Dave Chappelle NOT in mental institution after all - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

AKA · 05-15-2005, 03:20 PM

On the Beach With Dave Chappelle

By Simon Robinson
TIME

In this week's TIME, Christopher John Farley reveals why Dave Chappelle decided to leave his hit show and what he's been up to since he disappeared to South Africa two weeks ago. Last Friday night, TIME Johannesburg bureau chief Simon Robinson met with the comic at uShaka Marine World on the beach in the South African port of Durban. In a ninety minute conversation, Chappelle was eager to set the record straight on why he suddenly left the U.S. and what he's doing in South Africa. Here's Robinson's account:

Dave Chappelle shows up to our interview in a red t-shirt, blue jeans and shiny white sneakers. He lopes around in his usual style, pacing a lot, but does not seem like a man struggling to speak or to order his thoughts at all. He's lucid and thoughtful and a couple of times asks me to give him some time to think about answers. He concedes that he is dealing with a lot of issues and mentions that he had consulted a psychiatrist about a week ago for a forty minute session. He is also quite fastidious about keeping his new sneakers clean and stops at least twice to wipe smudges off their toes.

The first thing Chappelle wants is to dispel rumors—that he's got a drug problem, that he's checked into a mental institution in Durban—that have been flying around the U.S. for the past week. He says he is staying with a friend, Salim Domar, and not in a mental institution, as has been widely reported in America. Chappelle says he is in South Africa to find "a quiet place" for a while. "Let me tell you the things I can do here which I can't at home: think, eat, sleep, laugh. I'm an introspective dude. I enjoy my own thoughts sometimes. And I've been doing a lot of thinking here."

The picture he paints—and it seems a fairly honest and frank assessment— is of someone struggling to come to terms with a new position and power who's still figuring out how to come to grips with how people around him are reacting to the $50 million deal he signed last year with Comedy Central. Without naming specific characters, he seems to blame both some of his inner circle (not his family) and himself for the stresses created by last year's deal.

"There were things that overwhelmed me," he says. "But not in the way that people are saying. I haven't spent any of the money. All that stuff about partying and taking crack is not true. Why do I live on a farm in Ohio? To support my partying lifestyle?"

The problems, he says, started with his inner circle."If you don't have the right people around you and you're moving at a million miles an hour you can lose yourself," he says. "Everyone around me says, 'You're a genius!'; 'You're great!'; 'That's your voice!' But I'm not sure that they're right." And he stresses that Comedy Central was not part of the problem and put no more than normal television restrictions on what he could do.

"You got to be careful of the company you keep," Chappelle says. "It's hard to know how much to say. One of the things that happens when people make the leap from a certain amount of money to tens of millions of dollars is that the people around you dramatically change.

"During my ascent, I've seen other people go through that wall to become really big. They always said that fame didn't change them but that it changes the people around them. You always hear that but you never really understand it. But now that I'm there that makes a lot of sense and I'm learning what that means. You have to have people around you that you can trust and aren't just out for a meal ticket."

The breakdown in trust within his inner circle seems to have led him to question the material they were producing. He seems obsessed with making sure the material is good and honest and something that he will be proud of. "I want to make sure I'm dancing and not shuffling," he says. "What ever decisions I make right now I'm going to have live with. Your soul is priceless." The first two seasons of his show "had a real spirit to them," he says. "I want to make sure whatever I do has spirit."

But Chappelle also says that he must share the blame for the stalled third season. "I'm admittedly a human being," he says. "I'm a difficult kind of dude." His earlier walkout during shooting "had a little psychological element to it. I have trust issues, things like that. I saw some stuff in myself that I just didn't dig. It's like when I brought a girl home to my mom and it looked as if my mom really didn't like this girl. And she told me, 'I like her just fine. I just don't like you around her.' That's how I feel in this situation. There were some things about myself that I didn't like. People got to take inventory from time to time. That's what this [coming to South Africa] is for."

This is Chappelle's second trip to South Africa. He first came to Durban, and visited Salim, in 2000. Chappelle won't tell me exactly how he met Salim but describes him as a family friend. A soft-spoken Muslim, Salim seems also to be something of a sounding board to Chappelle, who converted to Islam several years ago. While Chappelle is not doing a formal religious course in Durban, says Salim, who wore a simple cotton robe and hung back through the interview and photo shoot and only spoke when I asked him a question, "if he wants to talk religion then I'm there as someone to talk to." Says Chappelle: "This is kind of my spot where I can come to fill my spirit back up. Sometimes you neglect these things if you are running on a corporate schedule." The crux of his crisis seems to boil down to his almost obsessive need to "check my intentions." He uses the phrase a few times during the interview and explains that it means really making sure that he's doing what he's doing for the right reasons.

His family, he says, has been a huge support over the past eight months. "They've been phenomenal really, just incredible. What beautiful people. Everyone loves their family but it's good if you can like them too."

His religion is also crucial. "I don't normally talk about my religion publicly because I don't want people to associate me and my flaws with this beautiful thing. And I believe it is a beautiful religion if you learn it the right way. It's a lifelong effort. Your religion is your standard. Coming here I don't have the distractions of fame. It quiets the ego down. I'm interested in the kind of person I've got to become. I want to be well rounded and the industry is a place of extremes. I want to be well balanced. I've got to check my intentions, man."

That includes planning for the future. When I ask him if he would ever buy a place of his own in South Africa, Chappelle replies, "First of all I've got to make sure I've got a job."

He says that he's only been recognized five or six times in the two weeks he's been here. "It happens so sporadically that when it does it freaks me out because I have to remember, 'Oh, yeah, I'm famous.'" At the end of our interview/photo shoot an American woman does recognize him. "Number seven," he cries. "Wow, I'm not that big in Africa. I've got to do an action film here."

During most of the hour and a half that we talk, Chappelle is serious and introspective. But he still has his sense of humor, which comes out as we near the end of our conversation: "Is that enough to prove I'm not smoking crack or hanging out in a mental institution?"

TheHappyBurgerMeister · 05-15-2005, 04:28 PM

wow, thanks for posting that. I'm glad he's really not in a mental institution and is just relaxing over there.

Janice · 05-15-2005, 04:29 PM

Since he's not in a mental institution or into drugs, then he should get back to work and honor his commitment to Comedy Central. I think he's being selfish. I had sympathy for him before, but not after reading this. He's got a stalled hit show and he takes a vacation.

TheGreatPretender · 05-15-2005, 04:29 PM

Well I'm glad everything's okay. Best of luck to him.

Courtnee · 05-15-2005, 07:05 PM

cool,glad he's okay

MsOrange · 05-15-2005, 10:14 PM

Um... not sure what to think about it.

Glad he's OK though

dlemond · 05-15-2005, 10:29 PM

Not for nothing (whatever that actually means), but screw this.

If Chappelle thinks that an opportunity like this will always be at his beckon call he is sadly mistaken.

And don't get me wrong. I love the show, it is great.

But going off on the deep end like this is just primadonna baloney, Dave didn't reinvent comdey or take it to a new level. His show is just very good.

And you know what? Some other talented comedian will come along and not screw it up like this.

Rest in peace Mitch Hedberg.

Dave Chappelle- stop being such an ass.

Brian Damage · 05-15-2005, 10:30 PM

I'm glad he's ok too, but I do kind of agree with Janice. What the heck is he doing?

*Pleasant Tomorrow* · 05-15-2005, 10:37 PM

I'm glad he's okay, it was made out to be a lot worse than that. And I don't think he's selfish, the poor guy was stressed out and needed some peace and South Africa with his friend was the only place he could find it. If he can, he'll come back...but if he just can't, I'll miss the show, but power to him. I think he's a good guy.

Janice · 05-15-2005, 10:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by *Pleasant Tomorrow*

I'm glad he's okay, it was made out to be a lot worse than that. And I don't think he's selfish, the poor guy was stressed out and needed some peace and South Africa with his friend was the only place he could find it. If he can, he'll come back...but if he just can't, I'll miss the show, but power to him. I think he's a good guy.

It's not all about him. He signed a $50 million dollar deal with Comedy Central. He has an obligation to honor that contract.

God only knows how many people's livelihoods depend on him. I'm glad he's fine myself. I think he's hilarious, but to leave his show is limbo like that is very selfish.

dlemond · 05-15-2005, 10:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by *Pleasant Tomorrow*

I'm glad he's okay, it was made out to be a lot worse than that. And I don't think he's selfish, the poor guy was stressed out and needed some peace and South Africa with his friend was the only place he could find it. If he can, he'll come back...but if he just can't, I'll miss the show, but power to him. I think he's a good guy.

Yeah I understand the stressed out part, but going to South Africa and all that sounds like a bunch of crap. And going Muslim seems like a load of crap too (oh my dlemond, who are you to judge and make judgements- ok, go have your hissy fit somewhere else). I don't care what anyone thinks- apparently Dave doesn't either, so there you go.

*Pleasant Tomorrow* · 05-15-2005, 10:47 PM

I get what you're saying, but some people are just under so much pressure they're driven to do those things. I'm sympathetic. So sue me.

*Pleasant Tomorrow* · 05-15-2005, 10:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dlemond

(oh my dlemond, who are you to judge and make judgements- ok, go have your hissy fit somewhere else)

Oh, bitch...it's on.

Janice · 05-15-2005, 10:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by *Pleasant Tomorrow*

I get what you're saying, but some people are just under so much pressure they're driven to do those things. I'm sympathetic. So sue me.

No, but I'll bet if he doesn't get his ass back to the set, Comedy Central will sue him.

Brian Damage · 05-15-2005, 10:51 PM

Unless he gives back the 50 million, which you know he won't do.

05-15-2005, 03:20 PM	#1
AKA Member Forum Star Join Date: Dec 17, 2001 Posts: 15,746	Dave Chappelle NOT in mental institution after all On the Beach With Dave Chappelle By Simon Robinson TIME In this week's TIME, Christopher John Farley reveals why Dave Chappelle decided to leave his hit show and what he's been up to since he disappeared to South Africa two weeks ago. Last Friday night, TIME Johannesburg bureau chief Simon Robinson met with the comic at uShaka Marine World on the beach in the South African port of Durban. In a ninety minute conversation, Chappelle was eager to set the record straight on why he suddenly left the U.S. and what he's doing in South Africa. Here's Robinson's account: Dave Chappelle shows up to our interview in a red t-shirt, blue jeans and shiny white sneakers. He lopes around in his usual style, pacing a lot, but does not seem like a man struggling to speak or to order his thoughts at all. He's lucid and thoughtful and a couple of times asks me to give him some time to think about answers. He concedes that he is dealing with a lot of issues and mentions that he had consulted a psychiatrist about a week ago for a forty minute session. He is also quite fastidious about keeping his new sneakers clean and stops at least twice to wipe smudges off their toes. The first thing Chappelle wants is to dispel rumors—that he's got a drug problem, that he's checked into a mental institution in Durban—that have been flying around the U.S. for the past week. He says he is staying with a friend, Salim Domar, and not in a mental institution, as has been widely reported in America. Chappelle says he is in South Africa to find "a quiet place" for a while. "Let me tell you the things I can do here which I can't at home: think, eat, sleep, laugh. I'm an introspective dude. I enjoy my own thoughts sometimes. And I've been doing a lot of thinking here." The picture he paints—and it seems a fairly honest and frank assessment— is of someone struggling to come to terms with a new position and power who's still figuring out how to come to grips with how people around him are reacting to the $50 million deal he signed last year with Comedy Central. Without naming specific characters, he seems to blame both some of his inner circle (not his family) and himself for the stresses created by last year's deal. "There were things that overwhelmed me," he says. "But not in the way that people are saying. I haven't spent any of the money. All that stuff about partying and taking crack is not true. Why do I live on a farm in Ohio? To support my partying lifestyle?" The problems, he says, started with his inner circle."If you don't have the right people around you and you're moving at a million miles an hour you can lose yourself," he says. "Everyone around me says, 'You're a genius!'; 'You're great!'; 'That's your voice!' But I'm not sure that they're right." And he stresses that Comedy Central was not part of the problem and put no more than normal television restrictions on what he could do. "You got to be careful of the company you keep," Chappelle says. "It's hard to know how much to say. One of the things that happens when people make the leap from a certain amount of money to tens of millions of dollars is that the people around you dramatically change. "During my ascent, I've seen other people go through that wall to become really big. They always said that fame didn't change them but that it changes the people around them. You always hear that but you never really understand it. But now that I'm there that makes a lot of sense and I'm learning what that means. You have to have people around you that you can trust and aren't just out for a meal ticket." The breakdown in trust within his inner circle seems to have led him to question the material they were producing. He seems obsessed with making sure the material is good and honest and something that he will be proud of. "I want to make sure I'm dancing and not shuffling," he says. "What ever decisions I make right now I'm going to have live with. Your soul is priceless." The first two seasons of his show "had a real spirit to them," he says. "I want to make sure whatever I do has spirit." But Chappelle also says that he must share the blame for the stalled third season. "I'm admittedly a human being," he says. "I'm a difficult kind of dude." His earlier walkout during shooting "had a little psychological element to it. I have trust issues, things like that. I saw some stuff in myself that I just didn't dig. It's like when I brought a girl home to my mom and it looked as if my mom really didn't like this girl. And she told me, 'I like her just fine. I just don't like you around her.' That's how I feel in this situation. There were some things about myself that I didn't like. People got to take inventory from time to time. That's what this [coming to South Africa] is for." This is Chappelle's second trip to South Africa. He first came to Durban, and visited Salim, in 2000. Chappelle won't tell me exactly how he met Salim but describes him as a family friend. A soft-spoken Muslim, Salim seems also to be something of a sounding board to Chappelle, who converted to Islam several years ago. While Chappelle is not doing a formal religious course in Durban, says Salim, who wore a simple cotton robe and hung back through the interview and photo shoot and only spoke when I asked him a question, "if he wants to talk religion then I'm there as someone to talk to." Says Chappelle: "This is kind of my spot where I can come to fill my spirit back up. Sometimes you neglect these things if you are running on a corporate schedule." The crux of his crisis seems to boil down to his almost obsessive need to "check my intentions." He uses the phrase a few times during the interview and explains that it means really making sure that he's doing what he's doing for the right reasons. His family, he says, has been a huge support over the past eight months. "They've been phenomenal really, just incredible. What beautiful people. Everyone loves their family but it's good if you can like them too." His religion is also crucial. "I don't normally talk about my religion publicly because I don't want people to associate me and my flaws with this beautiful thing. And I believe it is a beautiful religion if you learn it the right way. It's a lifelong effort. Your religion is your standard. Coming here I don't have the distractions of fame. It quiets the ego down. I'm interested in the kind of person I've got to become. I want to be well rounded and the industry is a place of extremes. I want to be well balanced. I've got to check my intentions, man." That includes planning for the future. When I ask him if he would ever buy a place of his own in South Africa, Chappelle replies, "First of all I've got to make sure I've got a job." He says that he's only been recognized five or six times in the two weeks he's been here. "It happens so sporadically that when it does it freaks me out because I have to remember, 'Oh, yeah, I'm famous.'" At the end of our interview/photo shoot an American woman does recognize him. "Number seven," he cries. "Wow, I'm not that big in Africa. I've got to do an action film here." During most of the hour and a half that we talk, Chappelle is serious and introspective. But he still has his sense of humor, which comes out as we near the end of our conversation: "Is that enough to prove I'm not smoking crack or hanging out in a mental institution?" Attached Images

05-15-2005, 04:28 PM	#2
TheHappyBurgerMeister Member Senior Member Join Date: Jul 23, 2002 Location: Wisconsin, USA Posts: 2,209	wow, thanks for posting that. I'm glad he's really not in a mental institution and is just relaxing over there.
	__________________ Kristina Thinkin' 'Bout Something Official Music Video Shout it Out- Hanson's 5th studio album in stores June 8th!

05-15-2005, 07:05 PM	#5
Courtnee MAN VS SAMMICH. Forum Star Join Date: Mar 23, 2005 Location: Louisiana Posts: 16,413	cool,glad he's okay
	__________________ Whether I'm the rose of sheer perfection A freckle on the nose of life's complexion The Cinderella or the shine apple of its eye I gotta fly once, I gotta try once, Only can die once, right, sir? Ooh, life is juicy, juicy and you see, I gotta have my bite, sir. Get ready for me love, 'cause I'm a "comer" I simply gotta march, my heart's a drummer Don't bring around the cloud to rain on my parade

05-15-2005, 10:30 PM	#8
Brian Damage I'm Rich Bitch Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 03, 2002 Location: What Ain't No Country I Ever Heard Of...They Speak English in What? Posts: 63,107	I'm glad he's ok too, but I do kind of agree with Janice. What the heck is he doing?
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05-15-2005, 10:37 PM	#9
Pleasant Tomorrow Member Forum Addict Join Date: Feb 19, 2003 Location: New York Posts: 69,525	I'm glad he's okay, it was made out to be a lot worse than that. And I don't think he's selfish, the poor guy was stressed out and needed some peace and South Africa with his friend was the only place he could find it. If he can, he'll come back...but if he just can't, I'll miss the show, but power to him. I think he's a good guy.
	__________________ my name is ashlee Welcome! Everything is fine.

05-15-2005, 04:29 PM	#3
Janice Retired Admin - Hollywood Swingin' Forum Legend Join Date: Aug 03, 2001 Location: Beantown Posts: 36,388	Since he's not in a mental institution or into drugs, then he should get back to work and honor his commitment to Comedy Central. I think he's being selfish. I had sympathy for him before, but not after reading this. He's got a stalled hit show and he takes a vacation.

05-15-2005, 04:29 PM	#4
TheGreatPretender just because Forum Veteran Join Date: May 22, 2004 Location: Trying to think of a creative, witty location. Posts: 7,628	Well I'm glad everything's okay. Best of luck to him.

05-15-2005, 10:14 PM	#6
MsOrange Bringin' Sexy Back Forum Veteran Join Date: Dec 27, 2004 Posts: 6,133	Um... not sure what to think about it. Glad he's OK though

05-15-2005, 10:29 PM	#7
dlemond Hey, I know you. Moderator Forum Veteran Join Date: Dec 03, 2001 Location: New Jersey Posts: 6,751	Not for nothing (whatever that actually means), but screw this. If Chappelle thinks that an opportunity like this will always be at his beckon call he is sadly mistaken. And don't get me wrong. I love the show, it is great. But going off on the deep end like this is just primadonna baloney, Dave didn't reinvent comdey or take it to a new level. His show is just very good. And you know what? Some other talented comedian will come along and not screw it up like this. Rest in peace Mitch Hedberg. Dave Chappelle- stop being such an ass.

05-15-2005, 10:47 PM	#12
Pleasant Tomorrow Member Forum Addict Join Date: Feb 19, 2003 Location: New York Posts: 69,525	I get what you're saying, but some people are just under so much pressure they're driven to do those things. I'm sympathetic. So sue me.

05-15-2005, 10:51 PM	#15
Brian Damage I'm Rich Bitch Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 03, 2002 Location: What Ain't No Country I Ever Heard Of...They Speak English in What? Posts: 63,107	Unless he gives back the 50 million, which you know he won't do.