The first segment of this episode explores the Richard Pryor’s time living in Berkeley:
Richard Pryor was one of the most influential comedians of all time, but when he first arrived in the East Bay, he said: “I don’t think I have a style yet.” This episode explores how living in Berkeley during an era full of riots and revolutionaries sparked Pryor’s creative evolution. Authors Cecil Brown and Ishmael Reed share memories of these tumultuous times and Pryor biographer Scott Saul explains how the controversial performer went on to change American culture forever.
The second segment of this episode features an interview about The Berkeley Revolution, a local history website, with Prof. Scott Saul and Tessa Rissacher:
“1970s Berkeley served as ground zero for the Black Arts and Black Power movements, Women’s Liberation, the movement for ethnic studies, the ecology movement, the gay liberation movement, the Disability Rights Movement, and the free school movement,” according to The Berkeley Revolution website. In this segment, Prof. Scott Saul explains why he started this site and shares some of the stories he’s uncovered. Additionally, UC Berkeley student Tessa Rissacher discusses her research into The Rainbow Sign, a Black cultural center that attracted such luminaries as Nina Simone, James Baldwin and Maya Angelou.
To listen to more episodes of East Bay Yesterday: https://eastbayyesterday.com/
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Check out The Berkeley Revolution, a digital archive of one city’s transformation: http://revolution.berkeley.edu/
Read “Becoming Richard Pryor” by Scott Saul: https://www.scott-saul.com/
