The Richard Prior Pumpkin

The Richard Prior Pumpkin
I love this pumpkin. I also love Richard Prior and although I never met him, I'm guessing he would love the pumpkin as well.

If you are too young to know, Richard Prior was a very funny guy. His racially charged comedy routine was hilarious to everyone. If I had to pick one current comedian to compare him to it would be Dave Chapelle. They say there is a fine line between pain and comedy and both guys dance that line.

In 1980 Richard Prior lit himself on fire, supposedly while freebasing cocaine. Allegedly his drug induced psychosis had him try to kill himself by dousing his body with 151 run and lighting it. Then he ran down the street until the police were able to subdue him. He spent months in the hospital with 3rd degree burns over 50% of his body. It was a wild act done by a wild man. Easily the biggest entertainment story of 1980.

Why would a pumpkin like this strike Richard Prior as funny? After all, this was a tragic incident. Well, two years later in his comedy act he explained what really happened on that fateful night. "I was dunking a cookie into a glass of low-fat and pasteurized milk, and it caused an explosion".