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In a Pryor Life
When I was born, I weighed two pounds, three ounces. The doctor who examined me told my mother, "Congratulations, Mrs. Pryor, you have a boy! No, wait, it's a girl! No, it is a boy!" Mom cried, " What did I have? A freak?" Yes and No. My freakish life parallels my father's in many ways: a Peoria whorehouse, abuse, alcohol and drug addiction, and frequent bad decisions. But I survived. And that's what my book is about, a real-life story of overcoming obstacles, surviving, and thriving. Richard Pryor Jr.
240 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 1, 2019
7 people are currently reading
30 people want to read
About the author
Richard Pryor
36 books57 followersRichard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor III was an American comedian, actor, and writer.
Pryor was a storyteller known for unflinching examinations of racism and customs in modern life, and was well-known for his frequent use of colorful, vulgar and profane language and racial epithets. He reached a broad audience with his trenchant observations, although public opinion about his act was often divided. He is commonly regarded as one of the most important stand-up comedians of his time: Jerry Seinfeld called Pryor "The Picasso of our profession"; Whoopi Goldberg cited him as her biggest influence, stating "The major influence was Richard - I want to say those things he's saying." Bob Newhart has called Pryor "the seminal comedian of the last 50 years."
His body of work includes such concert movies and recordings as Richard Pryor: Live and Smokin' (1971), That Nigger's Crazy (1974), ...Is It Something I Said? (1975), Bicentennial Nigger (1976), Richard Pryor: Live in Concert (1979), Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip (1982) and Richard Pryor: Here and Now. He also starred in numerous films as an actor, usually in comedies such as Silver Streak, but occasionally in dramatic roles, such as Paul Schrader's film Blue Collar and epic roles like Gus Gorman from Superman III (1983). He also collaborated on many projects with actor Gene Wilder. He won an Emmy Award in 1973, and five Grammy Awards in 1974, 1975, 1976, 1981, and 1982. In 1974, he also won two American Academy of Humor awards and the Writers Guild of America Award. In 2004, Pryor was voted the greatest stand-up act of all time by the cable television network Comedy Central.
Pryor was a storyteller known for unflinching examinations of racism and customs in modern life, and was well-known for his frequent use of colorful, vulgar and profane language and racial epithets. He reached a broad audience with his trenchant observations, although public opinion about his act was often divided. He is commonly regarded as one of the most important stand-up comedians of his time: Jerry Seinfeld called Pryor "The Picasso of our profession"; Whoopi Goldberg cited him as her biggest influence, stating "The major influence was Richard - I want to say those things he's saying." Bob Newhart has called Pryor "the seminal comedian of the last 50 years."
His body of work includes such concert movies and recordings as Richard Pryor: Live and Smokin' (1971), That Nigger's Crazy (1974), ...Is It Something I Said? (1975), Bicentennial Nigger (1976), Richard Pryor: Live in Concert (1979), Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip (1982) and Richard Pryor: Here and Now. He also starred in numerous films as an actor, usually in comedies such as Silver Streak, but occasionally in dramatic roles, such as Paul Schrader's film Blue Collar and epic roles like Gus Gorman from Superman III (1983). He also collaborated on many projects with actor Gene Wilder. He won an Emmy Award in 1973, and five Grammy Awards in 1974, 1975, 1976, 1981, and 1982. In 1974, he also won two American Academy of Humor awards and the Writers Guild of America Award. In 2004, Pryor was voted the greatest stand-up act of all time by the cable television network Comedy Central.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 8, 2019
Great insight and perspective
The only thing I disliked about the book are the misspelled words. Otherwise, it was a great read and if anyone is looking for an extension of the Richard Pryor story, it is not. Please remember this is Richard Pryor Jr’s story and his life. This was well done!
The only thing I disliked about the book are the misspelled words. Otherwise, it was a great read and if anyone is looking for an extension of the Richard Pryor story, it is not. Please remember this is Richard Pryor Jr’s story and his life. This was well done!
July 13, 2020
Richard Pryor Jr talks about overcoming his personal demons and life as the son of the legendary Richard Pryor. He’s an actor and stage performer and it’s interesting from cover to cover. I really enjoyed it
April 16, 2023
Sometimes entertaining, sometimes depressing, sometimes thought provoking. It's a tale of an odd life on the edge of celebrity.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews