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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Arthur Ashe: Tennis Great, Social Activist

Arthur Ashe Jr. always wanted to make a profound change. Before he stepped on a tennis court, he perused encyclopedias and absorbed everything he could about London, France and Australia as a child. His plan was to play in Wimbledon, the French Open and Australian Open, so he needed to be well-versed on not only the tournaments but also the host countries. Johnnie Ashe understood his older brother’s desire better than anyone, but even he found himself blown away by Arthur’s focus when they were younger. After Johnnie cold-clocked a third-grade classmate who called Arthur a sissy for playing tennis, Johnnie asked his brother, “Why tennis?” After all, they were playground kids, so there were other options out there. “Because I want to be the Jackie Robinson of tennis,” a 12-year-old Arthur told Johnnie. To keep reading this article, click here.

Classic Rock Tale of Music and Marijuana

Ever since the dawn of man, humans have been looking for ways to make themselves feel better. Going beyond food, shelter and clothing…humans enjoy feeling good. Music, perhaps beating on a log with a stick, has long been one of the methods of soothing the savage beast. Another soothing method, of course, has been drugs in their many forms. Hundreds of songs about alcohol and marijuana, “hootch” and “grass,” respectively, have been written. The song “Feelin’ Good,” recorded by Ry Cooder, has the lyric “Feelin’ good, feelin’ good…all the money in the world spent on feeling good.” That about sums it up, no? To keep reading this article, click here.

Good Grief! Charlie Brown Is 70

There is much that currently divides the country, but one thing will unite us this week: the love for the humorous humanity of the comic strip, "Peanuts." October 2 marks 70 years since Charles M. Schulz first debuted his United Features Syndicate "Li'l Folks" (as he originally titled the strip) and it has been 20 years since he penned his farewell comic strip. Yet Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus and the rest of the "Peanuts" gang remain a beloved, timeless pop culture reminder of life in the second half of the 20 century. To keep reading this article, click here

Talking 'Bout My Generation: Pop Goes the Culture (1945 to 1985) -

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