Verse 6. Greatness

Richard Pryor is considered one of the greatest stand-up comedian of all time. His was outrageously funny, and wasn’t afraid to ridicule both himself or anyone. He would say things many wouldn’t dare say on stage and his character impressions was unparalleled. He was also a great actor having starred in numerous movies.

In a documentary called ‘Passions: Richard Pryor by Romesh Ranganathan’, Romesh Ranganathan travels to Los Angeles to explore the genius of Richard Pryor. He describes Richard Pryor as his ‘idol’ and has Richard Pryor’s face tattooed to his arm. Romesh Ranganathan is a British stand-up comic and actor.

Richard Pryor was indeed a genius in his craft and what he contributed to his community as shown in the documentary. But like with every genius, they also have their weakness. Richard Pryor had battled issues with drink and drugs leading to wife abuse which was depressing. He recognized these demons and talked about it on stage.

“Everyone carries around their own monsters” _Richard Pryor.

Looking pass his shortcomings, he has inspired multitude of comedians and actors including the likes of Eddie Murphy, Whoopi Goldberg, the late Robin Williams, Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, Howie Mandel to mention a few.

Richard Pryor indeed left a mark, a legacy he created in his stand-ups, acting and benevolence to his community. His uproariously funny jokes is what many aspire to pull-off, living the audience gasping for air in what seemed like their rip was going to explode in laughter. We all have marks that we all aspire to bear or leave behind, our geniuses may be flawed, but for every magnanimity, smile, or rib we seek to crack with laughter, every step we take in that direction is applaudable.

Design, Art direction, Post
By Philip Abang