Hey you guys,
I know it's been a long time since I last rapped at ya but I been all busy and shit. Anywho, I don't know if any of y'all have been watching "Chappelle's Show: the Lost Episodes" but it is some seriously fascinating shit.
I'm reviewing it in next week's paper so I can't say too much about it but one of the things I find most fascinating about it is the weird tone of the wrap-around segments. Judging from the awkward, strangely funereal/elegiac vibe of the connecting bits it's tempting to assume that the other guy and the other guy who's Eddie Murphy's brother are hosting the show because Chappelle died, not because he flaked out and left the country.
It's as if Chappelle's Show suddenly morphed into an earnest high school gymnasium where grief counselors Rawlings and Murphy are helping traumatized students cope with a really popular, beloved but troubled kid (Chappelle) who shocked everyone by hanging himself just after leading his team to the state football championship. Dude, they even use the word "closure" to describe what they're after. Since when has satire ever been about closure?
And is it just me or does Murphy, initially at least, have the defensive body language of someone who half-expects to be pelted with rotten eggs the moment he steps onstage? Wassupwithat?
It's a testament to just how big an icon/folk hero Chappelle has become that his absence during the wrap-around segments registers a whole lot stronger than Rawlings and Murphy's actual presence.
So what do you guys think of the Lost Episodes so far/the cult of Chappelle? Where does he go from here? Discuss.