The ‘Dave’ Cast Overcomes Growing Pains in Season 3
Written by SOURCE on April 5, 2023
Burd, who not only stars in the show but is also the creator, finds it a bit harder to multitask. The cycle of making a TV show can be taxing for those involved at every level like he is. Dave can be so all-consuming that it has left his fans waiting eight years for a new Lil Dicky album, something Burd sounds conflicted and a bit tormented about. As much as making Dave has been his dream from the start, a part of him misses music, too.
“I feel pretty unsatisfied musically as I’m sure my fans do. It’s not for lack of trying or effort,” Burd says. “Whenever I get a free moment, I work on my album.” He says writing the scripts takes him a few months, shooting the episodes takes three months, and editing takes four months, which also consists of long and grueling days. “It’s impossible for me to come home after a 16-hour day and write a good verse. It’s just never going to happen,” he says. “The saving grace is, at least the show is about a rapper. So if I make a song within those eight years as I have, that I love, I can put it in the show.”
Burd says he has a chip on his shoulder as a rapper and understands his Lil Dicky fans’ frustration and hopes that the new music in Season 3 can help ease that anticipation. As with past seasons, the first three episodes already feature plenty of new musical moments, including one new song in Episode 2 titled “Harrison Ave” that Burd says is one of the best tracks he’s ever made. A lot can change for a person, especially artistically, in eight years. Burd says he has evolved so much as a musician in that time that he feels dissatisfied with the current body of work from Lil Dicky that’s currently available on streaming services. “I’ve just grown so much past that as a musician and as an artist, but there’s no evidence of it out there,” he tells me. “So I’m just chomping at the bit to reframe the type of artist Lil Dicky is.”
We live in a world where fans’ hunger for new content is almost impossible to satisfy. But the era of instant gratification can come at the expense of an artist’s creative process and can sometimes leave them feeling pressured to drop something new before it’s ready in order to fulfill their fans’ needs. For some artists like Burd, it’s all about quality over quantity and he knows his true followers are happy with him creating in any way, including the five hours of content they get with each season of Dave. “When I look back, I’m sure I could have put some body of work out four years ago that, honestly, wouldn’t have been as satisfying as what will happen now that I’ve waited,” he adds. “I’m unfortunately not the type of rapper who can go into the studio and come out in one night with six songs made. It’s just not the type of artist I am, so we just have to trust my process.”
In the meantime, we’ve got Season 3 to hold us over. The new season starts with the crew being on the right foot again, and with the purpose of enjoying tour life and the Lil Dicky hype they have worked so hard to achieve. “It’s not me against a character, it’s like us against the world to some degree,” Burd says about Season 3, which he says will explore different approaches to dating, dating while famous, power dynamics, and gender. “Every episode is this group in a new environment and all we have is each other as far as continuity and what we know to be true. So we’re more on the same team this year as opposed to playing against each other.” That is clear in Episode 1 of the new season, which shows Dave already allowing space for his friends and teammates to shine on their own, away from his spotlight.
In speaking with the cast, it’s easy to tell how fond of each other they are and the work they are doing together. During the photoshoot, the cast behaves like a group of longtime friends that are at ease, playful, and comfortable with one another. There seem to be no egos as well as pure admiration and respect for Burd for taking them on this journey and creating a show they are proud of and believe in. For most of the stars, Dave was their first time being on a TV show and it was the first acting gig for Burd and GaTa.
“We grow together as it goes along. The more we do it, the more in sync we are,” Burd says. “There is a benefit of doing several seasons, having it under your belt, and then when you get to the third season, it’s like we’re just in a rhythm right away, and there are no growing pains.”
Burd says creating art that helps people ask themselves questions about themselves in a quest for self-improvement is something he takes pride in. While Burd got his start as a rapper, he always envisioned himself as a comedian first, so making a successful comedy series like Dave is a fulfilled lifelong dream. “There is just a sense of peace that can’t be taken from me,” he says. “I could die tomorrow and I did what I always wanted to do.”
Season 3 of Dave arrives on April 5.
