Last Laugh

I was recently speaking with a friend one day and I said, it is important to tape some of the things that come on television. Not necessarily because anything on television is worth archiving (in fact, quite the contrary is true). But, I believe you should tape some things because one day it’ll be gone and you may never witness it again. For example, one day I set my VCR to tape a late night NY Knick battle with the Los Angeles Lakers. It was a regular season game, nothing special. Then without warning, Magic Johnson holds a press conference that would forever change his life--some even thought it would end it. Needless to say, that was his last game at Madison Square Garden. Hmm.
There was this late night show in New York called Hot Tracks. It was a video show co-hosted by Debbie Morgan (All My Children). Nothing special, but a few months later BET launched a cable network channel that only showed black music videos. I’m not sure how I feel about that. Nevertheless, I still have VCR tapes of Hot Tracks' interviews with Al B. Sure, Cornel Abrams, Sylvester, The Tramps, Heavy D., Gloria Gayner, Elelyn “Champaign” King Hall & Oats and Marvin Gaye.

On Saturday, I heard Richard Pryor died. After a brief, but very emotional pause, I reached into my VCR archive and I found an old Saturday Night Live episode starring Richard Pryor. Pryor was the show’s host and he and Chevy Chase had a skit that YOU WILL NEVER SEE ON TELEVISION AGAIN. Any further description would not do it any justice. I normally don’t throw the word genius around, but that is the only way to describe Mr. Pryor. His book Pryor Convictions is a MUST read. There is not a black comedian alive that don’t have some Richard Pryor influence in him or her. Oddly, Pryor’s most famous writer, Paul Mooney, may be just as talented and equally discredited.

I grew up in a close-knit family, I owe my life to them. I remember sitting in a Bronx basement circled by Mike, Dwayne, and Al listening to Richard Pryor albums (That Nigger’s Crazy, Live on Sunset Strip, Here and Now), all the things that my mom would TOTALLY disapprove of me digesting. Ironically, it was his over-the-top, no holds barred, thirst for reality, unyielding and unapologetic community truths that shaped my contentious presence in this industry today. And, believe me, I AM NO Richard Pryor. I wish I had a tape for all the times people told me that I’m funny. I would send it to the Pryor family, with a note that said. Thanks for being a part of my circle.


1 love,
Ray Lewis