Richard Pryor Is It Something I Said?
Published March 26, 2004
Now Mudbone had just been stepped on for being a black man living under Jim Crow. But in the rest of the album, note how thoroughly the modern characters were doing the damage to themselves. There was a bit of protest about "just us" in the courts and such, but obviously these people were their own worst enemies- ESPECIALLY Richard himself with the coke and the crappy attitudes toward women. I'll call this honesty- owning his own behavior.
"Niggers be holding them dicks too, jack. Some white people be going, 'Why do you guys hold your things?' Say, you done TOOK everything else, motherfucker."
Even the album cover is a riot, one of only a dozen or so vinyl albums I've bothered to save, with Richard tied up, about to be burned at the stake- apparently by some evil cult. "Is it something I said?" Ah, I've known that feeling- especially from my time at Blogcritics.
There's a universality in all this material that transcends being about black folks. Ultimately, we're all niggers up in this bitch.
To that end, it is well known among my people that when eventually I drop over, they are expected to play the "Eulogy" that he preaches for a wayward brother at the start of this album. I have visions of my hopefully by then middle aged nieces and nephews standing over my beautiful corpse, as Richard explains,
He faced the ultimate test...Whether or not you can survive death- that's the ultimate test for your ass, ain't it? So far don't nobody we know has PASSED the ultimate test- least of all this nigger laying here.
- Richard Pryor Is It Something I Said?
- Published: March 26, 2004
- Type:
- Section: Culture
- Writer: Al Barger
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Cool post. Have ya visited Richard's website, richardpryor.com? He posts on it and likes gettin e-mail.
I believe you have stunned a number of people with this, Al - I hope it helps recalibrate some misconceptions about where you are coming from.
I wasn't stunned; I've never read a racist word from Big Al.
The person who constantly accuses him of racism accuses everyone of racism -- which sort of lowers the ol' credibility factor.
The Gal Who Cried Wolf ended up being ignored.
(And eaten, too!)
mmm... tasty....
Yeah, but Richard far transcends secondary racial issues. I'm not listening to Richard Pryor records thinking about the plight of the black man like I'm Michael frickin' Stivic. The bastard was just funny. Also, repeated listenings start to reveal some deeper insights into the human condition- which only make his shit seem even funnier.
Moreover, I hate to burst Diva and Tekwh0re's delusions that I'm the Grand Wizard of the Klan and such.
I'd rather have them think I'm Lester Maddox than to make some cheesy gesture to prove that I'm not a "racist."
I can imagine few things more pathetic than looking for gestures to prove that I really, really like black people. For starters, I would not want to be on the receiving end of that kind of enforced affirmative action liking based on any cheap group identity.
Besides which, Diva and Victoria could both use this essay to demonstrate my true dark slave master intent.
Remember, I am still the official White Devil of Blogcritics.
So I was reading more of the stuff about what public officials to blame for Katrina, when suddenly my mind flashed to the classic Mudbone talk from this album. CLICK HERE
Add your comment, speak your mind
(Or ping: http://blogcritics.org/mt/tb/12910)
You and Pryor have one thing in common, Al. He's funny when he imitates white people. And you're funny when you try to talk black, e.g., "There's a universality in all this material that transcends being about black folks. Ultimately, we're all niggers up in this bitch."