Crackup At Radio City

Rory Pryor, 21 years old, 1977

For a bunch of reasons my brother Rory was committed to the NYU Psychiatric hospital several times. When I visited Rory at NYU I entered the building heart broke.  There we were, two kids in a two kid family and I, the older brother, could do nothing to help him. Through the lobby, on the elevator, in the halls, on my way to his stark room or the visitors’ area I’d look around in awe. Thinking about how amazing it is if your brain worked nearly right and wondering how all these people lost their minds.  After going through a bunch of things I planned to say to make Rory laugh, after we hugged he turned the tables. He told jokes, he said it was OK and pointed out that he was the sanest one in the place (not true but it always made me feel better). As sick as he was, Rory tried to ease my pain. That made me love him very much.

Today, my friend, Merrill Black was published in The New York Times. Her story “Crackup at Radio City,” is terrific.  Her truthful bittersweet account of her stay in the same facility touched me with its humor and heart.  Thank you, Merrill, for bringing a strong memory of Rory back to me. 

Read Merrill’s two New York Times stories here.

Crackup at Radio City

The Wise Plumbers


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Our next City Stories: Stoops to Nuts storytelling show at Cornelia Street Café is January 10^th @ 6pm. Please come down, I promise a good time.

Our New Year artists are: Lisa Burns, Nicole Ferraro, Julia Joseph, Thomas Pryor, Francesca Rizzo & Adam Wade.