Jerry Seinfeld says ‘subject matter’ of Dave Chappelle’s ‘SNL’ monologue ‘calls for a conversation’ Read more
“Dave Chappelle is, on the basis of just his comedy, one of the most fascinating and important comic minds in American popular culture. For years, we’ve taken him at his word, to whom he’s spoken repeatedly, and believed him, with only the smallest measure of skepticism.
“The very first time we interviewed Dave was long before he was a bona fide national institution. For years before Chappelle became a national institution, he’d been making shows for Comedy Central. We got to speak with him for an hour, just for fun, and I remember thinking how cool it was to be interviewing a comedy icon and that this was something I’d never do again.”
In his many conversations with Dave, Seinfeld says he has found Chappelle’s sense of humor to be “amusing, in the right context.” But, says Seinfeld, Chappelle’s material had always fallen short of its potential.
“This was a common problem for him, one that he recognized and addressed with some success with his shows on SNL,” Seinfeld says. “Dave has long spoken of how the way he made comedy, and what comedy was, is largely a mystery to him. I think about that a lot. As he gets older and his life continues to unfold, he’s making his own choices and we won’t know his answers.
“I also get to speak with people who’ve worked with him, like Dave and his wife, Susan. I know Dave well. I like Dave. I like my friends. When you see Dave, he’s funny. There’s an aura around him. He’s not really an insecure person. He’s not
