Black Is the New White

Paul Mooney is one of my favorite comedians...so this book was a must read. I did not know what to expect, but I should have known that Paul Mooney would absolutely keep it real, keep it truthful and keep it funny. The man is awesome and the book reveals the layer below the surface. I have seen Mooney live before and witnessed his realness make a few audience members walk out. After reading the book, I now know why he does that. Not saying that I agree, but I do understand.

He discusses his rich history with Richard Pryor and a host of other comedians (both old and new). I did not know that his career and journey was so deep and extensive. He is a living legend and full of history when it comes to the old greats like Moms Mabley, Flip Wilson, Red Foxx and others. This book was long overdue.

His experience with racism all during his life comes through in his jokes and stories. It was his life experience be it good or bad and he has the absolute right to deal with it anyway he chooses. I enjoyed the information on the old days when various musical stars crashed at his apartment, his grandmothers' wisdom, how Huey P. Newton of the Black Panthers became his friend, the whole Richard Pryor & Dave Chappele experience, his Hollywood journey of working on scripts etc., and the story about working at a department store with the future Mrs. Aaron Spelling.

Paul Mooney's life has been in living color and you will enjoy. It is a worthy read.

I really truly enjoyed reading Paul Mooney's memoir "Black Is The New White". I have enjoyed his comedy for over 2 decades and really didn't know much about him outside of that and knowing he was good close friends with Richard Pryor. I read in the past Pryor's autobio "Pryor Convictions" so I had a fundamental understanding of his life involving drama, drugs, women, kids and MS. Mooney as a close friend goes into very keepin it real detail on the Good, Bad and Ugly with Pryor right up to his death in Decemeber 2005. I also enjoyed reading from his point of view the hypocrisy and BS of so called Liberal Hollyweird in the 70's and 80's. Especially when your creative spirit and getting across your point of view as a black person on the black experience in a comedic twist was (and still is) taboo. I wasn't even aware of Mooney having kids and a wife to be honest with you and was sad to hear of the loss of his youngest son in 2001. If you are a fan of Mooney and his keeping it real, no holds barred style of comedy this memoir is for you!

I enjoy this man's humor and have laughed outright at "Jesus was Black" [...]. There is a section in the early part of the book where Mooney talks about the mind of a black child having no awareness of color until an unfeeling person puts it there. I felt, for that portion of the book, that Mooney let down his force field for a moment and shared this searing pain he felt and how, once the callous and cruel bigoted fool burned into the young brain, created a scar which would never heal. Being white - I can't know what he felt at that moment but the wound was searing while the net effect motivated him to push back by 'succeeding' in spite of what others perceived as a 'handicap'. It certainly shaped him and made his humor what was to become. When I laugh at Paul Mooney's jokes, I often feel somewhat abashed in my own presence since I KNOW that Mooney hates me (not me personally, but white people) because I'm NOT black. That makes me uneasy. Being a white 54 year old woman likely makes me the antithesis of everything Mooney IS - but I can't help that. I find him to be funny and a bit pompous at times but I suspect that's how he managed his life early on. MY quandry is the gay thing: When Pryor was roasted, he called Mooney "Miss Thing" and Mooney laughed robustly. When Earthquake roasted Mooney and made a much milder gay insinuation, Mooney let fly with a string of N-word epithets that was so clearly antagonistic to the other comic that there was NO way it could have been intended as funny. I don't know or care if Mooney is gay or not - but his vicious response drowned in retaliatory N=word spewn forth in hatred made Mooney look angry, mean spirited and likely in the closet. Shall we drop all the outrage, Paul? As you say, 'keeping it real' does mean telling the truth. Surely after ALL these years - it's not that important if you are or aren't. Any Paul constantly refers to his 'prettiness' and insists that that many people hated him because he was so good looking. I don't know about you - but a comment like that makes a person LESS attractive in my eyes and it has nothing to do with funny. This book did send me to YouTube to watch old Pryor bits on the Mafia (I had NO idea that Pryor was such a fastastic mimic. He did a Tony Soprano before David Chase had even hatched the idea!) AND the best, the first (Black President). Fabulous and again showing Richard Pryor doing the best political doublespeak EVAH! Like others, I'd never heard of him before Chappelle (what ever happened to Chappelle - such a funny, funny man? His 'Negrodamus' is a hilarious character from the show and I'd never heard of Wayne Brady till Mooney's prognostications.
I don't know why he hates Howard Stern since he's a Stern in every sense of the word only with deeper pigment??? I for one cannot discern a difference between their humor only Howard's a radio guy and Paul is not. And like many of you here, I also felt that the death of his son warranted more than one half page of the book. I was in B&N in Norfolk and paid full price rather than at a discount here and he emerges at the end a survivor, a funny man with many strong opinions and I think his most HONEST line NOT from the book but from his stand (Know your History) as he recalls a fan giving him accolades galore but asking, "Paul, I love your show but MUST it always be about race??" to which Paul glibly nods in assent, ".......Yes, it must...until something better comes along." But Paul is WRONG about one thing - I LIKED the Natural Fro' of the the 60s and 70s and it did NOT make me 'nervous' Living through the wonderful and horrible times when he came up in the 60s and 70s I think the world seems dull to him now and missing Pryor as we all do - the comedy is rather tame by comparison. Paul Mooney should do commentary on current events seen through his filter of Black anger/wake up moments and the like. THAT's is where he shines brightest - as the iconoclast who has seen, therefore can discuss the insanity of today's world.

I think Paul Mooney's stand-up and comedic writing is a hoot. This book however, is WHACK!!! I did not learn too much more about Mooney than I did before I read it. He wrote about his children, which was not known. He wrote about his grandmother, which was also good to know. But there was nothing about what made/makes HIM tick. He wrote EXTENSIVELY about Richard Pryor, his life and works and relationships, the whole nine. Mooney, on the other hand, glossed over his own failed relationships and family aside from the enormous faith in himself that his grandmother's love instilled in him. He also talked about the race issue but that is nothing new, his entire career he's been talking about that and anyone living in America with any sense knows it will always be an issue anyway. I am disappointed. I was expecting more. I think if he was gonna write a "Paul & Richard" book, that's what he should have said, and not made people think it was going to be just about Paul. And he's super conceited, the pages that weren't filled with Richard Pryor were filled with how pretty he was/is. Even Billy Dee Williams wanted to look like him. He also recycled many of his old one-liners, some of them as far back as the 1st stand-up album. I'm gonna have to get Ms. Amerae on you, Paul, lol.

First off, I think Mooney forgot this was supposed to be about him - 80% of the book is about Richard Pryor. Take that out and you've got about 30 pages. And why did he write about Pryor so much in his bio? Because he himself didn't do a whole lot. This is one bitter, angry guy. He's mad because never made it big. He exaggerates about his credentials (which I've seen him do in interviews as well) that you have to wonder how much is real (I'm still trying to find proof the grammy nominations for 2 albums he claims). He supposedly hangs out with all these big stars who love him (Ann-Margret, Steve McQueen, etc.) which of course anyone can claim 40 years later. He's supposed to be this great comic, yet the book is full of really bad puns (Everyone Loves Raymond, Everyone Love Racism - wow, clever there Paul) and really childish insults. He's mad because when Lorne Michaels wanted to interview him a few times for the writing job for Pryor on SNL - he flings two third grade "your mama" lines (in the book, not at Michaels in person). Pathetic, absolutely pathetic. And really, he's mad because they wanted to interview numerous times for A NETWORK TV WRITING JOB (for the one episode Pryor is on) and he thinks he should have just got the job off the fact he was on Dance Party and MC'd strip clubs all along Sunset. It's incredible for someone who's been in the industry so long how clueless he comes across. He thinks he never made it big because he's "too black" for Hollywood. No, he never made it big as a stand up because he's not funny. He writes things like he was up for some part, the guy who got the part was nominated for an Academy Award but didn't win. If he had the part, he would have won. No. You wouldn't. That's something an clueless rank amateur says. Even actual working actors don't think this way.

He constantly reminds us how good looking he is and how talented he is but he never did a whole lot. Now is he a good actor? Probably. But Hollywood if full of millions of good actors who never made it big. I've worked most of my adult life as a stand up. I know a lot of talented people who never got anything. It's nothing against them. It just doesn't happen for everyone. It never happened for Mooney. It's not because he's black. He seems to forget lots of black actors and comics have made it big. How did they make it with all the terrible racism in Hollywood and he not make it? Because he ain't funny.

He does four chapters on the Richard Pryor show he wrote for. The show only aired four episodes and shot six total. No one, absolutely no one even knows this show existed today. But that's about the biggest gig this guy had. So it's very important to him. Is Paul Mooney really worthy of a bio? Not really. His credits are worked a lot with Pryor. He got a part in the Buddy Holly story. He was on Dance Party as a dancer. He's doing the same unfunny act today he did 40 years ago. This is a guy who loves the fact racism exists simply so he can complain about it. If racism were magically erased from the world, he would be very sad, because he couldn't complain about it anymore.

Now I met and saw Mooney in the early 90s in San Francisco. He was very angry and very unfunny. He pulled that "all you white people are racist" stuff in his act and did not go over well at all. If you're going to tell us how racist we are, at least say something funny. There was nary a funny line uttered. And that's why he never made it big. Angry and unfunny. Simple as that. And this book is written proof.

Well I have watched Paul's stand up and understand who he has written for in the past.I find his stand up to be funny at times but it lacks. The book is a memoir...sort of. I am mixed (black/puerto rican) so I understand the context of what he is trying to do.Richard and the boasting is the back bone of the book. Its not worth reading. If you wanna read about Richard Pryor read a book about him.

The book proves a point about Paul. Paul comes off as bitter. Paul hangs his hat on saying that he is to black for hollywood. But the problem is that he lacks the charisma and the flare Richard, George Carlin and others had.His material has not changed at all the past 40 years. So many comedians have talked about the same subject matter as Paul but they are way more successful due to them having the qualities that Paul lacks.Thats the reason he never reached that level. He is a good writer but not the total package

Paul Mooney is a poorly-known comic who seemed to get all his breaks from being Richard Pryor's friend. If only he had one third of Richard's talent, this may have proved a worthwhile read. Between the endless boasting and constant stream of unpleastant, unkind stereotyping of whites, Mooney manages to be funny about three times in 200 pages. And two of those times were when he was quoting other, better comics. Take my advice and steer clear of this dud.

This book was a biography of Richard Pryor. Mr. Pryor was funny when he acted like a fool. Mr. Pryor took a lot of drugs and was a ladies man. Mr. Pryors' best friend was Jim Brown, but we don't get much information about Jim Brown. Mr. Pryor used four letter words, and the unspeakable word, in his nightclub act. Mr. Mooney supplied Richard Pryor with dirty jokes.