Page 50 - The Peorian, Vol 3 Issue 2

50 thePeorian.com
Literarea Review
Q uite honestly, writing
about Richard Pryor for
a Peoria publication is a
painful thing. The city, which for
the better part of the 20th century
was a haven for vice, prostitution,
drugs, alcohol and gang violence,
seems to become all prim and
proper when it comes to recog-
nizing its most famous son, who
became the hands-down, un-
questioned, universally accepted
master of his art.
At first glance, that last phrase
might seem a bit hyperbolic but
it stands up under scrutiny. Con-
sider all types of American pop
culture and entertainment, from
film and stage to TV and radio
to sports and music. Who is the
greatest actor? Hard call. What
is the greatest film? Too many to
choose from. Who is the great-
est football/basketball/baseball
player? Depends on the era. Who
is the greatest singer? What genre
are we talking? It’s almost impos-
sible to find a consensus in any of
them, except for one:
Who is the greatest comedian?
Easy. Everyone from Seinfeld
and Leno to Mel Brooks and
Carl Reiner agree. It’s Peoria’s
“Richie” Pryor.
But alas Peoria has snubbed
her son aside from an “honorary”
street title. And why? Because he
– gasp and swoon! – was addict-
ed to drugs and he – clutch the
pearls! – was many times married
and he – oh Mildred! The vapors!
– used BAD words!! Nowadays
that would earn him a reality
show, a series of New York Times
bestsellers and the support of a
wide range of TV commentators.
Peorians love to wax nostalgic
about the murderous Shelton
gang and Peoria’s old rough-and-
tumble days filled with whores,
drunks and drugs. But bring up
Richard? Lips tighten and nostrils
curl.
Thankfully, there are a lot of
young (and not-so-young) people
in this city who are ready to show
some love to Richie Pryor’s mem-
ory. And it seems to me – at least
in anecdotal personal experiences
– this anti-Pryor bias is dying out
(literally and figuratively).
A FURIOUS RANT FUELED BY
A FURIOUS COOL BOOK
“Furious Cool: Richard Pryor and the World That Made Him”
David Henry & Joe Henry
By Kevin Kizer
“I remember saying to Mitzi at the Comedy Store, let me go on after Richard
every night because it’s the best place to find out if your stuff is funny...I thought I
had an hour. After following Richie every night I realized I had maybe 16 minutes.”
Jay Leno to Jerry Seinfeld
“Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee”
January 2014
A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:
What was intended to be a review of “Furious Cool: Richard Pryor and the World That Made Him”, a book written by
David Henry & Joe Henry, became a rant against the city of Peoria for its lack of recognition of its most famous son.
But it’s more than just a rant. It also presents at least the beginnings of a strategy to change that starting with an
annual Richard Pryor weekend. Now, onto my rant.