David Letterman has a Netflix show called "My next guest needs no introduction" where he sits on stage with a famous individual and has a conversation with them in front of an audience.

Much of the conversation is them reminiscing about their shared history, of course. But Dave is a deft interviewer and gets really good things from his guests, and in the kindest way. The show also weaves in small snippets of Dave and his guest outside of the theater context, chatting and walking, and just being people.

I encourage people to watch the Dave Chappelle episode.

The human man that Dave is interviewing is a thoughtful, deep, and contemplative person. Nothing he does is for the artifice or done as stunt.

Squaring the man sitting on stage with the comedian telling the trans jokes in the special, is ... fascinating?

The guy on stage in the special is a performer, doing a bit, that has been carefully designed to poke at things he sees in the world.

The guy on stage across from Dave is just a person - a dad, an employer, a guy with a job - who isn't putting on a show or delivering points to support an agenda.

I'm processing this. The difference between performer and man. And looking at the space between. And why the man would have put those jokes into his performance. Comedy at this level is highly structured and rehearsed, down to every beat, pause, and breath.

The Man Chappelle wanted the Performer Chappelle to elicit something. To start a conversation.

I'm curious about that...