their dad is black, but their generation, I don't think thinks of anything like that. In a town like Yellow Springs, a young person can use their time more the way they want to, because there's not so many immediate dangers. And it is a community. If my kids are messing up, somebody in town tells me, hey, I saw your kid doing this. So that, correct. But, you know, my parents weren't like heavy on rules. In fact, looking back, and I hope this doesn't upset you, mom. I looked at my parents as reference books. You get the most out of them if you, if you're interested. My mother has amazing stories about her life. My father would tell me amazing stories about, about his life. But they also. My father also gave me a weird context about my life. They, they, they, they didn't police me as much as they guided me or horse whistled me. I would think it was my idea, but it was them. And I, I think a parent in a similar style. I'm, I'm the invisible hand dad. You know, I'm there and, you know, I think my oldest son has figured it out. Like everything, he figured everything out first. But he's. I think he uses the resource of me as like a, a wiser person than him the most. He's the one that calls me just to, to chew on something. I'm trying to figure something out. What do you think of this? What do you think of that? I don't know. But we're all happy. We, we laugh together. So, you know. What have you learned about yourself? Being a parent? Yeah. That's a great question. Another one. Yeah, man. It's like. I think I'm, I'm keeping count. That was three. Yeah. No, that isn't, I don't mean that in the meat of the press. Thank you for your question, Scott. Yeah, that's right. What have I learned about myself? Probably that I've, I'm more courageous than I believe myself to be. And, and, and, and also being a parent, you gotta, again, like Elaine, you gotta forgive yourself. Or get over yourself. And, and I think that being a parent for anybody is, is very humbling. But if you have all the money in the world, it doesn't make you a good parent. You know, like in the beginning, I'd think I gotta provide for my family and all that stuff. But, but I've realized my time was, it was way more valuable than I ever understood when I had three people that needed it. So maybe that. And I learned that, uh. Well, I learned that I'm a happier person than I thought. And really, COVID was when I really learned that because because we were all like trapped in our choices. Yes. And I remember one point just being in the house like this is not that bad. Like I like these people. Everyone's comfortable and safe. And and I could walk around town and we all be going through COVID together. And I recognized everybody. And and then all those choices that I made, like moving to Ohio and stuff that people laughed at me about. Now I felt vindicated about each and every one of them because because the world shut down and just for a minute. I'm absolutely right. And I felt great. Do your kids find your humor? Engage. Do they think you're funny? Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Maybe not around the house, but like like I remember when they were kids, we talk about Tyrone Biggums. Earlier. And that was the first time they were in the backseat, like cracking up, laughing, watching something on iPads. But you're laughing. And it was that Tyrone Biggums. And I was in my mind. I told you that poop was funny. Spandex. Renee. Renee told you that joke would work. Yeah, I don't know. It is humbling having kids. And, you know, I see time on. Them, you know, as they grow and become and it is just like it's so precious and fun watching them become people. Yeah, it is for your very eyes and scary. Yeah. Oh, my God. The most terrifying thing. So I tell people it makes sense not to have kids. Absolute, complete emotional sense. Don't do it. Yeah, that's right. And, you know, it's funny. I think now with A.I. and all these things, I don't know what. You would tell a kid about how to prepare for the next 10 years, like what kind of jobs there will be or how those jobs will be done. What does a lawyer do in the A.I. age or any of us? And I think. I don't know. It's interesting, but I'm amazed at how sophisticated the kids minds are, that they can sift through an avalanche of information and they can say, I'll send them videos and be like, Dad, that's not real. It's A.I. I think, you know, I'm getting that a lot. I am so foolish. I believe all this stuff. It's a shame. I have the worst. But it's also a reminder of why we have to train them up and move out of the way. I mean, it's the organic parenting piece of it. We've got to trust that they have to find the courage now to figure it out. But it's not our courage anymore. You know, we. We can't supplant our courage for theirs in these times are going to be that's going to play itself out. I mean, we're moving into something that we don't understand that we we don't know. We're not we can't figure it out. And it may seem scary now, but we have to have faith that they will figure this out and be able to tap into the values that we've instilled in them in communities like this, that they'll remember. Humility and boundaries and love and trust and all of that, that compassion has to go into whatever the solution is. That's right. You know. Yeah. Well, you know, in the last, you know, a big part of their lifetime, my kids, maybe my my daughter's entire lifetime. I was trying to explain to somebody, like, you know, my daughter is 16. So Donald Trump is like the first white president she's ever seen. I know, right? Yeah. I know, right? Yeah. And my baby's like, oh, no, they're not good at it, daddy. It's a hard job. It's a hard job. I'm trying to tell the people. It's a hard. It's a hard job. It looks hard from the outside. But to that end, just so I make sure I say this. You know, your family was so incredibly graceful. This is a long way to go. But you know what it reminds me of seeing you guys is that black dude on that Artemis ship. Uh-huh. You remind me of that. You experience something here like in a social space program and it's so sequestered and you see all these amazing things and come back. And you share all that information. But whatever you had to go through to get in that spacecraft and to pilot through all of that. You know, as I go on in public life and see more, I have a greater appreciation of what I saw during the presidency. And you use the word I always think of. You in particular, I believe, did more to humanize what a presidency is than maybe anybody ever. You're the first person that I feel like I. I couldn't know. That's been in that space and, you know, survived it and came out as gracefully as you went in. So I really, really, really appreciate you and your family. Well, I wanted to ask. Go ahead. You ask and then I'll go. What's. What do you think? How do you feel about where we are now in society? You know, just some Dave Chappelle thoughts about. And while you're thinking, please know that your voice means a lot to a lot of people our age and younger, because, you know, I've got four kids and they range from thirty four now down to 14. He's the head of the O.D.C. Yeah. The old dad's club. I'm the head of the. Actually, I am. I am. I am the vice chair. There's one guy who is above me, but. Your voice carries a lot of weight. I personally could hear it every night. Oh, man. Thank you, bro. Like. You know, it's funny, I think. You know, last. Well, last week I was in L.A. And I performed at a nightclub on Ventura Boulevard. I'd never been to. This, for me, is a big treat. If I get to test drive like a new venue and I love the club, I think it's called. What's it called, babe? Katie's, I think it's called. So shout out to Katie's. This great, great room. But I bring it up because, you know, on a night like that. I try out mostly new jokes just to see, you know, where I'm at and where people are. And you're right. People snap at my voice is important. But now it's like somewhere the crowd is coming almost like church. They're not coming to hear me say anything important. But they're coming to lay down a burden, so to speak. And so a show like that. Was was incredibly fun to do, but what it tells me about where people are. Remember, this is this is in North Hollywood. So everyone's doing pretty good out there. Is there these times are uncertain that there's an emotional content or pain or some people come to counteract a numbness. They just want to laugh so they can feel something. But it's never really been quite like this before. Where everyone feels like we're on the precipice of some amazing change and and every day the new cycling is more appalling than the the last day and this doesn't seem like it's ever going to end. And every week I learn some new word like straight of Hormuz or blah, blah, blah and it's it's such an avalanche that it is fun even for me now to watch comedians contextualize this stuff. Someone asked me about my transgender, you know, you got in a lot of trouble for those transgender jokes and I go, ah, the good old days is so much so much has happened so quickly and but okay, I'm hopeful it's a matter of practice this building opening up and being completed that makes me hopeful having my own comedy club. Finally, after all these years, that makes me hopeful you guys being here with us is like a dream come true. It makes me hopeful my community coming together and in tough times or, you know, our family, we have tremendous losses recently. People in our family passed away in the community, you know, pick this up that made me hopeful. the little things mean so much more now And I would want to remind anybody that's listening to this show, man, that smile that you must have when it hurts to smile is priceless right now. Anything you can do to let each other know you're safe or that you're okay, it means everything right now. Because otherwise, this is intolerable. It's insufferable what's happening right now. Thank you. Thank you. But, you know, I'm hopeful, too. And this day with you, with this community here in this space, gives me a whole lot of hope. You know, I mean, as my husband says, we have overcome worse. But we overcome it by pulling together. And not feeding on each other. That's just the thing that we have to remember. We have to remind our young people, you know, because this Internet kind of conversation, we're playing in that space a little bit too much. And I don't want young folks to get comfortable with that dissing mentality. What did you say? Everything's a diss record. Everything's a diss. Negative algorithms. Yeah, you just play in that space. And you mistake those for real feelings. Truth. And this is what's real. You know, what you feel in the room when you're with people. You know, you were showing us the videos of the juke joint gatherings and the, you know, the cornfields. You know, people of all races and ages and with different cultural proclivities all dancing to the same beat and smiling and moving together. It's like. That's the power of gathering. You know, the power of gathering is that we are reminded of our similarities and we forget the minor little stupid differences that is tearing this country and this world apart. And I want more young people to fight for the gathering, you know, fight for coming off of your phones, finding community, being reminded. Of what? Of who we are as people and do not let the algorithm separate us from one another. Um, that's the, that's the danger of AI, you know, that's, that's, that's, you know, but that's in our control, you know, that's something we built. I could text message, argue with an AI bot all day. Like if I, if I, if I thought it was a person, I would fuss with the thing all day. Uh, it feels, it does feel good to be outside. You know, my son told me it's a trend with him and his friends. Like they ditched their phones just so they can be outside. Uh, my daughter got a CD player for her birthday and went through the roof cause she couldn't believe that she could hold the music in her hands. Uh, uh, the, the kids are nostalgic for something that they haven't really lived through or seen. And I think, you know, we, the OGs gotta let them know the, what our analog, how good our analog life feels, you know? Uh, and I do think that. That, that pendulum will swing back at least in the culture somehow as an elective, but, but yeah, I got the technology that I'm overwhelmed by. And I think the point that you, the decisions that you made to, uh, live in a way that allowed you to be courageous, you know, another way of saying that is to, you know, start out living small, you know? Um, we're a culture where everybody is promoting. You start our business. Big, you know, even watching, uh, HGTV. Everybody wants a big tray ceilings. They want the, they want the man cave. They want everything now. It's like, it's your starter home. You know, why does everybody think they deserve a granite countertop? You know, we've just, we've lost the script. It's like, you know, we grew up in a one and a half bedroom apartment. We're our aunt's house. My father got a new car occasionally. Um, you know, we, we got three gifts at Christmas, you know, um, our, uh, our parents didn't believe in stuff and now everybody's promoting the bling, the, this, the, that, and look, there is nothing wrong with making a good living with, you know, living well, um, but I try to tell my kids, learn to live small. Uh, because that's, you know, you're, you're happier if you can live within a thing you can control, you know, you're not reaching for something that's not even that important. That is not the thing that's going to make you happy. Uh, you asked, what was it like living in the white house? You know, it was a house, um, because that's all a house is what made it a home was what we brought to it. You know, I love the people. We brought in it, how we opened it up, how we shared it with other people, how we made sure that we got every black entertainer that would never get invited back in there, how we brought in Duke Ellington school, how we touched young people. That's what made that house a home. It wasn't the size of it, the color of it. And that's, you know, what I want young people to understand in this pursuit of fame and fortune. It's a lie. You know, it is. You know, we've lived it. That is not the thing that is going to bring you joy. That's right. Yeah. To that end, I once got to go to one of your parties there. Yeah. And it was your birthday. Yeah. We were talking about it. Yeah. One of the things that, okay, you know, obviously I love smoking cigarettes. That's why I'm on it. But, uh. Obviously. I asked somebody, I go, where can I smoke a cigarette around here? And one of the butlers took me. He took me down by the kitchen and I saw your dog, Bo, like getting walked. I'm like, oh, there's that dog. I seen that dog on TV. And I'm like, can I get his autograph? They're like, he bites. And the dog walked by. And, uh, and in the kitchen was like a two box kitchen. And I'm like, man, it's the kitchen at the White House. And I said, I was wondering what they cooking in there. And I looked, fried chicken. It does feel like home. There was some greens and fried chicken going. I said, man, lots of bacon and one of the chefs was Filipino. I'm like, man, this is just like home. We used to call those White House parties. Yeah. They were so good though, man. And that particular night was one of the last, actually the, that weekend was the last time I'd ever seen Prince alive and, and, and he was playing and he was a surprise guest. I didn't know he was there. Yeah. And he came out and as soon as he saw me standing out there, he was like, ah, I should've done that sketch. It was so great though. A lot of special nights. Yeah. A lot of joy, but one of the, I forgot to tell you this, one of the greatest highlights of like my life, uh, as I'm standing, I'm like, man, I can't believe, and I'm shy. I was just standing in the corner and I feel this hand on my shoulder. I look over and it was you and you go, are you having a good time? And I was like, I'm working. way to go close the loops way to go man oh man well dave talk about joy man you and this community have brought us a lot of joy so thank you so much for inviting us i do have one more question this is what she does i know this is what she does to me i know i know but we talked about this it's like you know we're because we're on the same you know you have invested so much in supporting this community you know um and we're in the process of opening up our presidential center in june on june 10th by the way so i know i've been you know i've been spending a lot of time thinking about what his legacy what does it mean i don't know how do you how do you think about legacy and your legacy in particular well okay first of all that's not apples apples but i mean okay but the goal is the same i mean we're opening up this uh center on the south side of chicago for a reason because it is our community it is our place in the same way we're making that investment you know so i i think it's maybe it's red apples to green apples i think uh recently because i'm getting older and i lost friends like you know that the worst part of getting older is you start you get those phone calls more often and and uh i don't think he would mind me saying this but but last week when i was in la uh i hit up eddie murphy out of the blue and it's it's not something i do often but when i do it it's almost just because Could I just call Eddie Murphy? And it turns out I could. And I said, you mind if I just stop by? I want to just talk to you for a little while. And he was like, sure. And I went by and I didn't realize it was his birthday or the day before it had been his birthday. You know, Eddie's a beautiful house, obviously. He's a family guy. So, you know, we're sitting on his back patio and the music in the background is his grandkids like joyfully playing in his pool. And he was wistful. And we're talking and I realized that it's the first time since his brother passed that he and I had just spoke about Charlie or things like that. And this is to the legacy part. And I said, hey, can I use your restroom? And I walk into the restroom and I saw a picture of, you know, Eddie holding his Mark Twain prize with your husband. And it was probably featured in his home. And then I'm like. Man, I would wear that as a T-shirt, I'm thinking to myself. And then it's going to sound weird, but it dawned on me like I'm Dave Chappelle hanging out with Eddie Murphy on his birthday. It's just the two of us. And that's important. Another time I chased Bob Dylan down for a meeting. And when he got there, he don't know me at all. But I guess someone told him, like, you should meet this guy. And he was like, yeah. So he goes, yeah. Man, what are we talking about? Anyway, he was like, he's like real standoffish. And I just kept asking him questions. And it took him a while to realize, like, oh, man, you just ain't want to know that stuff. And I'd be like, what about the 60s? He goes, man, I don't want to talk about the 60s, man. He would say, but by the end of it, you know, Bob Dylan was explaining to Dave Chappelle what Minnie Bruce was like. So when I think about legacy, it's always in these moments that I meet the first black first lady of the United States and her brother. And I'm like, you know, as simple as these meetings are, they're important. They happen. Coretta Scott King went to college here. And then she went off and married Martin Luther King. And a few years after she graduated from Antioch, her husband came back with her, and they did the commencement address. But at Antioch College, and that's just, you know, at the time it was just another day in Yale Springs. But now, you know, I've never met any of these people. But I know Antioch, and it's our history. So I think the buildings encapsulate the message of what our lives have been, that you, you know, I've got to spend all day with Mr. Robinson and Ms. Obama. And I feel like I've never met anyone like that. I've known you for years. I feel like when you speak to your mother, I can just see her vividly, and it makes me want to smoke. But as simple as it all is, what you've accomplished with your life and how you've gone about it is, you know, very well will live far beyond our bodies. And so for me, more than money or anything, I hoard memories. Today is like a memory, like I'll close my eyes, and I'll treasure the day for the rest of my life. Even if we became the best of friends, this time was such a special time to be together. So, you know, I also look at it like when I meet people, I try now. I used to not be like this, but I try to remember it by myself. Because I made fun of a comedian once. Who was younger than me, just busting his balls. But he got really hurt, and he did all this press about how bad I was. And I was mad at first, and then I called him up like, why do you say all those things about me? He said, well, you forgot that you said this and the other. And it dawned on me like, oh, it never occurred to me that this person might look up to me. That's just another person I'd see at the comedy club. So now I'm more mindful in that regard. So, I mean, you know, one day at a time, one foot in front of the other, I look back only at the places where the treasure's buried. But I look back at all the shadows and the scary faces, and I just try to just, you know, I'm just hoping that my legacy is something like that applause break Richard Pryor got in Newark. Well, you're well on your way. For sure. Thank you. Thank you. Man, what an honor. Thank you. It's been a special visit for us, really. It really has. You all should be proud of the community you built. All of you. Thank you. Oh, man. Appreciate you. Thanks for having us. Yeah, I guess I have to. I'm gonna officially close it out now. So we really appreciate it, man. And it's been a wonderful couple of days. And thank you all for being so welcoming. And to me and my sister and our colleagues, it's been absolutely wonderful. Man, Craig, don't be freaked out. Because I know you don't know me that well. But you'll see in time. I love you, Craig. I love you too, sir. 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