Paul Mooney is well known to stand-up comedians for his own work and for writing for his longtime friend, Richard Pryor. Outside of that, though, his name recognition gets a little fuzzier. So for TV comedy fans, Mooney's new memoir, Black Is the New White, provides some great behind-the-scenes moments they should probably know. There are a lot of heartfelt stories about Richard Pryor and Mooney's own personal life, but there is a lot of fun TV trivia, as well. Mooney talks about getting forced onstage by a couple of friends to do his first solo stand-up spot in the early 60s in San Francisco. Mooney is drunk and nervous, and winds up doing the act of a comic named Ronnie Schell, who would later co-star with Jim Nabors on Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. Mooney admits whenever he catches the show in reruns, he feels a little guilty.
(S05E01 / S05E02) First, let me apologize that this is being posted so late. There was a little mix-up behind the scenes here at the TV Squad Office Plaza and Community Fun Center that left both 
Richard Pryor, like the Marx Brothers, is one of those rare forces in comedy whose contributions to the form seem to transcend time and space. His work is just as hilarious and scathing now as it was when he first shocked audiences with frank talk about his own tumultuous life. These days, Pryor is in his mid-sixties and struggling with MS, but he claims that the disease didn't ruin his life, it saved him from what could have been an inevitable end fueled by drugs and alcohol. I hate to admit that part of me wonders how anyone would consider being near paralyzed by disease as a blessing from God, but Pryor's optimism is uplifting to say the very least.
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