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1st out of 22 books
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6 voters
Pryor Convictions: and Other Life Sentences
by
Richard Pryor,
Todd Gold (Goodreads Author)
Pryor Convictions is the autobiography of the most influential comic performer of the past thirty years. Richard Pryor takes us from his childhood and adolescence in the whorehouses, bars, and pool halls of the black section of Peoria, Illinois, through his army service, peripatetic life as a burgeoning comic, ascendance as the most powerful and honest comedian of the 1970...more
Paperback, 288 pages
Published
November 17th 1998
by Pantheon
(first published 1995)
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Richard Pryor recounts his hellish childhood and self destructive adulthood here. He was raised by people who were more or less criminals, his Grandmother was a whorehouse Madame, his Father and Uncle were involved in pimping and drug dealing, his Mother was at least at times working as a prostitute, etc. At one point Pryor was molested by a Catholic priest and instead of going to the police or just killing the bastard his family devises a scheme to blackmail the pedophile and encouraged Pryor t...more
Pryor Convictions, published in 1995, is a surprisingly candid autobiography written by the very successful and talented comedian and actor, Richard Pryor. In fact, some readers might describe it as shockingly candid. Richard Pryor covers the good and bad of his life. However, the good parts of his life seem to have been far overshadowed by an extremely lurid childhood environment and an extremely self-destructive lifestyle, which continued (really increased) even after he became famous and weal...more
Richard Pryor was not a great man, or even, come to think of it, a very good one. He was, however, likely the most important voice in American comedy since Lenny Bruce.
This telling autobiography pulls back the curtain on the life that shaped the legacy. It uncovers a tragic figure with keen insight into the human condition, but with a perfectly Richard Pryor-shaped blind spot that often prevented him from turning his attention to the true roots of his own beliefs, behaviors and vices.
To Pryor'...more
This telling autobiography pulls back the curtain on the life that shaped the legacy. It uncovers a tragic figure with keen insight into the human condition, but with a perfectly Richard Pryor-shaped blind spot that often prevented him from turning his attention to the true roots of his own beliefs, behaviors and vices.
To Pryor'...more
Jul 10, 2012
Elizabeth
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Shelves:
american,
setting-1940s,
setting-ww2,
setting-1950s,
setting-1960s,
setting-1970s,
setting-1980s,
setting-1990s,
setting-2000s,
african-american,
african-american-author,
african-american-major-character,
suicide,
substance-abuse,
prostitution,
child-sexual-abuse,
child-abuse,
alcoholism,
humour,
autobiography,
biography,
memoir
Firstly, this book needs to be twice as long. It covers pretty much what he talks about in his stand-up routines and pretty much takes every opportunity to lift as much as possible directly from those routines. Therefore, if you're already a Richard Pryor fan, you're not getting an awfully lot more from this book. Secondly, he should have wrote this book with somebody, a co-author or someone, to prompt him to elaborate and reflect. The trouble is Richard has done many things in his life which ar...more
"Sir, 't was all one! My favor at her breast,
The dropping of the daylight in the West,
The bough of cherries some officious fool
Broke in the orchard for her, the white mule
She rode with round the terrace -- all and each
Would draw from her alike the approving speech,
Or blush, at least. She thanked men, --good !
but thanked
Somehow -- I know not how -- as if she ranked
My gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name
With anybody's gift."
It is a testament to the talent of Robert Browning that he was able to...more
The dropping of the daylight in the West,
The bough of cherries some officious fool
Broke in the orchard for her, the white mule
She rode with round the terrace -- all and each
Would draw from her alike the approving speech,
Or blush, at least. She thanked men, --good !
but thanked
Somehow -- I know not how -- as if she ranked
My gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name
With anybody's gift."
It is a testament to the talent of Robert Browning that he was able to...more
Another book picked up on a whim: I'd no real interest in Richard Pryor as a person; I enjoyed some of his films and been intrigued by his whole setting himself alight incident, but not a fan as such.
This book chronicles his turbulent (perhaps an understatement) upbringing and his constant battles with substance addiction.
His personal relationships are a car crash too, veering from one marriage to another, leaving a trail of children in his wake.
It's a sad tale, particularly as he pulls few punc...more
This book chronicles his turbulent (perhaps an understatement) upbringing and his constant battles with substance addiction.
His personal relationships are a car crash too, veering from one marriage to another, leaving a trail of children in his wake.
It's a sad tale, particularly as he pulls few punc...more
It was kind of enjoyable and certainly easy to read but I can't help but feel disappointed. Before I read this I liked Richard Pryor and admired much of his work. Sadly, reading this made me lose a lot of respect for him as a man.
Basically, it's an American rags to riches story where Pryor describes his terrible childhood and then a life where he inexplicably jumps from woman to woman, taking copious amounts of drugs and treating the people around him very badly while at the same time become a g...more
Basically, it's an American rags to riches story where Pryor describes his terrible childhood and then a life where he inexplicably jumps from woman to woman, taking copious amounts of drugs and treating the people around him very badly while at the same time become a g...more
It's an interesting book if you're interested in Pryor, but if you're interested in learning something about the stand-up comic, this book is going to be disappointing to you. He talks a little bit about his development as a comic. How he first imitated Cosby and then came into his own. Beyond that, though, nothing.
No advice about what he learned about being on stage.
Nothing about how develops bits.
No real peeks behind the curtain.
Also - he's a terrible, terrible person. He deals with this strai...more
No advice about what he learned about being on stage.
Nothing about how develops bits.
No real peeks behind the curtain.
Also - he's a terrible, terrible person. He deals with this strai...more
A lot of nasty stuff leads up to a crescendo of sorts where he talks about MS & its effects on life more than the effects of growing up in a Whorehouse.
By page 198, Ch. 28. Pryor begins to describe having MS and the slow march to a life dominated by it.
pg. 215 - "Every day ya gotta try'n get your lazy ass out of bed in thew morning." even though life is like in an earthquake with unsure footing.
pg. 226 - "...the future doesn't let you know it's there until it bites you in the ass, particular...more
By page 198, Ch. 28. Pryor begins to describe having MS and the slow march to a life dominated by it.
pg. 215 - "Every day ya gotta try'n get your lazy ass out of bed in thew morning." even though life is like in an earthquake with unsure footing.
pg. 226 - "...the future doesn't let you know it's there until it bites you in the ass, particular...more
Sad. Disturbing. Brilliant. You won’t want to put this one down! It’s an intimate and revealing look at the complex human being behind the gifted and controversial performer. Richard Pryor does not hold back in this searing autobiography, which was published about 10 years before his death. In pulling back the curtain on his life, he allows us to arrive at our own conclusions about the choices he made, without regret or apology—he definitely wasn’t seeking a pity-party in this book. And in spite...more
One of a kind!
I enjoy biographies and this was one that lived up to my expectations.
An extraordinary character and life told with great 'conviction'!
This made me re-appraise Pryor's stand-up and I subsequently watched quite a lot of him, and laughed until I cried. I also got a better understanding of him on film, having grown up watching him on film rather than as stand-up.
There is a sadness in this book certainly, given Pryor's lifestyle, but it is not a depressing read, and celebrates what a g...more
I enjoy biographies and this was one that lived up to my expectations.
An extraordinary character and life told with great 'conviction'!
This made me re-appraise Pryor's stand-up and I subsequently watched quite a lot of him, and laughed until I cried. I also got a better understanding of him on film, having grown up watching him on film rather than as stand-up.
There is a sadness in this book certainly, given Pryor's lifestyle, but it is not a depressing read, and celebrates what a g...more
You will never come across a better autobiography title.
Many, many pages devoted to sexual exploits and heavy drug use, but the one sentence that made me push the book away and consider vomiting was this simple sentence about his quadruple-bypass surgery: "...I'd entered the hospital for a routine checkup but left with my heart having been removed, flipped over, and attached to new veins..." I had no idea that's how it worked and -- apparently this runs in my family -- I have visceral reactions...more
Many, many pages devoted to sexual exploits and heavy drug use, but the one sentence that made me push the book away and consider vomiting was this simple sentence about his quadruple-bypass surgery: "...I'd entered the hospital for a routine checkup but left with my heart having been removed, flipped over, and attached to new veins..." I had no idea that's how it worked and -- apparently this runs in my family -- I have visceral reactions...more
I remember as a kid watching his stand up and my Grandma cracking up because Pryor kept saying "motherfucker," I don't think she had ever heard that before,she thought that was the funniest thing!
Anyways, Fantastic! A great (auto)biography, funny, sentimental and forthcoming. He's so comical and a genius that it doesn't matter that he was an asshole and spent decade(s) smoking crack, beating up women, abandoning his kids and making horrible films. The mother-fucker's funny and for all the joy an...more
Anyways, Fantastic! A great (auto)biography, funny, sentimental and forthcoming. He's so comical and a genius that it doesn't matter that he was an asshole and spent decade(s) smoking crack, beating up women, abandoning his kids and making horrible films. The mother-fucker's funny and for all the joy an...more
While Pryor Convictions follows the template of many previous autobios in that it briefly mentions a girlfriend/wife, movie, or album and then quickly moves on without delving too deeply into the details, the book is elevated by the author's raw honesty. The real structure of the book lies in Pryor's self discovery. This is not an attempt at fogging over abhorrent behavior with new age gobbledygook. These sections of the book come across as Pryor looking back at his younger-self and coming to gr...more
The only thing more raunchy, disgusting, debauched, and funny than his act was his life. Not only was Rich's life interesting to say the least, it was also a fantastic example of how closely related the two concepts of utter hilarity and soul crushing sadness and pain can be. A laugh ain't that much different from a sob, when you get down to it. One of'em is a hell of a lot more fun, though...
it's an autobiography. that's key. so you get rich's voice and the info/retrospect that rich wanted to include. so it's a bit funny (would be better as an audiobook) a bit vulnerable, and an easy read. as with most bios, i get less from the "before y'all heard me" section of his life than i'd like, and more of the "i slept with this person" section than i'm interested in. but, i like the complicated folks, and if for only a couple days of reading, i had rich's voice back in the present.
A horrible, horrible book. A long list of horrible things done by and done to a man who lived in a horrible quagmire of misery and self deception. How many times can someone let down their kids, beat up their girlfriends and hammer their health before they get written off as a selfish cunt? Plenty, it looks like.
Grotesque.
Grotesque.
Finally, the story from Rich's mouth. It's great stuff, feels like he's talking to you in your own private show. Some heartbreaking stories, including what went on in his bedroom the night of his infamous fire. I felt like he held back a little, though, on domestic issues that his daughter brought up in her book.
Great book. I think I'm going to stop reading about, addicts. Just because you can create great art because of your demon doesn't mean you're a role model. Humour comes from pain, and it's clear in Pryor's case that his pain was immense. His life is also further proof that Mississippi is the worst state in America.
Richard life in his own words! he really leaves no stone stone unturned and he does not try to paint over the tragedies and self destructive mistakes in his life, and oh the book was funny as hell also!
Jan 09, 2011
Farhat Baig
added it
informal style. the language is of a dialogue between the writer and reader. has a lot of amusing anecdotes and is nicely broken up at regular intervals with jokes from his standup shows
Greatest comedian of all-time and this is the best and only autobiography by him, obviously. The comedy nerd in me wishes he would actually talk about his process like Steve Martin does. Pryor doesn't mention at all working new material or his struggles being funny. You get the sense that he just WAS more than anyone else. Perhaps this was intentional. But I always wonder how much he prepared for his later specials besides working The Comedy Store. I think it's either for the 'Live' or 'Live on...more
Interesting read but a bit hard to get your head around the fact it includes excepts from his stand up act
Pryor Was One of my influences growing up. It was good to read his story, without the comedy front.
Lots of interesting stuff about Pryor growing up in a brothel and a heck of a Pam Grier story.
I expected a funny book. Oddly this wasn't funny at all, mostly a sad story about how Pryor screwed up his life doing cocaine. Anything related to comedy was marginal. Mostly it was about snorting and freebasing and having complicated relationships with women. Still, it was a good one.
Pryor's still my hero even if his personal life was a wreck.
Funny book, but also very sad to read what his life was really like.
Dec 07, 2012
Matthew Ivery
marked it as to-read
One of the true greats!
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Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor III was an American comedian, actor, and writer.
Pryor was a storyteller known for unflinching examinations of racism and customs in modern life, and was well-known for his frequent use of colorful, vulgar and profane language and racial epithets. He reached a broad audience with his trenchant observations, although public opinion about his act was often divided...more
More about Richard Pryor...
Pryor was a storyteller known for unflinching examinations of racism and customs in modern life, and was well-known for his frequent use of colorful, vulgar and profane language and racial epithets. He reached a broad audience with his trenchant observations, although public opinion about his act was often divided...more
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“What I'm saying might be profane, but it's also profound.”
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“But thoughts don't care about truth and shit. They sit up in your mind and fuck with you whenever.”
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Oct 05, 2011 12:23pm