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Bill Hicks died aged 32 of pancreatic cancer on Feb 26, 1994.
And with his death, this world lost of the true mavericks of comedy.
If you aren't aware of Bill Hicks and his work, I'll give you a brief resume;
Started stand up aged 14 and performed for almost 300 days of the year, every single year until his death in '94.
He was one of the most original, fiercely dedicated performers that comedy has ever seen.
But he was a virtual unknown his his native USA (or "United States of Advertising" as he called it).
Why? Because America didn't like his brand of humour.
He didn't tell jokes about how bad airplane food was or the difference between men and women.
He didn't really tell jokes, in the same way that most comedians did. He used comedy as a weapon.
He always wore black and prowled the front of the stage, not adverse to leaning into the audience and screaming into their faces if he felt they didn't get what he was talking about.
People called it "The Comedy of Hate", or as Hicks liked to call it, "New Rage Comedy".
Other people have jumped on board, notably Dennis Leary.
But any similarites end there between them. Listen to Leary's "No Cure for Cancer" cd and then listen to Hick's "Dangerous", recorded 2 years previously.
The same act, same jokes, but Leary lacked the honesty of Hicks.
Hicks reserved a special hatred for television and mass media, or as he put it "Lucifer's Dreambox, watching TV is like taking paint to your third eye man...what is the message you get from tv? Stay indoors, drink beer, be stupid, dont worry about the world outside. Here's American Gladiators! Here's 56 channels of this crap. Keep drinking beer morons!"
And this didn't go down to well on his home turf.
He was worshipped over here though, he sold out the Dominion Theatre 3 nights running, where as back in the U$A he did what he called his "UFO tours, which means I too have been appearing in front of handfulls of hillbillies that stare at me and polish their guns as I leave"
He wasn't about hatred and cynicism though, he was frustrated at what he saw as our potential being wasted by the pursuit of bigger houses, nicer cars, big bank accounts and general complacency with life.
He used to be a heavy drug user at one point in his life, kicked them but never then went about saying how bad drugs were.
"Every news story the same, drugs are bad, drugs lead to everything else wrong in this world...well hold it. I had a great time on drugs man, never robbed anybody, never raped anybody, never lost a house, a family or beat anyone. Got high, laughed my behind off and went about my day. Sorry! I'm not telling you to take drugs, I'm just saying that we need to hear both sides of the story..."
And this attitude was not appreciated by a lot of people. After one gig, two Vietnam vets approached him over a segment he did about the military ("Gays in the military? Who cares man, aren't you army folks hired killers? Who asked you for your opinion on gays? They can napalm children just as well as you can"), and a fight ensued with Hicks having his legs broken.
Hicks had a confrontational attitude towards life, but not in a bad way. He may have raged, he may have knelt on the floor screaming for the death of New Kids on The Block, but that was only because he saw us as wasting so much of our lives in mundane situations.
Hicks always ended his show with this coda:
"Life is like a ride on an amusement park, it goes up and down, round and round, it is very brightly coloured and it is fun. For a while. And some people have remembered and they come back and say "Hey, you know what? Don't be afraid, ever, because it's just a ride" and we...kill those people! HAHA..shut him up. This has to be real, look at my furrows of worry, look at my big bank account, this has to be real. But it's just a ride.
And here's what we can do to change that ride right now, just a choice. No jobs, no savings, just a simple choice.
The eyes of fear want you to stay indoors, put bigger locks on your door and be scared. The eyes of love, instead, see us all as one consciousness capable of only love and understanding. Here's an idea. You know that money we spend on weapons each year? Billions of dollars? Instead, what if we spent that money feeding and educating the poor of the world? Which it would do many times over, we could then explore space together, both inner and outer. Together, forever. In peace. Thank you"
When Hicks realised he had a couple of months to live, he phoned every friend he ever had to say goodbye. He explained the Tibetan Book of The Dead to his mum, convinced his dad to take mushrooms with him, gave away all his posessions and lived back at home.
He say with his family and told them how much he loved them and that he was only moving on to the next stage of his time and not to worry.
His final words were "That's all I have to say".
He never spoke again and died 11 days later.
His headstone reads "Bill Hicks. Brother, Son, Friend"
Many bands cite Hicks as an influence, Tool being the main one, having used a painting of him and samples from his CD on their album Aenima.
If you're unaware of Hicks and appreciate someone that was fearless in trying to change the world to a better place, check out his 4 cds you can get through Rykodisc:
Dangerous
Relentless
Arizona Bay
Rant in E-Minor
The last cds have music he recorded in his final months woven between and under the comedy.
Bill Hicks is dead now, and nobody has come close to even touching the level he was on.
Bill Hicks 1962 - 1994
And with his death, this world lost of the true mavericks of comedy.
If you aren't aware of Bill Hicks and his work, I'll give you a brief resume;
Started stand up aged 14 and performed for almost 300 days of the year, every single year until his death in '94.
He was one of the most original, fiercely dedicated performers that comedy has ever seen.
But he was a virtual unknown his his native USA (or "United States of Advertising" as he called it).
Why? Because America didn't like his brand of humour.
He didn't tell jokes about how bad airplane food was or the difference between men and women.
He didn't really tell jokes, in the same way that most comedians did. He used comedy as a weapon.
He always wore black and prowled the front of the stage, not adverse to leaning into the audience and screaming into their faces if he felt they didn't get what he was talking about.
People called it "The Comedy of Hate", or as Hicks liked to call it, "New Rage Comedy".
Other people have jumped on board, notably Dennis Leary.
But any similarites end there between them. Listen to Leary's "No Cure for Cancer" cd and then listen to Hick's "Dangerous", recorded 2 years previously.
The same act, same jokes, but Leary lacked the honesty of Hicks.
Hicks reserved a special hatred for television and mass media, or as he put it "Lucifer's Dreambox, watching TV is like taking paint to your third eye man...what is the message you get from tv? Stay indoors, drink beer, be stupid, dont worry about the world outside. Here's American Gladiators! Here's 56 channels of this crap. Keep drinking beer morons!"
And this didn't go down to well on his home turf.
He was worshipped over here though, he sold out the Dominion Theatre 3 nights running, where as back in the U$A he did what he called his "UFO tours, which means I too have been appearing in front of handfulls of hillbillies that stare at me and polish their guns as I leave"
He wasn't about hatred and cynicism though, he was frustrated at what he saw as our potential being wasted by the pursuit of bigger houses, nicer cars, big bank accounts and general complacency with life.
He used to be a heavy drug user at one point in his life, kicked them but never then went about saying how bad drugs were.
"Every news story the same, drugs are bad, drugs lead to everything else wrong in this world...well hold it. I had a great time on drugs man, never robbed anybody, never raped anybody, never lost a house, a family or beat anyone. Got high, laughed my behind off and went about my day. Sorry! I'm not telling you to take drugs, I'm just saying that we need to hear both sides of the story..."
And this attitude was not appreciated by a lot of people. After one gig, two Vietnam vets approached him over a segment he did about the military ("Gays in the military? Who cares man, aren't you army folks hired killers? Who asked you for your opinion on gays? They can napalm children just as well as you can"), and a fight ensued with Hicks having his legs broken.
Hicks had a confrontational attitude towards life, but not in a bad way. He may have raged, he may have knelt on the floor screaming for the death of New Kids on The Block, but that was only because he saw us as wasting so much of our lives in mundane situations.
Hicks always ended his show with this coda:
"Life is like a ride on an amusement park, it goes up and down, round and round, it is very brightly coloured and it is fun. For a while. And some people have remembered and they come back and say "Hey, you know what? Don't be afraid, ever, because it's just a ride" and we...kill those people! HAHA..shut him up. This has to be real, look at my furrows of worry, look at my big bank account, this has to be real. But it's just a ride.
And here's what we can do to change that ride right now, just a choice. No jobs, no savings, just a simple choice.
The eyes of fear want you to stay indoors, put bigger locks on your door and be scared. The eyes of love, instead, see us all as one consciousness capable of only love and understanding. Here's an idea. You know that money we spend on weapons each year? Billions of dollars? Instead, what if we spent that money feeding and educating the poor of the world? Which it would do many times over, we could then explore space together, both inner and outer. Together, forever. In peace. Thank you"
When Hicks realised he had a couple of months to live, he phoned every friend he ever had to say goodbye. He explained the Tibetan Book of The Dead to his mum, convinced his dad to take mushrooms with him, gave away all his posessions and lived back at home.
He say with his family and told them how much he loved them and that he was only moving on to the next stage of his time and not to worry.
His final words were "That's all I have to say".
He never spoke again and died 11 days later.
His headstone reads "Bill Hicks. Brother, Son, Friend"
Many bands cite Hicks as an influence, Tool being the main one, having used a painting of him and samples from his CD on their album Aenima.
If you're unaware of Hicks and appreciate someone that was fearless in trying to change the world to a better place, check out his 4 cds you can get through Rykodisc:
Dangerous
Relentless
Arizona Bay
Rant in E-Minor
The last cds have music he recorded in his final months woven between and under the comedy.
Bill Hicks is dead now, and nobody has come close to even touching the level he was on.
Bill Hicks 1962 - 1994
Page:
Bill Hicks rocks (ed)
Was going to get a book he wrote on Amazon... had no money mind you.
Was going to get a book he wrote on Amazon... had no money mind you.
Armitage Shanks wrote:
You just need to Swap 'American
> Gladiators!' to 'WWF' for it to become the truth of 2001
Yep, there we go. Any chance to take a dig at it, and you're there. Anything that midly resembles it and BOOM!
But, getting back to the topic, I've never heard of this guy, but wish I had. Some of the quotes I've read were very funny, and very true.
You just need to Swap 'American
> Gladiators!' to 'WWF' for it to become the truth of 2001
Yep, there we go. Any chance to take a dig at it, and you're there. Anything that midly resembles it and BOOM!
But, getting back to the topic, I've never heard of this guy, but wish I had. Some of the quotes I've read were very funny, and very true.
Bill Hicks=Dead comedian. Gotcha.
*POP*
For I am The Tarrant and Rattlesnake
For I am The Tarrant and Rattlesnake
POP
My simple eulogy for a person that meant a lot to me, voiced a lot of my thoughts outloud and made me realise that you can't waste a single second on things that don't matter to you
My simple eulogy for a person that meant a lot to me, voiced a lot of my thoughts outloud and made me realise that you can't waste a single second on things that don't matter to you
Goatboy wrote:
> *claps hands to cheeks*
>Oh the humanity!
Quick! Cold water and smelling salts! :o)
I dunno... i've only heard some tracks... didn't hate the, but didn't go nuts.
I was thinking of starting a topic where everyone could list their favourite bands, by the alphabet, with a short descr. (coupla words) - but without repeating anyone else's favourites. I thought it might be good to get people trying out some new music.. whaddya reckon? Think people'll bother? Spose there's only one way to find out...
> *claps hands to cheeks*
>Oh the humanity!
Quick! Cold water and smelling salts! :o)
I dunno... i've only heard some tracks... didn't hate the, but didn't go nuts.
I was thinking of starting a topic where everyone could list their favourite bands, by the alphabet, with a short descr. (coupla words) - but without repeating anyone else's favourites. I thought it might be good to get people trying out some new music.. whaddya reckon? Think people'll bother? Spose there's only one way to find out...
*claps hands to cheeks*
Oh the humanity!
Oh the humanity!
Sad truth there Shanksy.
You should check out the forums on billhicks.com
Lots and lots of people there that have come out of the intellectual closet.
You should check out the forums on billhicks.com
Lots and lots of people there that have come out of the intellectual closet.
Goatboy wrote:
Hicks reserved
> a special hatred for television and mass media, or as he put it
> "Lucifer's Dreambox, watching TV is like taking paint to your
> third eye man...what is the message you get from tv? Stay indoors,
> drink beer, be stupid, dont worry about the world outside. Here's
> American Gladiators! Here's 56 channels of this crap. Keep drinking
> beer morons!"
You just need to Swap 'American Gladiators!' to 'WWF' for it to become the truth of 2001
Hicks reserved
> a special hatred for television and mass media, or as he put it
> "Lucifer's Dreambox, watching TV is like taking paint to your
> third eye man...what is the message you get from tv? Stay indoors,
> drink beer, be stupid, dont worry about the world outside. Here's
> American Gladiators! Here's 56 channels of this crap. Keep drinking
> beer morons!"
You just need to Swap 'American Gladiators!' to 'WWF' for it to become the truth of 2001
Page: