Rhino -- Richard Pryor: An Appreciation

Over the past decade or so, everyone seems to use athlete Michael Jordan's justifiably revered name as a sort of metaphoric benchmark for excellence. You know, "(Fill in highly-regarded person's name) is the Michael Jordan of (fill in that person's field of expertise)." But, with all due respect, Michael Jordan wasn't even big enough to hold a basketball when legendary comedian Richard Pryor came along--and Richard raised the bar for stand-up comedy at least as much as Michael did for sports. So perhaps it would be more apropos to say that Michael Jordan is the Richard Pryor of basketball because, in the world of comedy, there's Richard Pryor and then there's everybody else. It goes without saying that there have been several brilliant post-Pryor comedians. However, as Damon Wayans once said, "Any comic who ain't stole from Richard ain't funny."

And It's Deep Too! producers Steve Pokorny (left) and Reggie Collins (right) with Richard Pryor at The Laugh Factory, Hollywood, CA, October 26, 2000. (Photo from Rhino/KJLH-sponsored release party for Richard Pryor box set.)

Richard Pryor made his first impact on me in 1974, when I was in the seventh grade. My best friend, Randy Ades, turned me on to a newly-released album his older sister had that we weren't supposed to be listening to called That Nigger's Crazy. Randy and I would listen to it in my bedroom with the volume turned waaaaay down to avoid parental detection, and we'd be laughing our asses off. Nothing is more appealing than getting an earful of an adult talking about taboo stuff in a hilarious manner with your best buddy when you're 12 years old. I had never heard profane language or even the "n"-word on a record before. For you young'uns reading this, keep in mind that rap, hip-hop, and even Prince's Dirty Mind album, did not yet exist. (More than two decades later, I discovered that one of my fellow Rhinos, Steve Pokorny, had had a similar childhood experience back in the day. Having that in common was partly responsible for our fledgling friendship, setting us on the course of putting together the nine-CD box set And It's Deep Too! The Complete Warner Bros. Recordings (1968-1992), with the invaluable assistance and cooperation of Pryor's former wife and current manager, Jennifer Lee.)

As I got older I realized that there is so much more to Richard Pryor's humor than his controversial choice of words. We all have a right to our tastes and sensibilities, but I've always thought that those who can't get past Richard's colorful language were totally missing the point. Lily Tomlin once said that Pryor's street vernacular was akin to the seasoning or salt-and-pepper on a very substantial meal, but it's not to be confused with the meal itself. Quite a few subsequent "shock" comics appear to have learned from Richard's style, but, unfortunately, not his substance--and it is Pryor's substance, with its underlying insights, truth, and humanity, that makes his brand of comedy so compelling. Richard himself put it best: "What I'm saying might be profane, but it's also profound."

Those who only know Richard Pryor from watered down, '80s-era misfires like the movies The Toy, Brewster's Millions, and Harlem Nights--which would be most of you under the age of 35--have also been shortchanged. Don't get me wrong. Richard had more than his share of memorable cinematic moments over the course of his career, but judging him by his checkered film output and not by his groundbreaking stand-up comedy is like getting an accurate read on Elvis by his even-spottier flicks (Roustabout or Girls! Girls! Girls!, anyone?) and Las Vegas years, but ignoring his seminal mid-'50s recording sessions for Sun Records. So chuck Superman III, and check out Pryor's classic stand-up films, especially Live In Concert and Live On The Sunset Strip.

You can't hear contemporary comedy without hearing Richard Pryor. Now, of course, Richard was influenced by certain comedians who preceded him as well, like Redd Foxx, Dick Gregory, Bill Cosby, and Lenny Bruce. But Pryor took those influences and created something totally unique. When I hear most of the comics who have come along in the last 20 years, there are several moments when I think, "That sounds like Richard." When I hear Richard Pryor, I don't think of anyone but Richard Pryor. He's one of a handful of pivotal individuals who completely redefined and rewrote the rulebook for his art form. He not only left you laughing, but also thinking and feeling. He wrested extraordinary public laughter from extraordinary personal pain. (Anyone who has read about the details of his life beyond its plethora of high profile misadventures can tell you that the drugs, the failed marriages, the fire, and his current battle with multiple sclerosis are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.) His uncanny ability to make us empathize with his jaw-dropping, but very human life experiences created an act that is impossible to follow.

Of course, all of the above would be for naught if the man didn't also happen to be the funniest motherf**ker on the planet.

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Richard Pryor: An Appreciation

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