Revolution Televised.pdf

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That Nigger’s Crazy 147 duce his revamped, edgy, confrontational style. Slowly but surely Pryor’s voice began to attract younger African Americans who were also inspired by the Black Power movement. Bill Cosby attended a Pryor performance during this period and remembers, I was in the audience when Richard took on a whole new persona— his own. Richard killed the Bill Cosby in his act, made people hate it. Then he worked on them, doing pure Pryor, and it was the most astonishing metamorphosis I have ever seen. He was magnificent. 10 Pryor released the album Craps (After Hours) (1971), which was recorded at Redd’s Place and followed this up with That Nigger’s Crazy (1974), . . . Is It Something I Said? (1975), and Bicentennial Nigger (1976). Pryor’s very imagistic material relies on the use of street language and characters and deals with social issues as diverse as politics, the prison system, police brutality, and sex. While many comics then and now depend on joke-and-punchline humor, Pryor’s routines are based on character development and storytelling more akin to theatrical monologues. Many comics expect the audience to laugh at their facial gestures by revealing bugging eyes or shocked looks. Pryor is different; he uses facial expressions, body postures, movements, and gestures to embody the characters and tells humorous first-person stories or relays a conversation among characters, all of which have their own unique voices, looks, and expressions. He described the process of creating his routines: I couldn’t do it just by doing the words of the person. . . . I have to be that person. I see that man in my mind and go with him. I think there’s a thin line between being a Tom on them people and seeing them as human beings. When I do the people, I have to do it true. If I can’t do it, I’ll stop right in the middle rather than pervert it and turn it into Tomism. There’s a thin line between to laugh with and to laugh at. 11 Some of his most famous characters include Mudbone, a wise old black man from Tupelo, Mississippi; Oilwell, a “crazy shoot me nigger . . . 6 foot 5, 422 pounds of man”; 12 a philosophical wino; and a junkie. While their stories are often hysterical, depending on the direction of the narrative, Pryor reveals poignant and critical issues about the lives of these black characters, which lead one as easily to laughter as to tears. In one routine from That Nigger’s
148 That Nigger’s Crazy Crazy, Pryor discusses how he used to hang out with the winos on Sunday mornings when he was avoiding church. He first describes the wino directing traffic and then goes into a conversation between the wino and a junkie. wino: Hey fool, you better slow that car down. God damn, don’t come drivin’ down through here like you crazy. This is a neighborhood, this ain’t no residential district. . . . (Singing) Jesus on my mind. (Talking to himself) Damn, nigger, I know Jesus, I remember when the boy got kill’t, that’s for real, man. It was on a Friday down at the railroad depot. . . . (Seeing the junkie) Look at that nigger, look at him in the middle of the street, junkie motherfucker, look at that. Nigger used to be a genius! I ain’t lying, booked the numbers, didn’t need paper or pencil. Now that nigger can’t remember who he is. (Speaking to the junkie) Say, nigger, get your ass out the street, boy. (He whistles.) Move out the way, boy. junkie: Wha’s happenin’!!!! Wha’s happenin’—shit, I know somethin’ happenin’ ’cause everything’s movin’. . . . Hey pops, you got anything on you? wino: Yeah, nigger, I got something for you. . . . I got some advice. You better lay off that narcotic, nigger, that shit done made you null and void. I ain’t lying, boy. What’s wrong with you? Why you don’t straighten up and get a job? junkie: Get a job? . . . I worked five years in a row when I was in the joint. Pressin’ them motherfuckin’ license plates. I’m a license-plate-pressin’ motherfucker. . . . Shit, where a nigger gonna get a job out here pressin’ license plates? . . . I went to the unemployment bureau, baby, bitch sittin’ behind the desk, ugly motherfucker, come tell me, talkin’ about “You have a criminal record.” I said, “I know that, bitch. . . . I’m a criminal! Just tell me where I’m gonna get a job.” Ugly bitch—I seen better faces on an iodine bottle. . . . Bitch made me mad, I vomited and shit on the floor. . . . I went home, m’dear called me a dog. You dig that? My father said he don’t want to see me in the vicinity. Just ’cause I stole his television. That’s the politics, baby. I’m sick, pops. Can you help me? My mind’s thinkin’ about shit I don’t want to think about. . . . Tell me some ah them ole lies of yours, make me stop me thinkin’ about the truth. Would you help me? wino: I’m gonna help you, boy, because I believe you got potential. That’s right. You don’t know how to deal with the white man—
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Revolution Televised
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Revolution Televised Prime Time and
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This book is dedicated to Ailsa Jea
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Contents Acknowledgments ix Introdu
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Acknowledgments Revolution Televise
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Introduction Dy-no-mite! What’s h
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Introduction xiii texts were chosen
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Introduction xv in black television
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1. Reading the Roots of Resistance
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Reading the Roots of Resistance 3 t
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Reading the Roots of Resistance 5 p
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Reading the Roots of Resistance 11
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Was the Revolution Televised? 25 Bl
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Was the Revolution Televised? 27 sc
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Was the Revolution Televised? 29 Bu
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Was the Revolution Televised? 31 ta
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Was the Revolution Televised? 33 to
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Was the Revolution Televised? 49 On
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Was the Revolution Televised? 51 li
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Was the Revolution Televised? 53 ca
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What You See Is What You Get 55 ces
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What You See Is What You Get 57 VCR
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What You See Is What You Get 59 tur
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What You See Is What You Get 61 Wit
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What You See Is What You Get 63 bac
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What You See Is What You Get 65 MTV
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What You See Is What You Get 67 and
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What You See Is What You Get 69 asp
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What You See Is What You Get 71 str
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What You See Is What You Get 73 “
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Reverend Leroy is a critique of the
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What You See Is What You Get 77 Fli
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What You See Is What You Get 79 Joh
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82 What You See Is What You Get Whe
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84 What You See Is What You Get wit
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86 This Ain’t No Junk my idol, I
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88 This Ain’t No Junk In an era i
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90 This Ain’t No Junk bought his
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92 This Ain’t No Junk garnered el
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94 This Ain’t No Junk activities
Page 113 and 114: 96 This Ain’t No Junk Aunt Esther
Page 115 and 116: 98 This Ain’t No Junk but tells h
Page 117 and 118: 100 This Ain’t No Junk where they
Page 119 and 120: 102 This Ain’t No Junk Another ep
Page 121 and 122: 104 This Ain’t No Junk it would b
Page 123 and 124: 106 This Ain’t No Junk fred: Hey
Page 125 and 126: 108 This Ain’t No Junk embarrassm
Page 127 and 128: 110 5. Respect Yourself! Black Wome
Page 129 and 130: 112 Respect Yourself! This was the
Page 131 and 132: 114 Respect Yourself! actors and bl
Page 133 and 134: 116 Respect Yourself! voice of the
Page 135 and 136: 118 Respect Yourself! may not have
Page 137 and 138: 120 Respect Yourself! white schools
Page 139 and 140: 122 Respect Yourself! races.” She
Page 141 and 142: 124 Respect Yourself! Julia’s poi
Page 143 and 144: 126 Respect Yourself! spaces. These
Page 145 and 146: 128 Respect Yourself! the fact that
Page 147 and 148: 130 Respect Yourself! the father, w
Page 149 and 150: 132 Respect Yourself! poverty and g
Page 151 and 152: 134 Respect Yourself! The character
Page 153 and 154: 136 Respect Yourself! disparity in
Page 155 and 156: 138 Respect Yourself! down in the m
Page 157 and 158: 140 Respect Yourself! 1978), J.J. b
Page 159 and 160: 142 Respect Yourself! and white con
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Page 163: 146 That Nigger’s Crazy ’bout,
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Page 169 and 170: 152 That Nigger’s Crazy chase: Sp
Page 171 and 172: 154 That Nigger’s Crazy Pryor as
Page 173 and 174: 156 That Nigger’s Crazy network r
Page 175 and 176: 158 That Nigger’s Crazy The first
Page 177 and 178: 160 That Nigger’s Crazy action, w
Page 179 and 180: 162 That Nigger’s Crazy judge coo
Page 181 and 182: 164 That Nigger’s Crazy Episode t
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Page 185 and 186: 168 That Nigger’s Crazy being dru
Page 187 and 188: 170 Conclusion: Movin’ On Up Cont
Page 189 and 190: 172 Conclusion States at the time,
Page 191 and 192: 174 Conclusion Indeed, contemporary
Page 193 and 194: 176 Conclusion Cerebral and black
Page 195 and 196: 178 Conclusion and this film recogn
Page 197 and 198: 180 Conclusion under the constant s
Page 199 and 200: 182 Conclusion You know how I can t
Page 201 and 202: 184 Conclusion Connerly to speak on
Page 203 and 204: 186 Conclusion HBO to discuss socia
Page 205 and 206: 188 Conclusion the interviewees are
Page 207 and 208: 190 Conclusion credit montage estab
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Page 211 and 212: 194 Conclusion saying every black p
Page 213 and 214: 196 Notes to Chapter 1 within U.S.
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198 Notes to Chapter 1 Guerrero dis
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200 Notes to Chapter 2 47. Thomas C
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202 Notes to Chapter 2 45. Black Pa
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204 Notes to Chapter 3 Listening to
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206 Notes to Chapter 3 46. John Kie
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208 Notes to Chapter 4 4. This Ain
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210 Notes to Chapter 5 9. I specify
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212 Notes to Chapter 6 14. McPherso
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214 Notes to Conclusion 7. See Omi
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216 Notes to Conclusion where he le
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218 Bibliography Gender and Contest
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220 Bibliography Eisner, Joel, and
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222 Bibliography Hodges, Ann. “La
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224 Bibliography Mitz, Rick. The Gr
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226 Bibliography Shapiro, Joseph P.
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230 Index and TOBA, 11; and transfe
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232 Index education, 132, 133-36, 1
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234 Index 2, 21, 78, 107-8, 149, 20
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236 Index Roots, 163, 171-72 Russel
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238 Index Williams, Al, 100-101 Wil
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