Furious Cool: Richard Pryor and The World That Made Him by David Henry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Authors David and Joe Henry have written part analysis, part hagiography of the comedic great. Much is made of the tragedy of Pryor, but they emphasize more the impact and pioneering aspect of his humor as well as the work he put into perfecting delivery and content of his stunning rants and transformations on stage. I think they ably support their premise that Pryor was an innovative comic genius battling racism as well as not shying away from self-destructive behavior. This has made me pull out my Laff Records sides for further review and appreciation.
Reflecting back on the sociological dimensions of the book and listening back to recorded performances it is jarring and sad how much police brutality, disenfranchisement, etc. were issues then that so much resonates with today's headlines.
A special treat is how narrator [a:Dion Graham|286382|Dion Graham|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] courageously and adeptly launches into dialect and impressions here.
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