Okay, I'm done for a while, honest
This came to my attention via The Corsair, my version of The Gothamist:
'SHOW IS RUINING MY LIFE'
By MICHAEL STARR
July 2, 2004 --
DAVE Chappelle is re peating his on-stage re frain that his Comedy Central show, "Chappelle's Show," is ruining his life.
"There's truth in it, absolutely," Chappelle tells Blender magazine in the August issue. "Sometimes the popularity of something ruins it.
"It's one of the things I've thrown on the scales as I'm deciding if I'm going to do the show again."
"Chappelle's Show," which has aired for two seasons, has become Comedy Central's biggest hit, spawning several catchphrases — including "I'm Rick James, b**ch!"
But Chappelle hasn't yet committed to bringing the show back.
"Everyone says, 'It's a no-brainer; they're giving you all this money,' " Chappelle says. "Yeah, but money is not why the show worked. The show worked because we acted like nobody was watching. And now, everybody's watching."
Chappelle tells Blender he's thought of ending the show after two seasons — particularly in light of the recent FCC crackdown on indecency.
"It's crossed my mind, absolutely," he says. "The show is so good. I'd hate for it to ever be bad. And scrutiny might ruin it.
"I'm looking at what Howard Stern's going through [with the FCC] and it would be hard to do my show with those boundaries put on me."
He says he's not using the threat of ending the show as a negotiating ploy with Comedy Central.
"Nah, I don't need those kinds of tactics," he says. "For them, my show is like 'Friends.' "
The August issue of Blender hits newsstands July 13.
He also has a few quotes from the interview in The Blender, like:
"Blender: You talk about race, this country's great unspoken topic.
"Dave Chappelle: It's hilariously unspoken ... you know who goes through it and no one talk about? Poor white people. Poor white people feel like they're supposed to be rich. That's why they always sound crazy -- like 'Niggers are taking all the jobs at Burger King.' Alright, you sound like a fucking idiot right now ...
…for which reason Ron should get a commission on the copy of Blender he just sold to me.
