John Witherspoon Tells Funny Richard Pryor Stories | Joe Rogan

You were around when Pryor was in his hay day. Oh yeah. That must have been something. Oh yeah. So you were just kind of, that was in 74 when you were just getting there, Pryor, that was he was in the peak. He was already. He was in the peak, right? Big time. Oh yeah. He was big time. What was that like? He was, he would, you know, when I was around the Communist store I was basically the host of the Communist store. I went to the MC's, you know, and I go to the door if they have a problem. I go to the door and settle the problem and all this stuff. Just missing one. She knew I'd do all this stuff in it. And wasn't no fighting and I'm just being polite and stuff. And Richard would come in. I look at the back of it. Richard Pryor's in the back. I was like, what the hell you doing here Richard? How you doing? He knew Paul Mooney. Mooney was in David Banks, all these, anytime you got all these guys at the Communist store, Richard wanted to do another album. So what happened is Richard, first time I saw Richard in the back, I said, Richard, how you doing? Spoon, I just come by to see how you're doing. I said, fine, I'm doing Richard. He never come by to see how I'm doing. He's just saying this to set it up for he wanted to work on his act for a new album. So I said, Richard, everything fine? You want a drink? No, no, Spoon. I'll be fine. You want to go to the state? No, no, no. I just come by and say, how you doing? I said, how you doing? How you doing, Richard? Blah, blah, blah, blah. I said, go away and come back. And I said, Richard, anything you want to drink, they didn't want to drink now. So he wanted to drink. He'd get some of the rare drink he like with olive, what do you call that? Cherry in it. It'd be like that kind of stuff. And so I know to go away, I go away, they told me, Richard going to drive you crazy. Richard come by. Richard going to drive you crazy. So I go away, come back. Richard, everything no fine? You know, anything else you want? I said, well, I'm going to stay. He said, no, Spoon, I don't want to go. I said, how you doing? He said, how you doing? He said, hey, boom, how you doing? Be hollering, spooning real loud and shit. And so I go away and come back and say, Richard, do two minutes. Some people said, Richard probably came by the conference. So he said, sure, I go up there and do two minutes. He said, when do I go on? I said, you're going on right after this guy, get off. I put you on right now. And he go up there and do two hours. Then he'll send, he'll call, he'll have his secretary call me the next day. He said, thanks for helping me get on stage. Helping me get on stage. He had to be pushed on stage. That's so weird. Yeah, that's amazing, ain't it? But Diamond Williams, boom, up on stage. But Richard would do like two hours? Was that a regular thing? Hour and a half. A regular thing, huh? Well, his album, you know, he'd do his whole album. Then he had his writers in the back. Mooney would be there writing him, coaching him on stuff to say, you know, all that stuff. He had all that. And then he would have three weeks in the original room where he would work every night. He'd come out every night. Wow. It ain't like some comics get too high, they can't come out. He'll be about it every night. And so Mitzi put me on the show with him. So I would open the show and do 45 minutes and the rich would come up and do what I want to have. And then we moved to the main room after about three or four, about a month in the original room. We moved to the main room. That's when he withdraws. So Mitzi wouldn't make so much money. He would draw so many fucking people. Old holes ain't been out on the street. The low tens, the fur collars, first coat of fake fur coat on. Pink and yellow and shit. He would have, in the main room, he would have, oh my God, he had Mick Jagger. What's the name? The boy that, what's his name? Willie Nelson. I had, I talked Willie Nelson to go up on the stage and sing a song in the original room. Really? Yeah. You could tell me I got it. Could you go up there and sing a song? God love Willie Nelson. He was so good. He's still around though. I'm scared to do it. I'm so nervous. Don't be nervous with these fucking people. He went there and sang one of his song, boy. That was a thrill for me. So then we moved to the main room. But I would kill every night in an audience like that. I would get a stand ovation because I would do Mathis that I learned from Detroit and Nanking Cole and them. I would do Johnny Mathis at my last bit and I would do Elle Green just before that. And I would, I saw Elle Green throw roses out to the ladies one time. I was like, what is it? This theater down. Anyway, he would throw roses, he handed roses to the ladies. So when I was working at the comedy store and I'm in front of the, I would get down the lines and hand it from the ladies. And some lady did exactly what I wanted her to say. She said, Elle Green give us roses. I said, boy, you lucky. These ain't plastic because I ain't got no damn money. I go home and watch these so I can get them back to you tomorrow night. And I did that and then went to D&J Johnny Mathis. This is just impressions that I added to my act because there are a lot of ladies out there and they love that shit. And I got women threw the roses back at my feet. I said, damn, this shit is cool. And Richard told me, I said, Richard, everybody said, Richard, you should take Spoon on the road with you. You going on a tour? He said, I love you Spoon, but you're too funny. I can't have you out there on the road with me. He said, I was too funny for him. And he took a finance, you know, finance, and the finance would do impressions. He did all the impressions. So he took him on the road. He told you you were too funny? I said, you're too funny. I love you, but you're too damn funny to open for me. I don't want me to have to work that damn hard. Then women would throw the roses back at my feet, them dandelions. That was a great compliment. But I have the billboard of the Comedy Store with Richard Pryor and John Bliss. I had it somewhere in my phone. Yeah. I think mom posted it. And then I think I repost. I helped you repost it on your IG story and then the Comedy Store screenshotted it and posted it. Oh, did they? Yeah, they did that. They did that like a month or two ago. But all the day, Richard Pryor had his own TV show. You know, he's on NBC at eight o'clock and he was so fucking high boy. Richard, I knew we weren't going to ask. I knew that shit. We only did four shows a day. We had schedule 22. Richard was too fucking high. What was he high on? Cocaine and vodka and stuff. But I didn't have no money. I probably would have gotten me something if I had some money. I didn't have no damn money. I'm making this little $400, $400 that they giving me for this week. He said, y'all ain't making no money, but I'm making $250,000 a show. I told you, damn. Wow. He's making that much money. There you go. Look at that. Richard Pryor and John Witherspoon. Wow. In the name. I wish I had the year up there. I'm going to be in the house every Sunday. That's amazing. 77. But I know Richard, we used to go to his house every Sunday. We used to be in his house every Sunday. And he had barbecue, he had a little, he got a gym, boxing gym where you box, tennis court, swimming pool. He had about four acres over there. And I remember- Where was it? It's on Parthenia. That house there was for sale recently for about four million. But I don't think people realize their bitches probably living there. They don't want to do that because he caught on fire over there. Whoa. Remember the time he got caught on fire? Yeah. That was that house? It was in the house there. Fuck I would love to own that house. That's in like Northridge or something, Parthenia. Yeah, it's on Parthenia. We used to, when I was doing- North Hills. It's right down the street at North Hills. Yeah. Yeah. We used to go over there every Sunday. Imagine owning Richard Pryor's old house. It's kind of cool. I don't want to go in there. That spirit might hit me up. He on fire going to run past the swimming pool. You know what he was- Those cocaine days must have been crazy there. Oh man. And what's amazing about this is so cold boy. When stuff got on radio that Richard Pryor is in hospital in critical condition, from burns, from a pipe that blew up. His family went there and stole all of his people that he probably never seen in years, jumped over that damn- You had this huge fence and stole all his watches and everything. All this stuff was taken out of his house. Then they say he's going to survive. They jump back on the fence and put it back. No. What? They jump back on the fence with his stuff. They put it back? Yeah, they put it back. Richard Pryor, you're going to steal his stuff? You've been borrowing from him for 20 years. Now all of a sudden you're going to steal his watch. That's crazy. Yeah. Hard to beat the top. But we had so much fun over there and Sammy Davis Jr. would come there every Sunday in a limousine and a tuxedo on. Really? We got shorts on. You know, in the raggedy shorts you can find, old t-shirt. We playing basketball. Sammy come up to High Mine. High Mine. Sammy, go put some fucking shorts on. How old was he back then? Sammy? Oh, I bet he was. This was 76. So he must have been, well he was young then. Because he died about 60. He was 62, 63. Oh, really? He must have been in his 50s, 40s or 50s. Tuxedo, huh? Tuxedo. And a limousine. Imagine being a fly on the wall. Sammy Davis Jr. pulls up in a tuxedo. Oh, man. Steps out of a limousine. We also. Yeah, why they playing basketball. We also fucking, we also fucking raggedy stinking. We done played ball all day long. Sammy wants to pass him High Mine. Sammy, wrong house, wrong day. Come on, take some ball with us Sammy. But we, I mean it was. There he is, look at that. It was. Hey. Look at how sharp he is. Wow, look at the bell bottoms. Oh yeah, that's the day. That's the day brother. Wow, that's crazy. Mr. Pizzi played tennis. Did he? Yeah, he played tennis, yeah. And basketball. He playing ball, Richard. He checking me and grabbing my dick. Richard, this ain't on basketball. Boom, I got check, I can check the only way I know. Richard, back off me brother. Oh, God. He's a funny man.