Let’s talk about Eddie Murphy.

I figure the occasion of Paramount finally releasing DELIRIOUS, Eddie’s Oscar nomination, and the release this weekend of NORBIT is a perfect opportunity to talk for a moment about Eddie as more than just a performer.

Eddie Murphy is a full-fledged Pop Culture Icon.

There are very few performers that cross over from star or even superstar to genuine Icon, but Eddie seemed born to do so. From the first time we saw him on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, it was obvious that there was something electric and amazing about his talent. He was compulsively watchable, and it seemed like everything he did on that show entered the pop lexicon immediately.

But what really launched him for kids my age were his albums. Yeah, he was great on SNL, and the show has rarely been as good as it was during his heyday, but EDDIE MURPHY and COMEDIAN were like sunshine breaking through clouds on a stormy day. They were blisteringly dirty, and that was certainly part of the appeal. It was rare for someone to have a safe network TV gig and also be putting out material like this at the same time. I’d heard some Pryor before the release of these albums, and although I now consider Richard Pryor to be one of the finest artists who ever worked in live comedy, when you’re young, much of his material is difficult stuff about race and gender. Eddie was like a dirty Bill Cosby, a storyteller who would effortlessly bring different characters to life. He had an amazing ear, and he didn’t just do impressions of people... he would inhabit them completely. One of the reasons I get tired of seeing people attack Eddie for the multiple-role movies he does now, always with the lament “Why doesn’t he do stuff like he used to do?” is because I think films like NUTTY PROFESSOR or NORBIT are exactly what he used to do in his stand-up act. The only difference now is that Rick Baker is involved, allowing Eddie to vanish into these different skins. Eddie is never freer than when he’s under make-up and he doesn’t have to worry about looking cool.

At the time, we listened to those albums so many times that we could recite along with them, word for word, beat for beat. EDDIE MURPHY was first, and it included a few songs like “Boogie In Your Butt” and “Enough Is Enough.” It also introduced the various characters in Eddie’s family, and the way he described his childhood, he made it so vivid that you could see them. You knew who each of the people were, and Eddie made them all seem real.

COMEDIAN and DELIRIOUS came out at roughly the same time, and they feature roughly the same material. By far, the most famous bit that Murphy did was “The Barbecue,” and seeing Eddie perform it again after all these years, I wish this had become a movie with Murphy playing the various roles, fleshing out the routine with that same sensibility. I love listening to him talk about Uncle Gus and Aunt Bunny, and the way he gives voice to his step-father is both caustic and hilarious. I’ve heard the charge over the years that Eddie’s descriptions of his family were entirely invented and not “honest,” but who cares? The point is that he managed to build an original voice out of obvious points of inspiration like Pryor, Cosby, and Red Foxx. Murphy’s stand-up satisfied the one basic requirement: it was funny, and it was the sort of funny that stood up to repeated exposure.

Watching DELIRIOUS now, though, I’ll admit that there are things that make me incredibly uncomfortable. The casual, widespread homophobia of the early ‘80s was rarely given a broader platform than with Murphy’s work. At the time, it seemed to be excessive. Today, it seems positively virulent. Frankly, I’m amazed that a director like Bill Condon would work with Murphy, who has never apologized for any of this material. I love DREAMGIRLS, and I’m absolutely pulling for Murphy to take home an Oscar for his work in the film, but the fact that he was cast in the first place is mind-boggling. And it’s not an isolated thing, either. His first album has a track called “Faggots,” and the second features a track called “Faggots Revisited.” He talks about being afraid of catching AIDS because women like to hang out with gay men. He warns any gay people in his audience not to look at his ass. He famously imitates Mr. T having anal sex with someone. And some of it is indeed funny... but hateful. Deeply hateful.

Murphy always carefully skirted the sort of social relevance that Pryor’s best work had. He never really dealt with racism in any significant way, and I think that was by design. Eddie’s self-professed favorite celebrity ever is Elvis Presley, and it’s easy to see the influence that Elvis had on him. Elvis never seemed concerned with critical respect or with tackling issues. He entertained. With his movies, his music, his live appearances, he always seemed to have the audience on his mind first and foremost, and he was aware that a larger-than-life persona was part of that. DELIRIOUS captures Murphy at a particular moment in his career, and for any fan of his work or for anyone who wants to understand the influence he had on a generation of comedy fans, this is essential viewing.

Just keep in mind that it’s a product of its time, from the Busboys performance of the 48 HRS theme at the start to the ignorant gay-bashing content. Despite that, I recommend this, and I’ll say it again... let’s give Eddie the Oscar in a few weeks. He’s come a long way as a performer, and he’s easily swayed by public opinion. Encourage him by rewarding such strong work, and there’s a chance we’ll see him take more chances. He’ll always come back to crowd-pleasing comedy, of course, but watching him mix it up from time to time and work with genuinely great directors who challenge him would be a welcome new chapter in what is already one of the great Hollywood careers.

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Drew McWeeny, Los Angeles