Furious Cool

Richard Pryor and The World That Made Him

By: David Henry, Joe Henry

Narrated by: Dion Graham

Audie Award, Non-Fiction, 2015

Richard Pryor was arguably the single most influential performer of the second half of the twentieth century, and certainly he was the most successful black actor/comedian ever. Controversial and somewhat enigmatic in his lifetime, Pryor's performances opened up a new world of possibilities, merging fantasy with angry reality in a way that wasn't just new - it was heretofore unthinkable.

His childhood in Peoria, Illinois, was spent just trying to survive. Yet the culture into which Richard Pryor was born - his mother was a prostitute; his grandmother ran the whorehouse - helped him evolve into one of the most innovative and outspoken performers ever, a man who attracted admiration and anger in equal parts. Both a brilliant comedian and a very astute judge of what he could get away with, Pryor was always pushing the envelope, combining anger and pathos, outrage and humor, into an art form, laying the groundwork for the generations of comedians who followed, including such outstanding performers as Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, and Louis C.K.

Now, in this groundbreaking and revelatory work, David and Joe Henry bring him to life both as a man and as an artist, providing an in-depth appreciation of his talent and his lasting influence, as well as an insightful examination of the world he lived in and the influences that shaped both his persona and his art.

©2013 David Henry and Joe Henry (P)2013 Tantor

Critic reviews

"A beautifully written account of the troubled life of a manic genius." ( Booklist)

Bravo!

I really enjoyed this biography of Richard Pryor. The authors did a great job of capturing the very essence of Pryor's character. Sometimes, though, the authors' way of presenting this story seemed too over-the-top poetic for the very simple and down-to-earth Stand-up comedian. I thought all of the flowery sentences were unnecessary.

The Narrator performed excellently, at times sounding like you were setting in the audience listening to Pryor doing one of his routines. I could listen to this book over and over. I recommend it, especially to those, like myself, who adored this genius.

wow

Mind blowing account of the Late Great Richard Pryor life. Wow the movie Joe Joe Dancer your Life's calling was never like this.

Some insight but thin

Interesting story with some insight into Pryor's life and times but thin in many places. Lots of repetition of Pryor's classic routines. I agree that he was a special talent but the genius term was thrown around ad nauseam throughout the book.

Richard at his rawest

This is a brutally insightful look at a troubled man and the stunning art he created.

A Bit Off

Kind of a difficult book to review. On one hand, it’s written by two people (David and Joe Henry) who are obviously huge fans of Richard Pryor and his entire line of work.

The narrator, Dion Graham does a hell of a job with the narration. Doing his absolute best to get Pryor’s delivery and timing and cadence correct without fully going hog wild with an impression. His version of Richard Pryor.

The problem with the book, while it’s well researched and gives an objective narrative with quotes and passages from friends and family….it seemed too much like a book report for The Henry Brother’s favorite stand-up.

I really probably should listen to a book about Pryor by Pryor himself. Perhaps if long time friends and family had written it? Maybe. A good listen nonetheless.

A Waste of Genius

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This story covers an era of great change; change in comedy, relations between races, and U.S. political upheaval. In the midst of it all is the story of one brilliant and tortured soul.

Who was your favorite character and why?

No favorite characters here. Pryor's drug abuse and erratic personality made everyone miserable at some point.

Did Dion Graham do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

At first I found it annoying to hear the narrator imitate Richard Pryor, but he did a good job of it and eventually I became accustomed to it and felt that there was no other way to convey Pryor's voice than through "Pryor's voice". However, I felt the imitation of the other character's voices were unnecessary and distracting.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I could have listened to it in one sitting, but didn't.

Any additional comments?

I think this is an important book for many reasons, not the least of which is Richard Pryor's ground breaking approach to 'dramady'. He was more than a comedian and a chronicler of a very important era. It wasn't easy to listen to re-live the period of time that Pryor was living in but he and the authors captured his style and his troubled life and put it in the context of the times in which he lived.

It's ok.

Ok, not great. Seemed a little too full of itself. Not every joke or story Richard Prior told changed the world. Little too long, never really funny for more than a laugh or two.

Unabridged Richard

I have seen a few documentaries oh Richard Pryor and read other books, but this one gets under the skin of it a little more than most. As someone who grew up with Pryor as an idol and having seen a majority of the entertainment discussed, I thoroughly enjoyed the book.
There were some things left out- like some of the stuff that Mel brooks said about Pryor writing all of Mongo's lines in Blazing Saddles or how he once was late and called in from Illinois.
Still... A very good book

Good book

It was interesting to read about the amazing Richard Pryor. The book was a bit dry, but ok.

Good Book

I loved the in depth approach they took but the dude reading it trying to sound like everyone they took a quote from sucked