Oh, man

Richard Pryor, man. Richard Pryor.If there were a comedians' Mount Rushmore, he'd be on it alongside Lenny Bruce and George Carlin. Did you know he co-wrote Blazing Saddles? Mel Brooks said Pryor wrote the Jew jokes, and the Jewish writers wrote the black jokes. He was supposed to star in it too, but nervous executives vetoed the idea.

Incomprable yet hugely influential. Eminently quotable-"Who you gonna believe, me, or your lying eyes?" "Bitch was so fine, I wanted to suck her daddy's dick." There can be no question that Pryor was a genuine American classic, as important in his time as Bob Hope was in his.

Feeling the way I do, I'm always happy when one of Pryor's concert films turns up on cable, and always a little grateful that they exist, that we have that record of Pryor in his prime. My favorite is probably Live on the Sunset Strip, but if you wanted to say Live In Concert you wouldn't start a fight.

Sleep in heavenly peace, motherfucker.