Listen to Eddie Murphy Impersonate Richard Pryor in 1986

Paste doesn’t just own the world’s largest collection of live music recordings. Our archives are deep with stand-up from some of the best comedians of all time. We periodically share classic comedy from legends like George Carlin, Jerry Seinfeld and Robin Williams. Today we look back at a classic Eddie Murphy routine about one of his biggest inspirations.

Back in the ‘80s, when he was the biggest comedy star in the world, Eddie Murphy didn’t hold back when talking about two of his biggest inspirations. On one hand there was Bill Cosby, who was not yet accused of being a serial rapist, and who was still the kindly father figure for all of TV and stand-up. Eddie Murphy didn’t have a lot of patience for the Cos by 1986. Murphy still had deep love and reverence for Richard Pryor, though, and in this clip from Aug. 27, 1986, he reveals how deeply Pryor influenced him when he was a boy, pulling off a very convincing Pryor impersonation in the process.

This isn’t the only classic Eddie Murphy stand-up in Paste’s vault; you can find the rest of this 1986 show here.