| Prelude |
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xiii | |
| Introduction: The Fear of Black Laughter |
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xv | |
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A Native Son of Wistful Vista |
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3 | (19) |
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"There's a Bad Muthafucka Comin' Your Way" |
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22 | (8) |
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Backing Up While Swimming |
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30 | (10) |
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"Ain't That Many of Us to Go Around" |
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40 | (11) |
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"Give Me Some Milk or Else Go Home" |
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51 | (21) |
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A Way Out of Here Other Than That Door |
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72 | (23) |
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Monday, December 22, 1969 |
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95 | (12) |
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107 | (11) |
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118 | (8) |
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A Screaming Comes across the Sky |
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126 | (6) |
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"Nigger, Come Out of That Black Skin and Be Black, Nigger" |
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132 | (13) |
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"Let It Stay Heavy if Not Hard" |
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145 | (16) |
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"I See That Man in My Mind and Go with Him" |
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161 | (15) |
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"There's a Person Here That's Possessed" |
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176 | (11) |
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"Let's Get Him before Somebody Else Does" |
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187 | (11) |
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198 | (9) |
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"You Hollywood Faggots Can Kiss My Rich Happy Black Ass" |
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207 | (4) |
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"Does It Look Like I'm Smiling to You, Motherfucker?" |
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211 | (6) |
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"When You Get off That Stage, There's a Loneliness That Comes over You" |
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217 | (9) |
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"My Mind's Thinking About Shit I Don't Want to Be Thinkin' About" |
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226 | (13) |
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"The Part of Me That Wanted to Die Did" |
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239 | (8) |
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Is Comedy Stand-Up Poetry? |
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247 | (2) |
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"I Guess That's a Smile. I Hope That's His Face" |
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249 | (10) |
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"I'm Finding It Hard Imitating Richard Pryor" |
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259 | (5) |
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The Last Temptation of Richard |
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264 | (13) |
| Epilogue: Going to Meet the Man |
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277 | (2) |
| Joe's Postscript |
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279 | (4) |
| Acknowledgments |
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283 | (2) |
| Sources |
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285 | |