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The Political Life of Richard Pryor

Politics Without a Key

by Alistair Rey

This article originally appeared in Analiza București in 2015. It was ostensibly written with funding provided by the Romanian Ministry of Culture in 2013. The Romanian government denies ever commissioning the work. Now out of print, we are making it available here.

Conference Room C of the Detroit Marriott looks as though a tornado has torn through it. A long banquet table anchored on either side by two half-drained punch bowls sits in the corner, its surface littered with paper plates, upturned wine bottles and discarded plastic cups. The tablecloth, pristine white earlier that morning, is now dotted with crumbs and maroon punch stains. Patches of the vermillion colored carpet are discernible through the refuse of over-sized placards, posters and leaflets haphazardly strewn across the floor. The janitorial staff mills about in resigned agitation, waiting for the remaining guests to vacate the premises. The scene is reminiscent of a dwindling party, that last hour when the crowd has thinned leaving only a few late night stragglers with no particular place to be. Something has obviously happened here. Continue reading “The Political Life of Richard Pryor”

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The Radio 4 Interview with Alistair Rey

The transcripts for Radio 4, 23 July 2013.

Interview with: Alistair Rey

Radio 4: You have been active in a variety of political campaigns as of late. Your stance has claimed to be in favor of European integration, but does this accurately describe your platform?

AR: Yes and no. I support European integration in the abstract, but I am not technically involved in politics. I write political articles (call it propaganda if you want). I think of myself as a hired gun. It’s mercenary politics, if anything.

Radio 4: On that subject, were you definitely hired by the government of Romania to generate political propaganda?

AR: Yes, definitively. Continue reading “The Radio 4 Interview with Alistair Rey”

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Conversation Piece with Jeremey Erdinger

This piece appeared in the little-known comedy magazine, Odd Ball.  Jeremey Erdinger later contacted the editors of the magazine and complained that the resulting conversation was a gross misrepresentation of his character. For our part, this accusation is erroneous.  Mr. Erdinger is, by all accounts, a neurotic and overly obsessive individual. The conversation recorded below is a faithful and accurate transcription of the the one that took place.

— So, Mr. Edinger, tell us about your recent trip to Boston?

— Actually, I was in Cambridge, which is a municipality across the Charles River in an entirely different county.

— Okay then, tell us about (ahem) Cambridge.

— There is nothing to say about a business trip really. Although I’ve come to believe that I am prone to anxiety. Continue reading “Conversation Piece with Jeremey Erdinger”