RichardPryor.com Forums

Murphdogg,
That is true.

I like riffing because it personalizes the show. I did a show this weekend were it was a small crowd and had 2 drunk chicks yelling out things. It was 8 people who all knew each other and was scheduled to do 45. I just would go off what they said and make a few jokes. Whenever they said something that was similar to my set I would lead into it and keep going. It was a great show.

robfharris,

Ian is the man! Personally, I like his ad-libbing better than his prepared set. Saw him basically throw his set out and jack with the audience at a comedy club here. Robin Harris was a master at keeping the crowd in the check. He was so good at it, his audience deliberately interrupted to get a reaction out of him. He was actually too good. Though I adore Bill Hicks, sometimes his interaction with the audience was a bit too volatile. When you're dealing with the crowd, you're walking a tight rope. Don't want to come across malicious at all and risk alienating people.

Ideally, of course, we would all like to just shoot through our sets without any interruption. But it's best to prepare for hecklers otherwise they can ruin an entire night of entertainment for everyone..

mojones,
Welcome back, hope all is good.
Tell us about your adventures over the last couple of months.
Like you, I've seen Ian toss out his entire set. I like his set he is a great writer. But it's like working the crowd is his real comfort zone.