Richard Pryor, Here and Now (1983)

***

Recorded in New Orleans at the famous Saenger Theater, Richard Pryor actually has to get the crowd to pipe down before he can even begin his set, asking the random hecklers: “you gonna out-drunk each other?” Claiming to be five months sober himself, Pryor retains his sharp edge, not only ripping the raucous crowd left and right with one-liners, but tackling more serious topics with the perspective of a changed man.

Whether telling the story of trip he had taken to Zimbabwe, or considering the perils of nuclear war, Pryor not only tickles the funny bone per his side-splitting norm but also adds the element of liberated thought to his repertoire. Even when he goes into doing his classic Mudbone routine, the history of Mexican and American relations gets addressed with a certain degree of seriousness. Of course, leave it to the New Orleans crowd and they’d just have Pryor snap at their continuous outbursts with insulting dick jokes all night.

Where else but New Orleans is someone going to request an autograph from Pryor in the middle of his performance? Or better yet, where else is someone going to give Pryor a gift of a hermit crab in a cocktail glass in the middle of his performance? Pryor handles it all like a legendary professional, never letting the low-brow audience significantly discombobulate his high-profile showcase. Really, it just shows how much of an amazing improviser Pryor could be, bobbing and weaving his way toward any and every laugh in the vicinity.