Richard Pryor: Omit the Logic Page #4

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If I said that, won't you get mad?

I'd punch you out.

When I was in my college years,

we'd get together

and play Richard Pryor LPs

and have listening parties.

My father was fun.

"Hey, b*tch, where the food?"

"Goddamn mother, come on.

Oh, you motherf***er!"

Saying "f***" in those days

was unheard of.

They had blue laws, for crying

out loud. It was just a secret.

It was like learning how to say,

"Motherf***er, b*tch. Kiss my ass."

The people that had it first, I don't

know why. They were pimps and hos.

This is the only guy really touching

on some sh*t like,

"Oh, taboo to other people.

Don't go there."

He was the Messiah - the messenger.

For the real N*ggers in the streets

that wanted to express

themselves but couldn't.

The album was a Grammy award winner.

Number one on the R&B charts

in 1974 for five weeks,

which is unheard of for

a comedy album in the R&B charts.

This was a time when Richard

was moving up very quickly.

It was rather like

being fired out of a cannon.

We hardly ever went

to two gigs in sequence.

From LA, to Washington, back to LA,

to New York, back to LA.

You use the term, "N*gger."

Now, does the black community get

on you for using that on a show?

Sure. How do you answer that?

What do you say?

I say, "N*gger, get out of my face!"

People were fascinated with Richard,

especially white people.

They never heard anybody talk like

that. They were fascinated.

How could this young, black person

have this kind of power?

That's power.

When he would drive down and perform,

word would spread.

Everybody got on the phone and said,

"Richard's at The Comedy Store."

The word got out so quickly

that Richard was backstage

at The Comedy Store.

By the time he got on,

there wasn't a comedian in town

who wasn't in the audience.

I took some acid once, too. A white

dude get me some. At a party.

"This is far out."

Get the f*** out of my face!

About 20 minutes later,

I left the party. I can't breathe!

I don't remember how to breathe!

"I told you it was far out."

When he performed, he would sometimes

make a couple of notes

on the back of an envelope

of some of the things he might do.

He never worked out in advance what

his... It wasn't really a routine.

Every night,

you see something different

that you hadn't seen before.

He would do a riff here and a riff

there. Just spontaneously.

What kind of sh*t

are you handing me?

What the f*** is it? I don't know

what you're handing me to sign.

What the f*** does it say on it?

Champagne! Listen, I ain't signing

for no goddamn champagne.

He was always doing something new.

All of a sudden, "Oh, my God,

look what he's doing now!"

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