Anthony Bourdain vs. Dave Chappelle’s Footlocker Friend

Two ways to deal with life’s pressures — and what that says about dealing with life’s pressures

Mookie Spitz
3 min readOct 14, 2024

Dave Chappelle’s genius takes off where Richard Pryor left off when comparing American cultural norms through the lens of race. Classics include the Pryor skit where he insisted The Exorcist would have lasted five minutes had Black people starred in it, their tolerance for ridiculous nonsense far lower. “Bitch! Get that cross out your pussy! We got company!”

Chappelle has since amplified and expanded these hysterical comparisons, such as when he invited John Mayer to play his blues guitar in New York City. Hilarity ensues between a corporate board room in Midtown where the white people love it, and a Black and Latino barbershop in the Bronx where everyone winces for a few seconds until telling him to STFU.

Similar magic works in this opening from a Netflix show, Dave describing the difference between how very different people handle stress. Scenario 1: World famous Anthony Bourdain hangs himself in a luxury suite in France. Scenario 2: Chappelle’s talented pal who lives with his mom does not. Ironies abound, Dave observing: “Never occurred to this nigger to kill himself.”

Despite Dave’s apropos use of the n-word, and arguably my inappropriateness quoting him as a bald, middle aged white guy, the stereotyping is funny, and used as a bridge to a classic truth: Happiness has nothing to do with fame and fortune, or a lack of it. If nothing else success, money, and power often lead to far more trouble than they’re ever worth.

The biographical subtext is relevant here, too, and reveals Chappelle’s genius for storytelling — Bourdain’s malaise was allegedly fueled by a problematic romantic relationship, as was Dave’s pal, who endured a divorce during law school from which he could never recover. Scenario #1: Heartbreak leading to suicide. Scenario #2: Hearthbreak leading to not.

Jordan Peele’s horror thriller Get Out plays off the paradox of racism being motivated by envy. Black people are cooler than white people, so white people steal their bodies to become more youthful, virile, and attractive. Chappelle similarly flips racism on its head, and does so with hysterical irony: “Never occurred to the white rich famous guy to appreciate his privilege.”

Get a job! Get married! Get rich! is the shitty triptych of American society, regardless who you are, where you come from, or what you choose to or wind up doing with your life. Yet we’re reminded over and over again of the simple underlying reality that happiness can’t be found in employment, matrimony, or wealth. We are not our careers, families, or portfolios.

Stripping those away, most wonder — what’s left? Answer: stuff that truly counts. Bourdain killed himself, and Chappelle’s Footlocker Friend didn’t because the former’s fame and fortune didn’t help him, and the latter’s anonymity and poverty didn’t hurt him. Behind their lives and our own is an advanced “civilized” primate with primal needs that can’t be ignored.

Great comics make us laugh by exposing the truth in a blisteringly direct, honest, and dramatic way. They are terrific storytellers who, like all of us, got punched in the face by life, but then show off their bruises to expose our own vulnerabilities, giving everyone catharsis. Anthony Bourdain’s death and Footlock Friend’s life free us from unrealistic expectations.

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Mookie Spitz
Mookie Spitz

Written by Mookie Spitz

Author and communications strategist. His latest book SUPER SANTA is available on Amazon, with a sci fi adventure set for Valentine's Day 2025...

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