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Richard Pryor: Live on Sunset Strip
On June 9, 1980, Richard Pryor was at his home doing freebase and caused an explosion that literally sit the comedian on fire and had him hospitalized for a long time. Richard Pryor: Live on Sunset Strip was his first return to the microphone following his recovery.
The 1982 concert finds Pryor in rare form, handsomely adorned in a fire engine red tuxedo with a black shirt and gold shoes, and even though we have to wait until the final third of the film for it, he does share in hilarious detail regarding the entire incident, starting with a frank and funny routine about how his addiction started, where Pryor actually has conversations with the paraphernalia he utilized to get high and the progression of a disease that has the addict looking on the floor for anything to smoke when his stash is gone and smoking so much that drug dealers actually refused to sell to him. He also shared about how he was treated in the hospital and how close friend, NFL legend Jim Brown attempted a one man intervention on him. I loved right before he began sharing the whole story he made the whole audience promise not to tell anyone.
Pryor made us wait for this though, starting off with the standard material that we expect from him, there was an initial offering regarding sex and how it was one of the best perks of being in show business, but it then smoothly segued into a discussion of relationships, how to weather them, and how they can break your heart. A lot of comedians talk about sex but not so much about navigating the choppy waters of sustaining a relationship and from someone like Pryor, this was a most refreshing surprise.
The comedian also shares about his trip to Africa, giving voice to a pair of cheetah eyeing a herd of gazelles and something I didn't see coming: he actually takes an audience request. During a short lull in his routine while he was getting a drink of water, an audience member shouts out a request for someone called Mudbone. Most likely a character he has done in previous concerts, Pryor announced that this would be Mudbone's final performance then launched into a 15 minute routine of a very old black man with no teeth pontificating about the mysteries of life that had the audience on the floor. It made me want to go back and find where this character originated. Loved the closing where Pryor thanked his fans for their support during his recovery but also let them know he was aware of the jokes that were going around about him. A wonderfully entertaining 90 minutes from the best stand up comedian ever who was taken from us much too soon.
On June 9, 1980, Richard Pryor was at his home doing freebase and caused an explosion that literally sit the comedian on fire and had him hospitalized for a long time. Richard Pryor: Live on Sunset Strip was his first return to the microphone following his recovery.
The 1982 concert finds Pryor in rare form, handsomely adorned in a fire engine red tuxedo with a black shirt and gold shoes, and even though we have to wait until the final third of the film for it, he does share in hilarious detail regarding the entire incident, starting with a frank and funny routine about how his addiction started, where Pryor actually has conversations with the paraphernalia he utilized to get high and the progression of a disease that has the addict looking on the floor for anything to smoke when his stash is gone and smoking so much that drug dealers actually refused to sell to him. He also shared about how he was treated in the hospital and how close friend, NFL legend Jim Brown attempted a one man intervention on him. I loved right before he began sharing the whole story he made the whole audience promise not to tell anyone.
Pryor made us wait for this though, starting off with the standard material that we expect from him, there was an initial offering regarding sex and how it was one of the best perks of being in show business, but it then smoothly segued into a discussion of relationships, how to weather them, and how they can break your heart. A lot of comedians talk about sex but not so much about navigating the choppy waters of sustaining a relationship and from someone like Pryor, this was a most refreshing surprise.
The comedian also shares about his trip to Africa, giving voice to a pair of cheetah eyeing a herd of gazelles and something I didn't see coming: he actually takes an audience request. During a short lull in his routine while he was getting a drink of water, an audience member shouts out a request for someone called Mudbone. Most likely a character he has done in previous concerts, Pryor announced that this would be Mudbone's final performance then launched into a 15 minute routine of a very old black man with no teeth pontificating about the mysteries of life that had the audience on the floor. It made me want to go back and find where this character originated. Loved the closing where Pryor thanked his fans for their support during his recovery but also let them know he was aware of the jokes that were going around about him. A wonderfully entertaining 90 minutes from the best stand up comedian ever who was taken from us much too soon.