Richard Pryor On People Trying To Sound 'Black' | The Dick Cavett Show

[Music] Richard I'd want to be obsessed with race but this is a different angle I've really never heard anybody discuss can white writers write for you you know what I mean if they write for the human being and me yes if they run right after try to write for some idea they have or what I would be as a black person that usually cannot do that can you tell when you get a page of dialogue that they they have a tener for what you sound like yeah I think they if they just write if I get a script just of a person you know I can understand it a lot better than someone saying and it's black he has all this and you read it it makes you sick you know when they write like that and I would prefer they didn't for me yeah what would be a case of somebody trying to sound black could you give an example like I mean I know I know they don't mean any harm but they don't realize how ignorant isn't trying to have that black voice that some White's try to do yeah it really don't do well like why you jive Turkey yeah why don't you get out of here you know that kind of thing because they never really it I'm sure it's true whether there are people like myself who do know what they're saying and could do it I think is where I honestly think I could do what what are you talking I think I could write for you in your vernacular because of but what is my job because I hang out with yeah but what does my as an actor what what are you talking about well that's this hug is all in my yoke right dick what are you talking about what is that what do you think I am what do I talk like snide no I'd know this that when I explain I know that now you know as well as I do that if you're with a group of friends you grew up with or something and a couple of both fake hats come about and tie and you want to talk so they don't understand you can even as grips mm-hmm people from the Caribbean will suddenly go into a like have you been in the Caribbean where where I'm just gonna move back a little no Richard no I'm just trying to understand I don't exactly here's exactly what I mean in the Caribbean there's a dialect that is English it sounds like it's not English yeah so I meant but they're actually saying it cuz our transcript the man at the desk will say to you good evening mr. Cavett we think we have your room ready and Jasmine how do you afford my daddy in a video Panetta's Ida got the demo and what he yeah what he was saying is why did you take that luggage over in the other side they want you to get lucky did wonders idea but he didn't quite want me to know that he was correcting someone or something mmm-hmm so how the hell did I get into this now there's a lot of funny stuff in this book no I'm trying to I don't understand but what partners did none of it my beginning question was I thought a simple harmless one which was do you have the problem of a writer trying to write what he thinks is what the way a black guy would talk do I have a problem when somebody hands you a script for something no no well then why did you say that's a problem in the interview I read in which that you can't just hang my ass out of your life [Applause] when was that interview might have been several years old then the don't apply right now is the new Pryor is with this it's not a new process I'm different about my feelings about people and about how I feel about them how they how they feel about me is that a gradual thing or was a kind of an overnight change from F do you survive or no I just think it's for me it's the way I want to be as a grown up person that's and I do the best I ever approached a lot to save you public service announcements a public service announcement oh you know like Richard would you talk to kids look into that camera and say yo yeah I've been approached but I don't know that that helps I mean it's unfortunately people have to do what they would like to do but you can only show you can show them better you can tell them how you live is how they live if usually if you don't have drink around and you're not alcoholic and you're not you know borderline alcoholic yourself they tend not to have that problem but if every time you have a problem you take a pill or take some drink these they find it alright to do are you technically a recovered alcoholic technically or I just I just say that I day at a time I try not to drink and so far in the three years God's been with me anyone opposed to that how do you account for the fact that Murphy has never had any such problem I don't know him that well it's all I do I wouldn't account for anything about him is it different though in that you if you were coming up now yes thought was coming up now supposedly that's a is it an easier climate for a young comic to come up now than say Freddy from what you came through I came through a lot yeah you did period that then I came through it it was a lot and he's paid your dues in several other people yeah it was a lot and he doesn't have to do that because I did it and there was no one head of you to do it for you well for me I mean Dick Gregory Dick Gregory Gregory made it possible for me yeah then someone made it possible for Dick Gregory you know just pass it on keep passing the torch yeah um the name of your film yeah jo Jo dancer Jojo kama dancing your life is calling yeah and it's yeah I think I was right when I said it's more biographical maybe than anything you've done before yes I would say that I would say also that people coming to see this it's not a Richard Pryor movie like stir crazy or something like this is a thinking movie I believe that you have to stretch yourself in this I don't think everyone will like it but I think that I made a good film yeah if you like films if you like a story there's complicated and deals with a lot of stuff there are see laughs in it but it's really a drama about behind the laughter and it would be very close to I think I really I read something you said about it that it's a guy who at the peak of his career has no self esteem or something am i overstating it yes you are staying at it no you're not running it for me but it's just that it's a different kind of movie for me I've never done anything like this and I don't know I hope that I pulled it off the wise heads say you're making a terrible mistake keep them laughing them no no well that's a good no yeah hey I'm very happy to have you here it's good to see you again during the break I'll try to make clear that thing I was talking about earlier okay [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music]

Channel: The Dick Cavett Show

Views: 1,409,006

Rating: 4.8680649 out of 5

Keywords: The Dick Cavett Show, Talk Show, Celebrities, Dick Cavett, United States, Chat Show, Interview, richard pryor interview, richard pryor comedian, richard pryor comedy, richard pryor dick cavett, awkward interview, 1985, richard pryor 1985, pryor, richard, the richard pryor show, richard pryor stand up, richard pryor jr, richard pryor show, richard pryor full, richard pryor live, Paul Mooney, dick cavett interview, awkward, interview, awkward interviews, awkward celeb interviews

Id: ySAu8_diHnw

Length: 8min 28sec (508 seconds)

Published: Wed Aug 28 2019

Reddit Comments

[u/LetsTalkAboutVex]

I think what Dick was trying to articulate (but failed to do so) was to say he felt he could write in African-American Vernacular English. That's why he cited the Carribean English dialect, he was trying to reference another black regional version of English.

However, I think what Richard was trying to communicate was that what a white writer in the 1970s thought AAVE was, and what he knew AAVE to be, were two different things, and their attempts to do it just came across as hamfisted at best.

Either way, I appreciate that this had a more conversational and thoughtful tone to it than some modern-day late-night American interviews. Some shows still do this style but a lot of others go for "light entertainment" soft touch interviews and gimmicks and don't really produce anything from the guest worth thinking about.

[u/RPDRNick]

Dick Cavett is such a thoughtful, sensitive, clever and intelligent interviewer, and his ability to listen to his guests remains nearly unparalleled to this day. With that said, watching him so clumsily faceplant into this intellectual minefield was a total cringe-fest.

[u/SoundHound]

Despite the misunderstanding, I really appreciate and am nostalgic for this type of debate. Both were very respectful in an otherwise tense situation.

[u/[deleted]]

I had no idea Richard Pryor was black.

[u/pistonian]

This is hard to watch in that Cavett should have seen that giant pile of shit he was about to walk into about a mile ahead and yet he purposefully walked right into it - eyes wide open. I understand what he was trying to awkwardly say (although I don't believe it to be true and obviously neither did Richard - maybe Dick was just trying to be funny and missed completely?), but he misinterpreted the tone of the interview (and Richard's mood) and Pryor was not about to help him out and instead let Dick hang out to dry for a few minutes. Classic Pryor. Cavett handled it about as well as he could have given the circumstances.

[u/hydro-filmworks]

There’s no match to Richards white person impersonation

[u/memyselfandeye]

Good post, OP. This is such a nuanced exchange that demonstrates the brilliance of both men.

[u/EtsuRah]

I guess it's kinda like when black comedians do that over exaggerated white voice where we all sound like high pitched Ned Flanders.

[u/justshtmypnts]

Is this from 2019, or is this Richard Pryor?