If you saw the previous special he released on social media and his opening act for SNL, it's clear that he wants to talk about serious issues without having to sneak them between jokes.
Who says this is comedy?
Who says that what Dave Chapelle has to do is comedy?
Dave Chapelle is at this point a big enough draw and people care enough about what he has to say that they will happily pay to come see him talk about ANYTHING. He is closer to a poet than a comedian at this point.
And to Seinfeld’s credit, his show seems to be intentionally more of a talk show than a comedy show. Bill Burr has ALWAYS complained about sensitivity (kind of a Denis Leary sibling), Lewis Black’s shtick is angry ranting... it’s an entire genre.
Comedians previously ran for much longer on much less material, at least as far as I can tell... and yeah sometimes if they had bad days they’d rant for their entire set... you just didn’t see it.
Two names: George Carlin and Bill Hicks. Absolute complainers-in-chief, their acts where very long rants. Burr, Maniscalco, they all come from that tree. And of you go to local gigs, you’ll find plenty more with the same schtick.
They're canaries in coal mines.
It really must be demoralising to see how frail our ears have become. Or have always been? I mean listening to some Carlin's stand-up can be a bit hard for younger generations (I sometimes wince) and some of his jokes might not be tell-able today... Especially not at work. Or on the bus. Or on the street. Or in front of your mum. Or that friend that doesn't want to hear /some/ words (and you know the words)... Well OK you might still want to tell the joke without believing any of its content. Except, someone might be recording. Filming. OK so no more racist/sexist/transphobe/fatshaming/flatearthmocking jokes.
I deeply regret the validation we give to 'just transgression without humor' humor when we rage about it. The best solution to bad jokes is just no one laughing. Silence is a powerful motivator for a comedian to improve... And the people you want to reach are the ones laughing, not the ones making the joke. And making them feel horrible about a laugh they had might not be the way to reach social justice.
However comedy has one rule - you can say anything you want as long as it's funny. You can literally spout anything, just make sure the audience is laughing while you're doing it.
I just spent 18 minutes watching a therapy session with minimal jokes. I would have thought someone as clever as Chapelle would have weaved a better narrative (although he is a talented storyteller).
I hope he gets what he's looking for, I really do.
But I'm also annoyed with the recent trend of comedians just...complaining. Complaining constantly, with slightly more anger than humor. Bill Burr dedicated 20 mins of his recent standup to how "sensitive" the modern generation is. Seinfeld's entire "Comedians in Cars" has numerous bits about him just complaining without being funny while doing it. Sebastian Maniscalco's earlier specieals were relatable humor, and now his recent bits are just slightly angrier versions of "can you believe people these days"?
And now I just watched what seemed like a semi coherent rant that wouldn't end.