Richard Pryor, 1940-2005

One disadvantage to slipping out of town for the weekend is that I was unable to post sooner on comedian Richard Pryor's death. But one advantage is to judge the reaction -- and the assessment of his impact on entertainment, culture and race relations in the United States.

Here's what some observers had to say:

Roger Simon, blogger and writer who worked with Pryor -- "In actuality, Richard was one of the sweetest people I have ever met, always empathic and extremely generous. I once sat in his office as he gave hundreds of thousands to a hospital in South Central Los Angeles on the strength of a phone call, as long as they promised not to mention his name. And while the drug problem undoubtedly made it difficult, he was quite loving toward his kids, several of whom I came to know, especially his daughter Rain, who years later launched a standup career of her own."

Renee Graham, Boston Globe -- Sure, he could make us laugh, perhaps harder than anyone else ever had. But he also made us think and feel, long after the laughter faded away. Richard Pryor will be remembered as a comic, but that's too small a label. Comics tell jokes to get a laugh; Pryor told harsh, hilarious stories, and got your heart. And, as was often the case with his dazzling tales, as we recognized ourselves, we also found our truth.

Stanley Crouch, New York Daily News -- When we look at the remarkable descent this culture has made into smut, contempt, vulgarity and the pornagraphic, those of us who are not willing to drink the Kool-Aid marked "all's well," will have to address the fact that it was the combination of confusion and comic genius that made Pryor a much more negative influence than a positive one.

The Los Angeles Times: "Richard was always upset with Bill Cosby," comedian and friend Paul Mooney told The Times in 1995. "I think he wanted to be Bill ... . But I always liked Richard's stuff better. Bill didn't wow me. He wowed white people ... . Black people sank into Pryor's material like an easy chair ... . That's what his talent was: talking about black people to black people."

Captain Ed, Captain's Quarters -- While I would hardly claim to agree with much of what Pryor said and did in his life, he never quailed at talking about his failures and making them part of his always-hilarious act. His brutal honesty towards his own shortcomings made his pointed barbs at others around him easier to take and to get a laugh. He inspired two generations of comedians and helped pioneer stand-up into an art form.

Me? I loved Richard Pryor. In anything. Even the horrible movies. He was wonderful in "Lady Sings the Blues" and "Stir Crazy." (Yeah, that's right! That's right! We bad!)

But my favorites were films of his standup routines, especially Richard Pryor: Live in Concert" ("There are 2 billion Chinese people livin' in China. That's how you know someone's doing some serious f*cking ..." and "Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip" ("I went to penitentiary one time, not me personally, but me and Gene went there for a movie. Arizona State Penitentiary Population: 90 percent black people. But there are no black people in Arizona, they have to bus motherf*ckers in!")

In my sheltered childhood, Richard Pryor was taboo. But I still remember when I was about 14 and somehow secured a bootleg tape of his album, "That Nigger's Crazy." And somehow my father found it. Instead of turning narc -- which meant my mother would have burned the tape then burned my tail -- we spent the next half-hour or so listening to it while she was gone to church.

''My uncle said, 'Boy, don't you never kiss no p*ssy. I swear don't you never kiss no p*ssy' ... I couldn't wait to kiss a p*ssy. Sh*t, they were wrong about everything else."

We laughed and laughed. I discovered something that night. He was one messed up individual with a mouth that could shame a sailor, and people might not openly admit to liking Richard Pryor. But they can't help but laugh. As one of his album liners declared: "Calling Richard Pryor a comic is like calling JFK a politician."

He was one funny mofo.