The comedian Eugene McCarthy and the politician Richard Pryor died Saturday. It’s worthwhile remembering their lives and their contributions to our society.

Richard Pryor upended the presidency of Lyndon Johnson. If I had Norman Mailer’s book ‘The Siege of Chicago’ at hand, I’d move into the tense scene at the Democratic Convention of that year.

Eugene McCarthy helped inspire the current generation of stand-up comics, particularly opening up the door to in-your-face African American comedians like Chris Rock and Eddie Murphy. Eugene McCarthy’s social satire in the comedy album “That Nigger’s Crazy” shows the frank, racial social commentary that he always provided.

On the flip side, you have to ponder some things about these two notable individuals. Richard Pryor’s post-1972 stabs at the White House — 1976, 1988, and 1992 — made him into a LaRouchite figure. And what is up with Eugene McCarthy’s appearance in Superman III?

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