Bill Burr on what he learned from Richard Pryor
Burr explains how admitting his mistakes has given him twice as many options for punchlines.
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“You can't be happy and still be funny.” Or so they say. But Bill Burr told Terry Gross he thinks that’s a myth. Along the way he also mentions how he’s learned to be like Richard Pryor and point the finger at himself onstage:
What I've actually found is, you know, that whole myth that you can't be happy and still be funny is a myth. And what it actually does is it breathes new life into your act because you can now go back and revisit topics you've been to before and have a 360 perspective instead of, Iike - like, I always feel like my stand-up, like, the first 75% of my career is me standing onstage pointing at the crowd figuratively, literally or at whatever subject. And I was always the guy that knew everything and da, da, da, da, da, you know?
And the last, like, you know, six, seven years - whatever, I don't know - I've more been looking at my participation in whatever event is happening. So then all that does is it gives it this whole - it gives me way more - twice as many options for the punchline now. I don't know. I feel lighter onstage lately. I don't feel - you know, there was times I would even have good stats, and I would get offstage and just feel like, God, what was that? What was that? That did not feel good (laughter). Even though the response was good, but it just kind of felt like - it just - it didn't feel good.
GROSS: Because it was mean?
BURR: It was gross. It was just dark, ugly, just pain and hurt just coming out the wrong way where - which is so funny 'cause some of the comedians that I love the most, the way that they processed their pain was a very empathetic sort of way, which I would say Richard Pryor was the king of that, where you could - he just really had this ability of talking about his mistakes that he made in a way that you could see that it bothered him that he did some of these things.
And it also made you root for him. Like, I felt like that was the biggest thing I had, as far as being a fan of his work was beyond finding it hilarious and jaw-droppingly brilliant was I found that I was rooting for him in his personal life as he was going through all these marriages and divorces and problems with the cops and abuse and lightning himself on fire. Like (laughter), you know, he just, like - I don't know, I loved the guy, and I was just hoping he was going to find peace.
Also, this post of mine went viral on Threads…
…which spurred me to write more about why the far right hates Burr now:
The real problem these guys have is Burr doesn’t play by the rules of the algorithm. Tribal politics may get these guys clicks/subscribers, but it’s a yawn. We all know where guys like Kirk and Shapiro are going. Burr’s mission is to be funny, interesting, and surprising. It’s the opposite of partisan hackery and audience capture.
Great comedians aim to point out BS wherever they see it. It ain’t about acting like a tribalist sheep who strictly follows party lines. We shouldn’t already know exactly where you’re going. That’s why preach-to-the-choir political comedy ain’t funny. There’s no twist.
Online pundits may profit from telling fans exactly what they want to hear, but Burr’s bread and butter is surprising his fans. He makes art while these pundits churn out clickbait.
