Richard Pryor: The Man Who Burned It All Down | From Big Lives

About this episode

This episode previews a special look at Richard Pryor's life and impact on comedy through the lens of the new podcast Big Lives.

Richard Pryor redefined comedy by telling the truth, even when it scorched him. Today, we’re sharing a preview of a new podcast, Big Lives, and a special episode about Pryor. Every week, hosts Kai Wright and Emmanuel Dzotsi dig into the BBC archive to explore the story behind the icons who shape our culture—trailblazers like David Bowie, Meg Ryan, Amy Winehouse, and Tina Turner—and better understand how each legend set the stage for our contemporary cultural landscape. In this preview, Kai and Emmanuel look at how Richard Pryor rose from a Peoria, Illinois brothel to become comedy’s GOAT, only to then wrestle with racism, fame, desire, and self‐destruction. If you like what you hear, find more episodes of Big Lives wherever you get podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

People in this episode

Hosts: Kai Wright, Emmanuel Dzotsi

Topics covered

• comedy
• cultural icons
• racism
• fame
• self-destruction

Keywords

• Richard Pryor
• comedy
• cultural impact
• Big Lives
• fame
• self-destruction
• racism

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: BBC

Books & works: Big Lives

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