2/12/2007 - Richard Pryor Interview (again)

I just found myself listening to this little interview and I just keep listening to it. Sometimes it is just so good to hear someone talk. I have posted this before, but I am putting it up again. This is an interview of Richard Pryor and he is just talking. Not trying to be funny or anything, just trying to be honest. Listening to this makes me think hard about most of the talking and listening I do. It is surprising that we even get by, just surviving on such tiny scraps of eachother all the time, cuz when I listen to this interview I feel like he is just offering such a big hunk of himself. And not in the weird needy way that people do all the time when they are like, hey let me serve you a fancy-ass meal of me, with seven courses of what they consider their best shit. This is like hey, I am a buffet, take what you want from it. Here is what I posted abuot it last time.

As part of this post I am also including an interview of him off of his "Here & Now" album. It is really compelling to listen to Richard Pryor the man, not the comedian. He seems like someone whose soul is so shining and good that regardless of all of the weird shit that he does, or the bad shit that happens to him, or how sad or angry or hurt he is, it will always show through. This interview is kind of a big file cuz it is 20 minutes long, but I really encourage you to listen to it and get a taste of some of what is behind Richard Pryor. I listen to this interview like I listen most of my music (and I think like I listen to people in general a lot of times), I listen to the words and there meanings, but also I try to listen to the music and feeling underneath and surrounding the words. Richard is quoted in the NY Times article as saying "that he was proud that, 'like Mark Twain, I have been able to use humor to lessen people's hatred.'" RIP Rich.

So I dunno, I didnt have a song in mind today, but I was kinda touched by this interview and I wanted to share it but didnt have anyone handy so, here it is. I hope someone listens to this and it is special and kinda touching to them. It really is to me, so quiet, so not trying to be anything but himself. I admire the shit out of that. I want to just take some time to record everyone I know sometime and just hear them out until they start talking like this. I bet everyone would have some amazing things to say, given the space to do it in. Hm. Its funny cuz as much as I would love to hear the things people would have to say, I can find it so hard sometimes to listen to what people are comfortable saying. Did you ever feel like the things you hear people say are so full of things beyond what they are saying? Like there are all of these things that they want as a result from their speaking. David Mamet said one time that he sees all language not as just communicative or expressive, but actually coercive. That sense of speech definitely comes through in his writing, but he does have a knack for dialogue that sounds natural and real and compelling. And I can see where he is coming from, because there are so many little wants that go along with most everything that people say. But Richard talking in this interview, it is like he doesnt really want anything from the conversation, doesnt want anything in exchange for his words. It just sounds like he wants his words to be true. Of course the world generally isnt a great place to talk like Richard is talking, but man it would be great to hear it more often.