It was about 20 years before the release of Live On Sunset Strip that the world would witness Richard Pryor establish himself as one of the better comedians of his time.

Within that time he had enjoyed both the pros and cons of success and fame. Unfortunately, the cons had almost begun to outweigh the pros. Initially, Richard Pryor’s comedy was heavily influenced by Bill Cosby, where he would create universal jokes that would appeal to all audiences. According to Pryor, while walking onstage at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas, where Dean Martin was in attendance, he had an epiphany. As he looked over the sold out crowd, he grabbed the mic and said, “What the fuck am I doing here!?” before walking off. Shortly after, he began to incorporate profanity into his act, especially while speaking on his rough childhood.

Fast forward to the late 70′s/early ’80s. Richard Pryor was on a steamroll through the entire entertainment industry with Grammy-winning comedy albums, movies that were a hit at the box office, a successful line of television shows that he was associated with, and also his concerts.

But with the limelight focused on him, many of his mistakes were on display as well. In particular, the time that he set himself on fire. The date was June 9, 1980. According to Pryor’s daughter, Rain, the comedian poured high-proof rum over his body and set himself on fire in a bout of drug-induced psychosis.

That event set the tone for Live On Sunset Strip. It was Pryor’s unofficial comeback, it solidified him as arguably the greatest comedian of all time. It also didn’t hurt that it was the most financially lucrative release.

When that fire hit your ass, it will sober your ass up *quick*! I saw something, I went, “Well, that’s a pretty blue. You know what? That looks like *fire*!” Fire is inspirational. They should use it in the Olympics, because I ran the 100 in 4.3.

~Richard Pryor, Live on Sunset Strip

-Jamaal Fisher (@jamaalfisher)

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