Richard Pryor was outrageous AND funny.
He was funny in movies, funny on stage, and funny in interviews.
He was the first modern day comedian. Not for him the simple, clean jokes of the sanitized pre-1960s. Pryor was vulgar, loud, obnoxious, swore like ten drunken sailors, and spoke his mind…on anything and everything.
Jack Benny must have been spinning in his grave whenever Pryor performed on stage. If his language was any fouler, they’d have had to dig a new landfill site…
…but he WAS funny!
If it wasn’t for Pryor, none of today’s comedians, from David Letterman to Chris Rock, would have the guts to do what they do, the way they do it. If it wasn’t for Pryor, we wouldn’t have had a renaissance & breakthrough of African-American talent. Pryor paved the way for men from Eddie Murphy to Wil Smith.
If it wasn’t for Richard Pryor, we wouldn’t have had Blazing Saddles, in which he both starred AND co-wrote with Mel Brooks. We would also be without Silver Streak and Stir Crazy.
After a long and painful battle with MS, Richard Pryor has earned his rest. He leaves behind a mesmerising legacy…and a long, deep shadow.
