Dave Chappelle released a surprise half-hour standup special on the “Netflix Is A Joke” YouTube channel. The special was filmed just last weekend at the outdoor Wirrig Pavilion in his hometown of Yellow Springs, Ohio. Yes, there’s a crowd for the special, but Chappelle seems to be abiding by all the COVID-19 guidelines. The audience is spaced out, wearing masks, and seated outdoors.
If anything, “8:46” is more of an opportunity for Chappelle to vent his frustrations about George Floyd’s death. Chappelle titled this set, “8:46,” in reference to how long Floyd was suffocated and killed by cop Derek Chauvin. And that’s why Netflix released it for free worldwide on YouTube.
“I don’t mean to get heavy, but we gotta say something!” Chappelle says at the start of his set. Noted.
Comedy seems to be beside the point here. Sure, Chappelle shoots lowbrow darts at Candance Owens, Laura Ingraham, and Don Lemon, in downright mean and malicious ways, but, surprisingly, it’s when he sticks to his own passionate thoughts about race in America that the Comedian hits his mark. There are references to Christopher Dorner, Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, George Zimmerman, Dylann Roof, Michael Brown, and Philando Castile. He also tells us about the time “the cop that murdered John Crawford (III) pulled me over the night before and let me off with a warning.” Crawford, 22, was shot and killed inside a Walmart in Ohio the next day.
With “8:46” Chappelle seems to be throwing away the rule book of what standup comedy should be like, instead, focusing on a tight 27-minute set that redefines political standup. There’s no time to waste. Sure, there are laughs here and there, but, instead of busting your gut in laughter, the whole thing feels like a cathartic moment for him. “8:46” is more thesis than comedy, more historical document than satire. The visible and intense anger Chappelle shows is unmistakably rendered.