Richard Pryor (1940–2005)

Interesting that only 140 LT members have read this book (as a the time of writing this review) of which only 4 felt moved to have submitted a review about a story of the life of a man that was a legend and ground breaker in comedy. Prior to Pryor (see what I did there) comedy was of the tell a joke with a punch line followed by a rim shot variety. He was the man that took it to the next level by talking about life, growing up, racism, sex and all the other difficult subjects that that is show more fodder for hilarious standup comedy. All the greats of the modern-day era of comedy recognize Richard as their role model for their work however his style and pizazz is yet to be eclipsed. Now far be it for me to paint a rosy picture of a man that had many faults that he talks about openly in this book about his drug addiction, alcoholism, womanizing, DUI and being a woman beater but we all have our faults, and this also has to be taken in context of the 1970's and 80's which had very different norms and standards from today. He did not make excuses for this behavior but did explain the kind of upbringing he had that contributed to the man he became. For me it was an epic read, disturbing as well but epic none the less. I will never forget Stir Crazy directed by Sidney Poitier (who sadly passed away earlier this year) and starring Gene Wilder as Richard's partner in crime so to speak, the hilarious antics and outrageous behaviors had me in stitches. Having said all of this here was a man who faced a rough upbringing, faced terrible racism and rose above it all to become arguably the greatest comedian of his time and only 140 people on LT read about it all. Tells me a great deal about how as much as things have changed over the years, there is still a whole lot that needs to be done to bring parity to society. Happy reading. show less

The late Richard Pryor is widely regarded as a groundbreaking comic for his takes on important, if uncomfortable, social issues. This audio collection of pieces from 1968 through 1992 showcases that irreverence that made Pryor one of the great comedians. The bits cover racism, Pryor’s own highly publicized drug abuse (he once set himself on fire freebasing cocaine) and the multiple sclerosis that cut his career short. For Pryor, nothing was off-limits, and it was that sincerity among show more Pryor’s generation of comics that brought comedy to social relevance. The jokes aren’t just funny because they’re true, as the cliche goes. In this case, the commentary is made more true because it’s funny. show less

50 years later, this movie is still pretty entertaining, sure there's a few parts that have not aged quite that well but the overall product is still solid and I would recommend this to anyone who likes old comedy movies. It's almost like a time capsule when you look at the jokes and cultural references in this film.

Pryor Convictions, published in 1995, is a surprisingly candid autobiography written by the very successful and talented comedian and actor, Richard Pryor. In fact, some readers might describe it as shockingly candid. Richard Pryor covers the good and bad of his life. However, the good parts of his life seem to have been far overshadowed by an extremely lurid childhood environment and an extremely self-destructive lifestyle, which continued (really increased) even after he became famous and show more wealthy. He grew up in a rough area of Peoria, IL where racism was plentiful and he certainly experienced the consequences of racism from an early age. However, he states that he never knew he was black and didn’t see color when he looked at people when he was a child. In addition, his father and other family members were associated with brothels (whorehouses as Pryor would say) and he lived and worked in those brothels throughout his childhood. Many people would suggest that that experience provided a very destructive viewpoint on sexuality and relationships with women. His environment also taught him much about violence, drugs, and other criminal behaviors. Pryor openly describes a very destructive lifestyle in this book. He admits to crimes and violent behavior, including abusive behavior toward women. He also admits that he was an addict. His many addictions included cocaine and freebase cocaine, which almost killed him during a fire while he was freebasing. However, sex was probably one of his most destructive additions. The book devotes much space to discussions of sexual behaviors. The book is not for the demure reader, but then the same is true about his comedy and many of his movie roles. While reading the book there were times when I found him to be a despicable person, but overall the book engendered my sympathy toward him. Although he was never able to achieve a monogamous relationship with women, he maintained ongoing affectionate relationships with all five of his ex-wives and his children. In addition, his grandmother really was his primary caregiver when he was a child and he remained close to her during most of his life. I have always enjoyed Richard Pryor’s comedy acts and many of his movies, and this book explains much about his revolutionary approach to comedy and how he developed that approach and eventually achieved his success. The book also reveals a very confused, conflicted, imperfect, sad and self-destructive human being who recognized his many faults and regretted them. I’m glad I read this “tell-all” book, and recommend it strongly to anyone who admires Richard Pryor’s work.
First Lines: - "IF WE WERE SITTIN’ ‘cross from each other right now, your ears would be filled with a muddy old voice that sounds somethin’ between a preacher’s Sunday mornin’ sermonizin’ and a grizzled seen-it-all coot sittin’ at a bar drinkin’ and spinnin’ some wild bullshit, and you know what? That voice would be me."
Last Line: - "I always remember to keep some sunshine on my face." show less