And then... you decided to... break wwwwiiiiiiinnnnddddd.



Years ago there was this class offfered in the New School catalog which caught my interest. It was a series of lectures with famous actors and directors and I thought it might be interesting to check out. So, for two semesters, I spent my Monday nights running down to the twelfth street auditorium of the New School and listening to the life histories of people like Stanley Donen, Carol Burnett and Jessica Lange.

More often than not they were very entertaining evenings. I never would have known who Stanley Donen was, had I not went to these lectures. However, along the line the course changed in scope. It went from lectures with people who had long histories in entertainment, to more of a spectacle. It became about capturing the flavor of the moment.

There was a swarmy, groveling quality to the series’ host but, it was worth tolerating if only to capture a glimpse into the lives and minds of some very creative people. When the focus moved to the most recent name in the news, it became less interesting and my focus quickly shifted elsewhere.

This past weekend though I had the opportunity to catch Dave Chapelle’s appearance on the show. It captured, once more, something that had been lost over the ensuing years. Chapelle proved to be a thoughtful, intriguing man full of great depth and humor. If you haven’t seen Chapelle’s appearance, I highly recommend it. Chapelle was disarmingly honest and forthright about his views on success, his comedy and our country. It is further proof Chapelle inherents the mantle of Lenny Bruce or Richard Pryor for today’s times.