Tanya Mosley

You have to fall in love with them. At first. But then you have to interrogate that love.

Our guest today is Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Hilton Als. We'll be right back after a short break. I'm Tanya Mosley, and this is Fresh Air.

Our guest today is Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Hilton Als. We'll be right back after a short break. I'm Tanya Mosley, and this is Fresh Air.

Our guest today is Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Hilton Als. We'll be right back after a short break. I'm Tanya Mosley, and this is Fresh Air.

In reading your writing about Richard Pryor, I mean, it's definitely like you are really trying to get at the core of why he was able to do what he did, be a truth teller. But are there elements of Pryor that you're still working out through your writing? I saw you just wrote a piece about his movie Jojo Dancer from the 80s just a few months ago. Yes.

In reading your writing about Richard Pryor, I mean, it's definitely like you are really trying to get at the core of why he was able to do what he did, be a truth teller. But are there elements of Pryor that you're still working out through your writing? I saw you just wrote a piece about his movie Jojo Dancer from the 80s just a few months ago. Yes.

In reading your writing about Richard Pryor, I mean, it's definitely like you are really trying to get at the core of why he was able to do what he did, be a truth teller. But are there elements of Pryor that you're still working out through your writing? I saw you just wrote a piece about his movie Jojo Dancer from the 80s just a few months ago. Yes.

And of course, I love reading about it, but I also think like, what is it about this moment that you feel it's important to work these elements of Richard Pryor out in your writing? Yeah.

And of course, I love reading about it, but I also think like, what is it about this moment that you feel it's important to work these elements of Richard Pryor out in your writing? Yeah.

And of course, I love reading about it, but I also think like, what is it about this moment that you feel it's important to work these elements of Richard Pryor out in your writing? Yeah.

Well, I was just wondering what this means for you as a writer, if it's disorienting in any way, because you're, as a critic, as someone who is looking for that humanity, I think I heard you a few months ago on an interview talk about how you don't have a clear knowing of who we are as a collective anymore.

Well, I was just wondering what this means for you as a writer, if it's disorienting in any way, because you're, as a critic, as someone who is looking for that humanity, I think I heard you a few months ago on an interview talk about how you don't have a clear knowing of who we are as a collective anymore.

Well, I was just wondering what this means for you as a writer, if it's disorienting in any way, because you're, as a critic, as someone who is looking for that humanity, I think I heard you a few months ago on an interview talk about how you don't have a clear knowing of who we are as a collective anymore.

And so how that impacts actually what you do and being able to tap into that clarity to write about it. Yeah.

And so how that impacts actually what you do and being able to tap into that clarity to write about it. Yeah.

And so how that impacts actually what you do and being able to tap into that clarity to write about it. Yeah.

In the case of Prince being able to sit in that silence, were there any observations that you noticed that you were able to draw out that you would not have ever? Because you're a big fan, so you know everything about the guy as you're stepping in there.

In the case of Prince being able to sit in that silence, were there any observations that you noticed that you were able to draw out that you would not have ever? Because you're a big fan, so you know everything about the guy as you're stepping in there.

In the case of Prince being able to sit in that silence, were there any observations that you noticed that you were able to draw out that you would not have ever? Because you're a big fan, so you know everything about the guy as you're stepping in there.

Did you feel that for you as you walked into the room with him? That he wanted your approval?