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Bill Hicks

 
Artist: Bill Hicks
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Bill Hicks

Similar Artists:

Denis Leary, Sam Kinison, Andrew Dice Clay

Influenced By:

Mort Sahl, Richard Pryor, Lenny Bruce, George Carlin

Followers:

David Cross, Joe Rogan, Wix
  • Born: December 16, 1961, Valdosta, GA
  • Died: February 26, 1994, Little Rock, AR
  • Active: '80s, '90s
  • Genres: Comedy
  • Instrument: Vocals
  • Representative Albums: "Rant in E-Minor," "Arizona Bay," "Relentless"
  • Representative Songs: "Smoking," "Easter," "Step on the Gas (L.A. Riots)"

Biography

Bill Hicks was the last great social satirist, the true descendent of comedians like Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, and Mort Sahl. The self-described "Prince of Darkness," his work confronted the hypocrisies of late-20th century American life, divining comedy from the more evil impulses of the government and the mass media while assaulting the soullessness of mainstream culture. An alcoholic, coke addict, and chain smoker, Hicks also experimented heavily with hallucinogenics, and his monologues addressed issues of expanded consciousness and spirituality rare to the comedy format; for all of the rage inherent in his standup, his message was one of transcendence -- as he frequently reminded audiences, "The truth will set you free."

William M. Hicks was born on December 16, 1961, in Valdosta, GA. Raised in a strict Baptist household in the Houston, TX, subdivision of Nottingham Forest, he became fascinated by comedy at a young age, and by the time he was 13 Hicks was tape-recording his favorite comedians' routines off of the TV and staying up all night writing his own material. While a sophomore in high school, he and a friend began sneaking off to Houston's Comedy Workshop to perform at open-mike sessions; when his parents found out, Hicks was grounded. Following his graduation in 1980 he moved to Los Angeles, and began honing his craft at the legendary Comedy Store.

Throughout the Reagan years, Hicks developed his bitter, vitriolic style -- "the comedy of hate," he once dubbed it; among his frequent victims were the conservative right, the advertising industry, nonsmokers, pro-lifers, mainstream pop culture, fundamentalists, and the Warren Commission (the assassination of John F. Kennedy was a lifelong obsession). By the end of the decade, Hicks' stage presence -- seething and provocative, spiteful and ranting -- led many to lump him in with comics like Andrew Dice Clay, Sam Kinison, and Denis Leary; however, while his contemporaries ultimately softened their acts in the name of commercial viability and movie deals, Hicks stuck to his guns and rejected a string of offers to do television, feature films, and commercials, calling TV "Lucifer's dream box."

In 1990, his career took flight; he issued two standup albums, Dangerous and Relentless, became a cult hero in Britain (where he recorded a special for the Channel Four network), taped another show for HBO, and continued performing upwards of 250 concert dates annually. His frenetic pace continued over the next several years; however, in the summer of 1993 Hicks was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Informing no one of his condition besides his family and girlfriend, he began chemotherapy treatments but continued working even more feverishly, planning a projected book as well as a British series titled The Counts of the Netherworld.

That October, Hicks became the first performer since Elvis Presley to be banned from New York's Ed Sullivan Theatre after a performance on CBS' Late Show With David Letterman was censored in its entirety; the resulting controversy made him a media cause célèbre, and he was invited to write a column for the weekly liberal magazine The Nation. Additionally, he was contacted by the alternative band Tool, who invited Hicks to open a number of their live shows (a number of his monologues were later sampled for the group's 1996 album, Aenima).

Despite the flurry of activity, his condition worsened; finally, on February 26, 1994, Hicks died at the age of 32. In early 1997, Rykodisc reissued both Dangerous and Relentless along with a pair of previously unreleased albums, Arizona Bay and Rant in E-Minor. The label followed those releases with Flying Saucer Tour, Vol. 1 and Love, Laughter and Truth in 2002. The Invasion Group label issued the unauthorized Hicks CD, Shock and Awe, in 2003; the recording was derived from a 1992 appearance at the Oxford Playhouse Theatre in the U.K. The 2005 Rykodisc release Salvation was sourced from the same show but was an official release with more material. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
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Actor: Bill Hicks
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  • Born: 1961 in Valdosta, Georgia
  • Died: Feb 26, 1994
  • Occupation: Actor, Director
  • Active: '80s-2000s
  • Major Genres: Comedy
  • Career Highlights: American: The Bill Hicks Story, The Laff Zone, It's Just a Ride
  • First Major Screen Credit: Ninja Bachelor Party (1991)

Biography

Considered by many to be one of the sharpest social satirists/comedians to have ever graced the standup stage, Bill Hicks offered audiences something more than simple laughs -- he offered a new perspective. Always pushing boundaries in hopes of making his audience question the status quo, Hicks' dangerous brand of standup drew comparisons to such comedy legends as Sam Kinison and Lenny Bruce, despite the fact that many Americans never heard of him during his short lifetime. If comedy were a weapon, Hicks' wit would have been a ten-ton nuclear warhead.

A native of Valdosta, GA, Hicks was raised in Houston from the age of seven. His first standup performance was at a church camp talent show, where Hicks' somewhat blue routine would leave audiences simultaneously shocked and doubled over in laughter. His energy only seemed to grow with each passing year, and by the time he had reached Stratford High School, his teacher would allot him a few minutes to entertain the class each day before lessons in hopes that he would get it out of his system. Staying up nights with friend Dwight Slade in order to refine his comedic universe, the lack of comedy clubs in Houston forced Hicks to innovate by sending videos of his routine to agents. The approach soon proved a success, and one such agent eventually booked Hicks on a 2:00 a.m. spot on the upcoming Jerry Lewis Telethon. Though Hicks' act had yet to develop the razor-sharp teeth of his later years, his wit and warmth were obvious to everyone lucky enough to catch his late-night routine, which would grow increasingly scathing and critical of social norms. His parents took him to a psychoanalyst at age 17, but the doctor found nothing wrong with the emerging comedian and even commented that he was probably in better mental health than they were.

In 1978 Hicks enrolled in a comedy workshop in Houston, and it was there that he made the acquaintance of comic Kinison and truly began to realize the power of anger in comedy. Hicks' family would relocate to Little Rock, AK, during his senior year of high school, and soon after graduating, Hicks made the move to L.A. to grace the stage with such comic greats as Jerry Seinfeld and Garry Shandling. Following an appearance in a short-lived sitcom entitled Bulba, Hicks hit the comedy circuit, where audiences were sometimes taken off guard by his confrontational style -- sometimes resulting in physical confrontations initiated by offended audience members. Hicks first appeared on David Letterman's late-night talk show in 1984, thanks to an arrangement made by fellow comic Jay Leno, and many more television appearances were soon to follow.

Though he would come dangerously close to losing himself to drugs, an invitation by Rodney Dangerfield to appear on Dangerfield's Young Comedian's Special launched Hicks' career and found him packing his bags for New York. It was at this point that Hicks and childhood friend Kevin Booth formed Sacred Cow Productions to bring Hicks' act to film and albums. Though Hicks would eschew drugs after realizing that he was on the brink of a dangerous addiction, his cigarette smoking only increased during this period (one of Hicks' favorite jokes was that he went through two lighters a day). In November of 1990, British audiences were first introduced to Hicks' unique brand of comedy, thanks to a six-week engagement at London's West End entitled Stand Up America, and his dry and insightful wit (not to mention his searing commentary on the state of the U.S.) immediately won him many fans in the U.K. Hicks received the Critics Award at the Edinburgh Festival the following year, and his perception-altering perspective smashed boundaries and increasingly gained exposure due to his tireless touring schedule. It was also around this time that Hicks met and fell in love with his new manager, Colleen McGarr.

Though everything seemed to be coming together for Hicks, in June of 1993, he was diagnosed with cancer after being plagued with recurring sharp pains in his left side in previous months. Though many might have lain down and hoped for the best at this point, Hicks told only the closest of friends and shifted into overdrive to produce some of his angriest material yet. His final appearance on the Letterman show came on October 1, 1993, and true to form, Hicks remained as eviscerating and insightful as ever. His routine, critical of pro-lifers, was ultimately cut from the broadcast due to corporate protest. Later that same year, it was obvious that his health was failing, and after moving back into his parent's Arkansas home, Hicks performed his final standup act in January of 1994 in New York. Spending his final days surrounded by family, Hicks grew ever closer to his mother and father, playing them music and films and attempting to persuade his father to try hallucinogenic mushrooms, while growing increasingly peaceful and accepting of his impending death. At the time of his death in February of 1994, Hicks was only 32. In addition to numerous appearances in standup comedy videos, Hicks also directed and starred in the 30-minute feature Ninja Bachelor Party (1991). ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
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Bill Hicks
Bill Hicks image.jpg
Birth name William Melvin Hicks
Born December 16, 1961(1961-12-16)
Valdosta, Georgia, U.S.
Died February 26, 1994 (aged 32)
Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S.
Medium Stand-up, music
Nationality American
Years active 1978-1994
Genres Black comedy, observational comedy, satire/political satire
Subject(s) American culture, American politics, current events, pop culture, human sexuality, philosophy, religion, spirituality, recreational drug use, entheogens, conspiracy theories, consumerism
Influences George Carlin, Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, Johnny Carson, Sam Kinison, Terence McKenna, Noam Chomsky
Influenced Denis Leary, Doug Stanhope, Lewis Black, Ron White, David Cross, Patton Oswalt, Dave Attell, Andy Andrist, Russell Brand
Website billhicks.com

William Melvin "Bill" Hicks (December 16, 1961 – February 26, 1994) was a seminal American stand-up comedian and social critic. His humor challenged mainstream beliefs, aiming to "enlighten people to think for themselves."[1] Hicks used a ribald approach to express his material, describing himself as "Chomsky with dick jokes."[1] His jokes included general discussions about society, religion, politics, philosophy and personal issues. Hicks' material was often deliberately controversial and steeped in black comedy. In both his stand-up performances, and during interviews, he often criticized consumerism, superficiality, mediocrity and banality within the media and popular culture, describing them as oppressive tools of the ruling class, meant to "keep people stupid and apathetic."[2] Hicks died of pancreatic cancer in 1994 at the age of 32.

Contents

Early life

Born in Valdosta, Georgia, Bill Hicks was the son of Jim and Mary (Reese) Hicks, and had two elder siblings, Steve and Lynn. The family lived in Florida, Alabama and New Jersey, before settling in Houston, Texas, when Hicks was seven. He was raised in the Southern Baptist faith, where he first began performing as a comedian to other children at Sunday School.[3]

He was drawn to comedy at an early age, emulating Woody Allen and Richard Pryor, and writing routines with his friend Dwight Slade. Worried about his behavior, his parents took him to a psychoanalyst at age 17 but according to Hicks, after one session the psychoanalyst informed him that "...it's them, not you."[3]

In 1978, Hicks, along with friends Slade, Ben Dunn, John S. and Kevin Booth, began performing at the Comedy Workshop in Houston. At first, Hicks was unable to drive to venues independently and was so young that he needed a special work permit to perform. By the autumn of 1978 he had worked his way up to performing once every Tuesday night, while still attending Stratford High School. He was well-received and started developing his improvisational skills, although his act at the time was limited.

California and New York

In 1986, Hicks found himself broke, but his career received another upturn as he appeared on Rodney Dangerfield's Young Comedians Special, in 1987. The same year, he moved to New York City, and for the next five years he did about 300 performances a year. On the album Relentless, he jokes that he quit using drugs because "once you've been taken aboard a UFO, it's kind of hard to top that", although in his performances, he continued to extol the virtues of LSD, marijuana, and psychedelic mushrooms.[4] He fell back to chain-smoking,[5] a theme that would figure heavily in his performances from then on.

In 1988 Hicks signed on with his first professional business manager, Jack Mondrus. Throughout 1989, Mondrus worked to convince many clubs to book Hicks, promising that the wild drug- and alcohol-induced behavior was behind him. Among the club managers hiring the newly sober Hicks was Colleen McGarr, who would become his girlfriend and fiancée in later years.

In 1989 he released his first video, Sane Man.[6] It was reissued in 2006.

Early fame

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In 1990, Hicks released his first album, Dangerous, performed on the HBO special One Night Stand, and performed at Montreal's Just for Laughs festival. He was also part of a group of American stand-up comedians performing in London's West End in November. Hicks was a huge hit in the UK and Ireland and continued touring there throughout 1991. That year, he returned to the Just for Laughs festival and recorded his second album, Relentless.

Hicks made a brief detour into musical recording with the eponymous Marble Head Johnson album in 1992. In November, he toured the UK, where he recorded the Revelations video for Channel 4. He closed the show with "It's Just a Ride", one of his most famous and life-affirming philosophies. Also in that tour he recorded the stand-up performance released in its entirety on a double CD titled Salvation. Hicks was voted "Hot Standup Comic" by Rolling Stone, and moved to Los Angeles in early 1993.

The progressive metal band Tool invited Hicks to open a number of concerts for them on their 1993 Lollapalooza appearances, where Hicks once famously asked the audience to look for a contact lens he'd lost. Thousands of people complied.[7] Tool singer Maynard James Keenan so enjoyed this joke that he repeated it on a number of occasions. Keenan, who worked as a comedian in Los Angeles prior to Tool, met and befriended Hicks through mutual friends and performing at the same venues. In 1996, Tool released their album Ænima which contains mentions of Hicks in the liner notes and on record. The track "Ænema" references Hicks' Arizona Bay philosophy and the closing track "Third Eye" contains samples from Hicks's Dangerous and Relentless albums.

Censorship and aftermath

On October 1, 1993, about five months before his death, Hicks was scheduled to appear on Late Show with David Letterman, his twelfth appearance on a Letterman late night show (his prior 11 appearances having been on Late Night with David Letterman), but his entire performance was removed from the broadcast — the only occasion, up to that point, in which a comedian's entire routine had been cut after taping. Hicks' stand-up routine was removed from the show allegedly because Letterman and his producer were nervous about Hicks' religious jokes. Hicks did appear on a late night public access show stating his belief that it was due to a pro-life commercial that had been aired during the commercial break, being the reason for his act being canned.[8] Both the show's producers and CBS denied responsibility. Hicks expressed his feelings of betrayal in a hand-written, 39-page letter to John Lahr of The New Yorker.[9] Although Letterman later expressed regret at the way Hicks had been handled, Hicks did not appear on the show again. The full account of this incident was featured in a New Yorker profile by Lahr. This profile was later published as a chapter in John Lahr's book, Light Fantastic.[10]

An episode of The Larry Sanders Show (Season 2, Episode 14 "The Performing Artist"), featuring Tim Miller, apparently was based on Hicks' final appearance on Late Show with David Letterman.[11] In that episode Larry cuts Tim's act from the show for being too daring, later to be publicly scolded by Tom Arnold and Roseanne Barr. It was aired August 25, 1994.

Hicks' mother, Mary, appeared on the January 30, 2009, episode of Late Show. Letterman played Hicks' routine in its entirety.[12][13][14][15] Letterman took full responsibility for the original censorship and apologized to Mrs. Hicks, who had accepted his invitation to be a guest on the show. Letterman also declared he did not know what he had been thinking when he pulled the routine from the original show in 1993. Letterman said, "It says more about me as a guy than it says about Bill because there was absolutely nothing wrong with it."

Cancer diagnosis and death

In April 1993, while touring in Australia, Hicks started complaining of pains in his side, and on June 16 of that year, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer that had spread to his liver.[16] He started receiving weekly chemotherapy, while still touring and also recording his album, Arizona Bay, with Kevin Booth. He was also working with comedian Fallon Woodland on a pilot episode of a new talk show, titled Counts of the Netherworld for Channel 4 at the time of his death. The budget and concept had been approved, and a pilot was filmed. The Counts of the Netherworld pilot was shown at the various Tenth Anniversary Tribute Night events around the world on February 26, 2004.

After being diagnosed with cancer, Hicks would often joke openly at performances exclaiming it would be his last. Hicks performed the actual final show of his career at Caroline's in New York on January 6, 1994. He moved back to his parents' house in Little Rock, Arkansas, shortly thereafter. He called his friends to say goodbye, before he stopped speaking on February 14, and re-read J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring.[17] He spent time with his parents, playing them the music he loved and showing them documentaries about his interests. He died of cancer in the presence of his parents at 11:20 p.m. on February 26, 1994.[18] Hicks was buried in the family plot in Leakesville, Mississippi.

Comic style

Bill Hicks's style was a play on his audience's emotions. He expressed anger, disgust and apathy while addressing the audience in a casual and personal manner, often making eye contact with individual audience members in smaller venues.

Hicks' material was less focused on the everyday banalities of life and placed greater emphasis on philosophical themes of existence. He would invite his audiences to challenge authority and the existential nature of "accepted truth." One such message, which he often used in his shows, was delivered in the style of a news report:

Today, a young man on acid realized that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration — that we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively. There is no such thing as death; life is only a dream, and we are the imagination of ourselves... Here's Tom with the weather! [19]

One of Hicks' most famous quotes was delivered during a gig in Chicago in 1989 (later released as the bootleg I'm Sorry, Folks). After a heckler repeatedly shouted "Free Bird", Hicks screamed "Hitler had the right idea, he was just an underachiever." Hicks followed this remark with a misanthropic tirade calling for unbiased genocide against the whole of humanity.[20]

Much of Hicks' routine involved direct attacks on mainstream society, religion, politics and consumerism. Asked in a BBC interview why he cannot do a routine that appeals "to everyone", he said that such an act was impossible. He responded by repeating a comment an audience member once made to him, "We don't come to comedy to think!", to which he replied, "Gee! Where do you go to think? I'll meet you there!" In the same interview, he also said: "My way is half-way between: this is a night-club, and these are adults." [21]

Hicks often discussed conspiracy theories in his performances, most notably the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. He mocked the Warren Report and the official version of Lee Harvey Oswald as a "lone nut assassin." He also questioned the guilt of David Koresh and the Branch Davidian compound during the Waco Siege.

Hicks would end some of his shows — and especially those being recorded in front of larger audiences as albums — with a mock "assassination" of himself on stage, making gunshot sound effects into the microphone and falling to the ground.

Hicks and Denis Leary

For many years, Hicks was friends with fellow comedian Denis Leary. However, in 1993, Hicks was angered upon hearing Leary's album No Cure for Cancer.[22] While he had laughed off similarities between the two comedians before, the parallels between the album and Hicks' material (including jokes about smoking, Jim Fixx, and Judas Priest) and tone were clear. Reportedly, upon hearing the album, "Bill was furious. All these years, aside from the occasional jibe, he had pretty much shrugged off Leary's lifting. Comedians borrowed, stole stuff and even bought bits from one another. Milton Berle and Robin Williams were famous for it. This was different. Leary had, practically line for line, taken huge chunks of Bill's act and recorded it."[23]

The friendship ended abruptly as a result.[24] At least three stand-up comedians have gone on the record stating they believe Leary stole Hicks' material as well as his persona and attitude.[25][26][27] In an interview, when Hicks was asked why he had quit smoking, he answered, "I just wanted to see if Denis would, too."[28] In another interview, Hicks famously told an interviewer: "I have a scoop for you. I stole his [Leary's] act. I camouflaged it with punchlines, and to really throw people off, I did it before he did."[29]

The controversy surrounding plagiarism is also mentioned in American Scream: The Bill Hicks Story, by Cynthia True:

Leary was in Montreal hosting the "Nasty Show" at Club Soda, and Colleen [McGarr?] was coordinating the talent so she stood backstage and overheard Leary doing material incredibly similar to old Hicks riffs, including his perennial Jim Fixx joke: ("Keith Richards outlived Jim Fixx, the runner and health nut dude. The plot thickens."). When Leary came offstage, Colleen, more stunned than angry, said, "Hey, you know that's Bill Hicks' material! Do you know that's his material?" Leary stood there, stared at her without saying a word and briskly left the dressing room.[23]

During a 2003 roast of Denis Leary, comedian Lenny Clarke, a friend of Leary's, said there was a carton of cigarettes backstage from Bill Hicks with the message, "Wish I had gotten these to you sooner." This joke was cut from the final broadcast.[30]

In a 2008 interview, Leary said "It wouldn’t have been an issue, I think, if Bill had lived. It’s just that people look at a tragedy and they look at that circumstance and they go, oh, this must be how we can explain this."[31]

Legacy

Arizona Bay and Rant in E-Minor were released posthumously in 1997 on the Voices imprint of the Rykodisc label. Dangerous and Relentless were also re-released by Rykodisc on the same date.

In a 2005 poll to find The Comedian's Comedian, fellow comedians and comedy insiders voted Hicks #13 on their list of "The Top 20 Greatest Comedy Acts Ever". Likewise, in "Comedy Central Presents: 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time" (2004), Hicks was ranked at #19. In March 2007, Channel 4 ran a poll, "The Top 100 Stand-Up Comedians of All Time," in which Hicks was voted #6.[32]

Devotees of Hicks have incorporated his words, image and attitude into their own creations. Because of audio sampling, fragments of Hicks' rants, diatribes, social criticisms and philosophies have found their way into many musical works, such as the live version of Super Furry Animals' "Man Don't Give A Fuck". His influence on Tool is well documented; he "appears" on the Fila Brazillia album Maim That Tune (1996) and on SPA's self titled album SPA (1997), which are both dedicated to Hicks; the British band Radiohead's second album The Bends (1995) is also dedicated to his memory. The UK band Shack released an album in August 2003 quoting a Bill Hicks routine in the title: Here's Tom With the Weather. The album also included other Bill Hicks quotes in the liner notes. English breakbeat artist Adam Freeland sampled Revelations for his track "We Want Your Soul." Welsh punk rock band Mclusky reference a Hicks routine in the lyrics to their song "To Hell With Good Intentions". Punk cabaret musician Amanda Palmer says, "I have my new Bill Hicks CD" in the song "Another Year" on her 2008 album Who Killed Amanda Palmer. The Swedish indie pop singer/songwriter Jens Lekman has written a song called "People who Hate People Come Together" after the same Hicks quote. The last track of The Kleptones album Yoshimi Battles the Hip-Hop Robots, Last Words (A Tribute), includes his "It's just a ride" in its entirety.[citation needed]

The British movie Human Traffic referred to him as the "late prophet Bill Hicks," and portrays the main character, Jip, watching Hicks' stand-up before going out to "remind me not to take life too seriously". Hicks even appears in the comic book Preacher, in which he is an important influence on the protagonist, Rev. Jesse Custer. His opening voice-over to the 1991 Revelations live show is also quoted in Preacher's last issue.[citation needed]

The British actor Chas Early portrayed Hicks in the one-man stage show Bill Hicks: Slight Return, which premiered in 2005.

On February 25, 2004, British MP Stephen Pound tabled an early day motion titled "Anniversary of the Death of Bill Hicks" (EDM 678 of the 2003-04 session), the text of which was as follows:

“ That this House notes with sadness the 10th anniversary of the death of Bill Hicks, on 26th February 1994, at the age of 32; recalls his assertion that his words would be a bullet in the heart of consumerism, capitalism and the American Dream; and mourns the passing of one of the few people who may be mentioned as being worth [sic] of inclusion with Lenny Bruce and George Carlin in any list of unflinching and painfully honest political philosophers.[33] ”

The Bill Hicks Foundation for Wildlife Rehabilitation, dedicated to Hicks in tribute to his love of animals, rescues and rehabilitates injured wildlife in the Texas Hill Country.[34]

Rappers Adil Omar and Vinnie Paz of Jedi Mind Tricks have also cited Hicks as an influence to their work, and comedian David Cross has stated that he was inspired by Hicks[35].

Film and documentary

A film about Hicks' life and career, rumored to be directed by Ron Howard, is said to be in pre-production. Russell Crowe has been mentioned as one of the producers and may portray Hicks as well.[36]

A documentary entitled 'American: The Bill Hicks Story' based on interviews with his family and friends is in post-production and will be released in 2010.[37]

Discography

Main article: Bill Hicks discography

Notes

  1. ^ a b Shugart, Karen. "Bill Hicks: 'Chomsky with Dick Jokes". Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. http://web.jrn.columbia.edu/studentwork/coveringideas/jokes.asp. Retrieved 2009-11-10. 
  2. ^ See "http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8409129199157823217" Bill Hicks on David Letterman Censorship
  3. ^ a b Bill Hicks: Love all the people(Constable, 2004)
  4. ^ See Sane Man and Rant in E Minor.
  5. ^ allmusic
  6. ^ Bill Hicks: Sane Man (1989) at the Internet Movie Database
  7. ^ "It's Only a Ride: Bill Hicks". interview with Kevin Booth. Fade To Black. http://www.fadetoblack.com/interviews/billhicks/13.html. Retrieved 2006-03-03. 
  8. ^ [1] Larry Sanders Show.
  9. ^ Bio
  10. ^ Lahr, John. Light Fantastic. Bloomsbury Publishing PLC. ISBN 978-0747530794. http://www.johnlahr.com/light.html. Retrieved 2007-06-05. 
  11. ^ Larry Sanders Show
  12. ^ [2] The Late Show — YouTube, in 3 parts.
  13. ^ [3] The Late Show.
  14. ^ [4] The Late Show.
  15. ^ "An outlaw comic finally gets his final say"
  16. ^ "Last Word". BillHicks.com. Bill Hicks. http://www.billhicks.com/last-word.html. Retrieved 2007-06-05. 
  17. ^ "Liner notes for "Philosophy: The Best of Bill Hicks"". http://www.billhicks.com/phil-contents.html. Retrieved 2009-04-16. 
  18. ^ O'Neill, Brendan (2004-02-23). "Bill Hicks: Why the fuss, exactly?". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3513475.stm. Retrieved 2006-03-03. 
  19. ^ Extract from Revelations, London, 1993. The extract is part of the concluding track to the album, called "It's Just a Ride", in which he essentially outlines his world view.
  20. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDrgwZsGC9A
  21. ^ Bill Hicks Interview BBC2 1992, YouTube – from the episode A Question of Taste, part the BBC's "Funny Business" series, retrieved Feb 2009.
  22. ^ Outhwaite, Paul (November 2003). One Consciousness: An Analysis of Bill Hicks's Comedy, 3rd edition, D.M. Productions. ISBN 0-9537461-3-5.
  23. ^ a b Cynthia True (2002). American Scream: The Bill Hicks Story. Harper Paperbacks. ISBN 0-380-80377-1. 
  24. ^ Kevin Booth and Michael Bertin (2005). Bill Hicks: Agent of Evolution. Harper Collins. ISBN 0-00-719829-9. 
  25. ^ Joe Rogan (2005). "Carlos Mencia is a weak minded joke thief". JoeRogan.net. http://blog.joerogan.net/archives/92. Retrieved 2006-10-28. 
  26. ^ Rogan, Joe. Interview. Playboy Magazine. October 2003.
  27. ^ Tim McIntire (1998). "Dark Times: Bill Hicks: Frequently Asked Questions". BillHicks.com. Archived from the original on 2006-10-11. http://web.archive.org/web/20060320081614/http://www.billhicks.com/darktimes/other/darktimes20/faq/faq.html. Retrieved 2006-10-28. 
  28. ^ See "http://www.thestar.com/comment/columnists/article/97129" Nothing funny about joke thieves
  29. ^ Doug Stern (April 1993). "Profile: Bill Hicks". Austin Comedy News. http://www.gavinsblog.com/probill.htm. Retrieved 2006-10-22. 
  30. ^ "Roasting a Comic They Turn Up the Flames Gently". Boston Globe. 2003-08-10. http://web.archive.org/web/20030811054820/http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/222/living/Roasting_a_comic_they_turn_up_the_flames_gently+.shtml.  (dead link as of at least March 26, 2009)
  31. ^ http://www.bullz-eye.com/television/interviews/2008/denis_leary.htm
  32. ^ "100 Greatest Comedy Stand-ups vote from channel4.com". Channel 4. http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/C/comedy_standups/results/results.html. Retrieved 2007-03-19. 
  33. ^ "Anniversary of the death of Bill Hicks". Parliamentary Information Management Services. http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=25411. Retrieved 2006-03-03. 
  34. ^ http://www.billhicks.org/index.html
  35. ^ http://www.simonguildford.com/David_Cross_interview.html
  36. ^ "Rusty relaxes as film takes leaf of absence". The Sydney Morning Herald. http://www.smh.com.au/news/people/rusty-relaxes-as-film-takes-leaf-of-absence/2008/08/16/1218307309396.html. 
  37. ^ American: The Bill Hicks Story

Further reading

External links

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