#RolandMartinUnfiltered - What was Dave Chappelle thinking? His Netflix special has everyone talking!

Episode Date: August 31, 2019

Comedian Dave Chappelle's new Netflix comedy special "Sticks & Stones" has everybody talking. He challenges his audience right from the title and suggests that we have become too politically correct. During Thursday's edition of #RolandMartinUnfiltered, Roland and his esteemed panel of guests dissected Chappelle's latest piece of work ... ▶️ #PressPlay Watch the 8.29.19 edition of #RolandMartinUnfiltered https://youtu.be/OQ07EWZQV7E - #RolandMartinUnfiltered partner: Life Luxe Jazz Life Luxe Jazz is the experience of a lifetime, delivering top-notch music in an upscale destination. The weekend-long event is held at the Omnia Dayclub Los Cabos, which is nestled on the Sea of Cortez in the celebrity playground of Los Cabos, Mexico. For more information visit the website at lifeluxejazz.com. - 📘 Check out #RolandsBookClub and some of his favorite tech gear http://ow.ly/M5zF50uJPam ✅ NOW AVAILABLE: #RolandMartinUnfiltered Merch - https://bit.ly/2VYdQok ✅ Subscribe to the #RolandMartin YouTube channel https://t.co/uzqJjYOukP ✅ Join the #RolandMartinUnfiltered #BringTheFunk Fan Club to support fact-based independent journalism http://ow.ly/VRyC30nKjpY ✅ Join the Roland Martin and #RolandMartinUnfiltered mailing list http://ow.ly/LCvI30nKjuj Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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We asked parents who adopted teens to share their journey. We just kind of knew from the beginning that we were family. They showcased a sense of love that I never had before. I mean, he's not only my parent, like, he's like my best friend. At the end of the day, it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives. Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit adoptuskids.org to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Ad Council.

You want to support Roland Martin Unfiltered? Be sure to join our Bring the Funk fan club. Every dollar that you give to us supports our daily digital show. There's only one daily digital show out here that keeps it black and keep it real. It's Roland Martin Unfiltered. By going to RolandMartinUnfiltered.com, you can make this possible. So Netflix has a new special from Dave Chappelle called Sticks and Stones. It's got all kinds of folks talking left and right. In fact, if y'all can find the trailer for me, I'd certainly appreciate that.

What's unbelievable about this is that he skewers everybody. He's talking about LGBT, opioid crisis. He's talking about Michael Jackson's accusers, R. Kelly. I mean, but what's unbelievable, he comes out and even talks about Anthony Bourdain's suicide. Brother. It is as if nothing is off limits for Dave Chappelle. Now, you've got people who are saying he's misogynistic, people who are saying he's homophobic, people who are saying he's crazy, he's out of his mind, that he's dead wrong for this comedy

special. Now, all people here, I've seen it, Greg has seen it, DeChandra and Joseph have not. But I do want to talk about this here because, and then what's interesting is that he lays out in there the cancel culture. Yeah, he does. Where he says, y'all are the problem. Y'all get on my damn nerves, which is why I don't do a lot of comedy,

because y'all don't want to cancel somebody. It is as if he takes on, I don't want to say political correctness, but he takes on this whole notion that comedians have to watch what they say and they can't offend anybody. Right. No, man, listen, as a classroom teacher, nearing my 30th year in the classroom,

when he opens up with a dark screen and you hear him, I was dreaming when I wrote this, from the moment he opens up with prints, it's almost as if this is the disclaimer for everything that's about to come after him. And he goes through Anthony Bourdain, he said, this man with this job hung himself in a luxury hotel and then goes immediately into a story about a guy he knew from the hood who went all the way to the Ivy League and ends up at Foot Locker and then says, but you know,

I never, in no moment did this brother ever think about killing himself. It is a masterclass. And first of all, he takes race out of it. never in no moment did this brother ever think about killing himself it is a master class and first of all he takes race out of it i mean rolling that line where he has that i'm gonna give it away when you see it where they go in and tell him he can't say the f word in his skit and then he says okay and he says wait a minute we're about to end word they said well you're not an f he said i'm not an n either genius genius and this LBGTQ understand now I can understand why people in the LBGTQIA community might be offended and they

said but here's the thing he talks about the LBGTQIA community he talks about that community in reference to itself he doesn't say anything and the external critique of them is he takes every one of those letters and put it in conversation with the other letter. It's a tour de force. The reason the reason I saw I was playing golf a few months ago and one of my one I mentioned George Lopez and I know George very well played his golf tournament and guys playing with like, man, he pissed me off when he had his comedy set. And, you know, he told that black joke, Latinos don't bring nobody black home.

And then he said, and then he got mad at a woman who was an artist and threw her out. And I said, so have you heard any black comedians talk about don't bring no white girl home? Or don't bring no white boy home? I said, dude. He said, why aren't you mad? I said, because he's a comedian. See, the thing is, for me, I have seen all kinds of comedians. I have seen them in person.

I've seen them on television. I've seen black, white, Hispanic. I've seen gay, straight. I mean, it runs the gamut. For me, that's what comedy does. Comedy pisses people off. Comedy steps on toes. Comedy, as Dr. Freddie Haynes would say, bow down your alley, sit in your pew.

Comedians say things. They dog everybody. They trash everybody. So we have the trailer, so we're going to play the trailer. I want to come back and get your thoughts on where are we with comedy today with people who are so, I believe, touchy. So here's a Netflix trailer for Dave Chappelle. This is Dave. He tells jokes for a living. Hopefully he makes people laugh.

But these days it's a high stakes game. How did we get here I wonder I don't mean that metaphorically I'm really asking how did Dave get here what the fuck is this but what do I know I'm just Morgan Freeman anyway I guess what I'm trying to say is, if you say anything, you risk everything. But if that's the way it's got to be, okay, fine. Fuck it. He's back, folks. That's the setup. Jonah Shandra, to the setup. Joan DeChandra, to the special.

All right, I'm a little too cheap for Netflix, but I'm going to have to get just like a one-month free trial. Okay, why don't you go by somebody's house who got Netflix, and y'all can have dinner. Or just ask someone for their password. Listen, I mean, comedy is satire. I mean, obviously, they're going to go for our sacred cows. That's what gets people, that's what gets a rise.

That's what gets their name out there. I get it. I understand it. But I do want to talk about cancel culture. You can say anything you want, but people can have a backlash. That's how this works. That's true. That's true.

But see, but he addresses that. I mean, he addresses it by saying, okay, okay, I'm going to go back in your life and look at everything you've done and I'm going to reach back and I'm going to cancel you today. And the thing to me, I mean, I think about, look at Eddie Murphy. So there's a story saying Eddie Murphy's negotiated with Netflix to do a massive comedy special. You go back and look at Delirious and Raw, okay? If you go back and look at, if y'all have not seen Andy Murphy, Delirious and Raw, if you go back and look at today, Joseph,

in today's context, from then, I mean. He was the biggest star in the world. He was. For saying some, that you could not get away with today. Oh, no question. Richard Pryor, right? The master of breaking taboos. I mean, he started off in the footsteps of Bill Cosby

and then took a dark turn, which made him a star. I mean, he used to be like telling dad jokes. And then he became this dude who said what was on his mind, including race, including culture, including sexuality. Oh, sexuality. And it just made him a comedy genius. But I just, I guess, again, for me, what I don't understand is I don't go to a comedy show like it's a lecture.

I don't go to a comedy show like it's a speech. It's not. It is a comedy show like it's a speech. Right. It's not. It is a comedy show. Comedians take those things, to your point, that are sacred, and they say, okay, you can't talk about that. Comedians are like, watch me. That's the deal. And I'm not, and here's the deal. I've hosted comedy shows.

I have, I've been in front of many comedians. You've had comedians on every week. Right. It's no different. It's no different than when, uh, it's no different than when I've emceed events. And part of the thing about being an emcee is you got to know how to keep the ball moving. You got to keep people awake and I'm ripping on folks straight up I remember I did the executive leadership council dinner one time that was that was real respectable three thousand of them in there y'all they had a script that was about this thick my good and they wants go to I'm like, I ain't going to no rehearsal for the emcee of Banquet, y'all.

This ain't that hard. And so it came to the script. I'm like, Sean Gables was the co-emcee. I was like, we ain't reading from that script. She's like, what are we going to do? I'm like, just follow me. I said, baby, that's a guy. So we're in the green room.

We walk in. And Colin Powell, he's in there. So I walk in. He's like, well, there's an ugly man. I said, your ass might be a four-star general, but I'll cut your ass. Oh, he crack up laughing. Now, you know, now I was in the green room. Now, you know, when I went on that damn stage, I retold that damn joke.

How about that? And then, you know, Magic Johnson got in the ward. I was like, listen here, Magic ain't trying to get the tape washed. We're looking on that business plan tonight. We'll be trying to give them your stuff. And then Emmitt Smith was there. Now, everybody know I hate the Cowboys with a passion. I hate the Cowboys, but I hate the Klan.

Okay? I hate the Cowboys. That's a deep hatred, brother. I hate the Cowboys that much. It doesn't get any deeper. So, Emmitt was there. I was like, yeah, Emmitt Smith, yeah, Super Bowl champion. I was like, Emmitt, do me a favor.

Lean the hell back so I can look at your white pack. I can't stand the Cowboys. Oh, we ripping on everybody. And then, so, for example, so Sean Gable tried to crack on me. She's like, look, you need to work out. And I leaned back, looked at her butt, and I was like, you need to work out too. Everything was on the table. Everything.

But the one that I thought, I really thought, I thought I was about to lose. I cracked on Kwame Kilpatrick. I had two cell phones. And Sean was like, why do you have two cell phones? I said, Kwame should have had two cell phones. The room just, now he was crazy. The front third of the room cracked up laughing. I was like, oh shit.

I was like, uh-oh. But then the second third cracked up because the first third told the second thing, like, what did he say? It was a rolling joke. That joke literally rolled from, it was 3,000 people from the front of the 3,000 from the front of the back of room My when you're there. Yo you crack anything that's available

Anything that's available you crack on Bishop Charles Blake at the MLK 50 deal They told me rolling when we start go stall. Okay, Bishop Blake came in I was like this is how many cats with you Jesus only had 12 disciples your aunt Rogers 30 Chris Tucker was like, Bishop, how many cats with you? Jesus only had 12 disciples. Your entourage is 30. Yes, sir. Chris Tucker was like, girl. That's barbershop humor. But the point is, when you're in that space, that's a part of it. I just don't get people who go to comedy shows and go, oh, my God, I can't believe you went there.

That's what comedians do. But these aren't people who are going to the show. They're watching it after the fact or critiquing it as all care. No! They're sitting in the show. No, there are people who are sitting in shows. You're talking about the Netflix show. No, I'm not talking about this Netflix. I'm talking about people who actually go to comedy shows. This is not funny. This is not funny. You came. You came. You paid your money to come here. You came to a comedy show.

That's right. That's what comedians do. That's right. You don't know what a comedian is going to come here. You came to a comedy show. That's right. That's what comedians do. That's right. You don't know what a comedian is going to come out of their mouth. But what does... I think people are sensitive as hell. I think people today don't know how to laugh. And I fundamentally believe no one is off limits.

No one. Black people, not off limits. White people, Latinos, Asians, Native Americans, nobody is off limits. No one. Black people not off limits. No. White people, Latinos, Asians, Native American, nobody is off limits. No. That's the beauty of the comedy stage. No. Well, I think, to Shania's point, what you just observed, people watching this, the consumer base is huge.

And to Joe's point, I mean, Pryor could not, you can go on YouTube and see the Richard Pryor roasts, the roast on sexuality between him and Paul Mooney. Oh my God. Man, you can't, no, no, but, but there was no social media then. Things have changed in that regard, but even the clip that we all saw, the trailer, Dave Chappelle, I don't know what's going through his mind, but in terms of inheriting the mantle of a Pryor or before that of a Lenny Bruce or coming forward, unlike Murphy and them, Dave Chappelle seems to have struck upon a rhythm where he says, OK, I am truly going to be this watershed comedian in this age. Because think about it with this, just the trailer we saw Morgan Freeman with the cancel culture that came for him to have Morgan Freeman doing that voiceover. And then the voice of God then say

fuck it. This is all this ain't this ain't no accident. Dave Chappelle, he's going for cancel culture. I think that's really what he's going at. And because what we're seeing now, Dechondre, we're seeing comedians saying they're refusing to play on college campus. Right. Because college students are like, oh, my God, you joked about the joke about that. I just I just think to me, what makes comedy so different is I can escape all this other bullshit.

OK, and go to a show and just laugh and they will rip off to me. They will rip on people you like and people you don't like. They will rip on. If you saw the late Patrice O'Neal, I mean, eviscerate, I mean, all kinds of stuff. I just think that when we start treating comedians as if they are lecturers and politicians, we lose. It really, I would say social commentary is hard for people. Listen, because they're not just being funny.

They're giving you social commentary. That's true. And a lot of people ain't ready and they ain't receptive to hear it. Point blank. But see, I'm not going to call it social commentary. Because I think that's the problem. I think what has happened is, and this is, see, now the reason I think Bill Maher is different. Because, see, Bill Maher wants to play both sides from the middle.

Yeah, he does. Bill Maher wants to be taken seriously as a show host, but then go, nope, I'm a comedian. No, Bill, you got to pick. That's right. You got to pick, because if you're the show host, rules are different. If you're the comedian, rules are different. And that's the piece. Rules are different based on where you are.

People say, well, Roland, how can you criticize that with Michael Richard when he went up? I said, no, he was a difference. Michael Richard left the stage. Michael Richard attacked a person who was there directly. Michael Richard was not operating within the confines of his talent. I've seen comedians within the confines of their talent eviscerate a heckler. That's true. That's different. Richard, with the whole He was the one instrument, basically. He was a shotgun.

Wait, wait, wait. He called somebody upside down? He called you in. He attacked that guy and went off on him. Because there was anger. I mean, he was anger. He was looking to hurt that dude. There you go. And he was looking to make a point. But the one thing I'll say really quickly and then I'll shut up is that a couple days ago on YouTube, a friend of mine sent me a Dave Chappelle routine. And it was so funny. It speaks to this point because he said he was at home, 9-11 happened, and then CNN cut

to Ja Rule, right? And Chappelle says, wait, what? And so he went on this whole riff. He's like, OK, something important happened. Let me call Ja Rule and see what he thinks. Why are we even listening to this dude about anything? He's a comedian. I mean, even Chappelle, to a degree, you can say he's a comic.

You know, whatever he says, why are you taking it seriously? Because this is what he tells you. I'm like, Deshaun, this guy, his social commentary. But you can choose to take it that way. But I don't know how he's, it seems like he's feeling out this territory. Oh, no, he's doing it. In Bill Maher's case, Bill Maher is not funny, ain't no good host, quite frankly.

But in Chappelle's case, yeah, I'm a comedian. Dude, you more than a comedian to your point. And I think you're aware of that. Well, but no, he is, but here's what I think, to Joseph's point, what he's saying. What he's saying is, I'm going to comment on these things through comedy from the stage. Dave is not consistently talking about Trump, a Democratic candidate. No, that's true.

He didn't even say Trump. He's not. He's not. So the so the difference is when the difference is when you're a comedian and you step outside of your job as a comedian. And now all of a sudden you want to become a political commentator. And now you want to become and take it seriously. Right. So, for instance, D.O. Hughley is in a different space because the reality is, even though D.O. Hughley is in a different space. Because the reality is, even though D.L. Hughley is a comedian, even though he is host of his own radio show, because D.L. does these shows and is talking about social issues, commentary, he's not in a different space.

So when D.L. says something, even as a comedian, bruh, you can't do this. Interesting. See, the hop in you can't do this. Interesting. See, you can't. See, the hop in the back and forth is the problem. Dave is saying, I'm a comedian. I'm a use the stage and the mic to speak to these issues through a comedic prism. To me, the rules are different.

What would you do with our dear elder now ancestor, Dick Gregory? Oh, I still are different. What would you do with our dear elder now ancestor Dick Gregory? I still think different because see Dick made the conscious decision. Dick was a comedian. Straight comedian. Then Dick made the conscious decision to become an activist. The moment Dick became an activist, it changed the equation because he was in so even though dick still did comedy but it was also informed that's the difference I don't know it was informed I get informed what I'm saying is it's rules it's really how do I perceive you mm-hmm I perceive you I perceive they Chappelle differently than I do deal oh no question differently than Bill Maher

because I think when you walk into this space, it's no different than when... Why has the black pulpit been what it is, so powerful? Because when you're speaking within the confines of the pulpit,

the problem is when you try to become a politician and a preacher. See, now now you're operating in two different contexts mm-hmm and now I'm receiving you in a different way was the Bill Gray Adam Clayton Powell I'm trying to think of people who Calvin West never made the complete commitment to politics right so the point is when you step outside of your lane, you now, the rules are now different. Because, see, now, how am I receiving you?

Are you talking, so, for instance, Reverend Barbara can speak to me through a preacher, through a preacher prism. Sure. Once you choose to become a politician, now, okay, how are you talking to me? Are you preacher or are you politician? But going back to the college students, you know, some comedians don't want to. College students don't see those two sets of rules. They don't see the different. It's all one thing together.

And that's the problem. And the problem is they are going to comedy shows, treating them as if they're going to lectures. And they're comedy shows. And that's why I'm with the comedians who said, don't book me for no dog on college campuses because I wanna be able to do my craft. And when Chris Rocks talks about how you work through a joke, that's the other thing, which is why they hate being videotaped.

Because a dude who's trying to work through a joke, they trying to refine it. Or a woman trying to refine it. They may hit 12 12 15 shows before that joke is just right now we're determining the value of your joke based upon that one at one time and it's and that's and so that's why a lot of comedians right now are frustrated so really what i think dave is doing with this dave is saying you know what i've watched all this sort of crap y'all come on getting that's clear what what what what dave is saying that you know what? I've watched all this sort of crap. Y'all come on.

Yeah, that's clear. What Dave is saying, y'all come on. First of all, Netflix done paid him damn near $100 million. Yeah, he good. So he good. He good. But what he's saying is, Dave is saying, y'all come on. Come hit me with all of this.

It ain't no shock. It drops in August. He gets the Mark Twain Prize at the Kennedy Center in October, the highest award for comedy. That's right. It ain't no shock it drops in August. He gets the Mark Twain Prize at the Kennedy Center in October, the highest award for comedy. That's right. It ain't no surprise. And I think what he's now saying is, come at me. Let me see how y'all come at me. So for the rest of y'all who behind me, now y'all can just do y'all thing.

Because guess what? I took the arrows. I took all the arrows. Very interesting. That's what I think he's doing. That's what I think he's doing. That's what I think he's doing because you're right. Y'all gotta watch it. Yeah, you do. Y'all gotta watch

Don't watch it from judgment. That's right. You can judge it if you want to, but I want you to watch it as a tactician. How he opens up with the Prince lyric and then he has that line, judgment day line.'s opens up talking

about a suicide yes and it goes from there how he construct I'm telling you this was done on purpose and I think he's speaking to this whole point of how we have taken the comedic stage and we have neutered it and say no you can't you can't criticize anybody because we're just everything is too sacred he's saying nothing is sacred oh and beyond that celebrity everybody everybody you be canceled I became any of us that's right just one more November 7th 311 that once you're on a roll with me to Cabo folks we're gonna have a great time. Life Lux Jazz Experience.

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And you know what? I might even crack out me a K you to get there. And so we're going to have a fabulous, fabulous time. And you know what? I might even crack out me a Kente linen short set. I'm just saying. I might crack out the Kente linen short set. We'll see what we do. Now back to your Roland Martin Unpublished

opinion. I know a lot of cops. They get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad.

Listen to Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glott. And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug war. This year, a lot of the biggest names in music and sports. This kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We met them at their homes.

We met them at their recording studios. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast Season 2 We ask parents who adopted teens to share their journey. We just kind of knew from the beginning that we were family. They showcased a sense of love that I never had before. I mean, he's not only my parent, like he's like my best friend. that we were family. They showcased a sense of love that I never had before.

I mean, he's not only my parent, like he's like my best friend. At the end of the day, it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our lives. Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. Visit adoptuskids.org to learn more. Brought to you by AdoptUSKids, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,

and the Ad Council. This is an iHeart Podcast.