Furious Cool, Joe Henry
Furious Cool, Joe Henry
1 Rating(s)
List: $19.99 | Sale: $13.99
Club: $9.99

Furious Cool
Richard Pryor and The World That Made Him

Author: Joe Henry, David Henry

Narrator: Dion Graham

Unabridged: 9 hr 4 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 11/05/2013


Synopsis

Richard Pryor was arguably the single most influential performer of the second half of the twentieth century,and certainly he was the most successful black actor/comedian ever. Controversial and somewhat enigmatic in his lifetime, Pryor's performances opened up a new world of possibilities, merging fantasy with angry reality in a way that wasn't just new—it was heretofore unthinkable.

His childhood in Peoria, Illinois, was spent just trying to survive. Yet the culture into which Richard Pryor was born—his mother was a prostitute; his grandmother ran the whorehouse—helped him evolve into one of the most innovative and outspoken performers ever, a man who attracted admiration and anger in equal parts. Both a brilliant comedian and a very astute judge of what he could get away with, Pryor was always pushing the envelope, combining anger and pathos, outrage and humor, into an art form, laying the groundwork for the generations of comedians who followed, including such outstanding performers as Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, and Louis C.K.

Now, in this groundbreaking and revelatory work, David and Joe Henry bring him to life both as a man and as an artist, providing an in-depth appreciation of his talent and his lasting influence, as well as an insightful examination of the world he lived in and the influences that shaped both his persona and his art.

About Joe Henry

Joe Henry is a songwriter, singer, and music producer. He is coauthor, with his brother David, of Furious Cool: Richard Pryor and the World That Made Him. Furious Cool is Joe and David's first book. The brothers are also at work on a screenplay based on Pryor's life and career.


Reviews

Goodreads review by M.R.

I came to this more from being a fan of co-author Joe Henry's music than anything else, although I already had some appreciation for Pryor. Henry once opened an album with a beautiful song called 'Richard Pryor Addresses A Tearful Nation' and it seems that he has spent quite a few years working on t......more

Goodreads review by Jeff

I grew up in the '80s, so as a kid, even though I was aware of stuff like "Stir Crazy" and "Silver Streak," my formative Pryor experiences were with "The Toy" and "Superman III" -- and even though I knew there was a lot more to the story, and I was familiar with the basic contours of Pryor's bitters......more

Goodreads review by Lyn

First off - I’ve always thought that Richard Pryor was a true comic genius and there was no one like him. This book gives a pretty good overview of Pryor’s stand-up work as well as his film career. My problem with the book was that it was all over the map chronologically and I prefer my biographies......more

Goodreads review by Kris

Kind of a difficult book to review. On one hand, it’s written by two people (David and Joe Henry) who are obviously huge fans of Richard Pryor and his entire line of work. The narrator, Dion Graham does a hell of a job with the narration. Doing his absolute best to get Pryor’s delivery and timing an......more

Goodreads review by Stephen

Pretty good book on Richard Priors life. It is clear he walked the thin line between genius and madness. The book is a bit arty in places but overall it is a good read.......more