Author Description

One of the most powerful yet idiosyncratic voices of American culture, Richard Pryor often remains an enigma despite the strikingly personal quality of his best work. This series of essays attempts tracks the parallels between the comic’s work and the black experience, contextualizing his art and persona among the tradition of Southern storytellers, the Civil Rights movement, and the complicated racial identity of Reagan’s America. Focusing on the broad diversity of Pryor’s career, from his albums to his concert films to his movies, Jason Bailey attempts to answer a series of questions about this uniquely American entertainer: Was Richard Pryor a product of his society, or an instigator of it? Was Richard reflecting us, or were we reflecting Richard? Was he a mirror, or a prophet?<br/><br/>“Richard Pryor has become so revered that it’s easy to forget what an unusual and enigmatic man he really was. So we should be grateful to Jason Bailey for this fascinating, surprising and terrifically entertaining book that is as eccentric and sharp as its subject. Blending incisive critical analysis, including illuminating close reads of his legendary stand-up, and a newshound’s instinct for the revealing detail, he cuts through the legend to explain his titanic legacy in elegant prose that will make you see Pryor in a new light.”<br/>—Jason Zinoman, comedy critic, The New York Times<br/><br/>“Jason Bailey’s Richard Pryor is a sharp-eyed, quick-witted portrait of the comedian. Focused on telling moments when Pryor seemed to rewrite the rulebook of American culture, it refreshes our sense of what made Pryor so hilarious, so spell-binding, and so psychologically complex.”<br/>—Scott Saul, author, Becoming Richard Pryor<br/><br/>“Ingeniously organizing Richard Pryor’s groundbreaking career and epic life by theme, Jason Bailey gives movies and records equal weight to relative ephemera like interviews and talk show appearances, resulting in a fascinating analysis of the push-pull bet