Richard Pryor's Best Stand-up Comic Bits

 

The stand-ups of today are still feeling the shockwaves of Richard Pryor’s impact on the artform. The late comedian, writer and actor was, like his contemporaries Lily Tomlin and George Carlin, a key figure in moving the medium beyond the setup/punchline delivery into more freeform storytelling that left ample room for improvisation and allowing material to evolve naturally. 

And he was the kind of comic mind that found joy in comedy that appealed to both our intelligence and our basest instincts. That’s why an early album like Craps (After Hours) can feature tracks like “President Nixon” and “Religion” alongside “Snappin’ Pussy” and “Fartin’.” 

What girds all of Pryor’s work, no matter how frivolous, is his understanding of what he represented to his audience. This was a black man who survived unfathomable abuse and horrors growing up, an addiction to cocaine as an adult and the casual and blatant racism in America. 

When he had a microphone in his hand and an audience in front of him, he stood tall, fully appreciating both the role he played in bringing an evening of joy to people and how he was able to take the power away from all his demons and societal ills by laughing at them.

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