| On February 26,, 1994 we lost an important voice that most of us didn’t know we had. Bill Hicks was that rarest of stand-up comics – a skilled agitator and social critic, he wasn’t looking to parlay his comedy into a sitcom or a movie career. Hicks only wanted to keep spewing the truth as he saw it to live audiences without fear of repercussions.
Born in December of 1961 in Valdosta, Georgia, Hicks would rage on about the hypocrisy of the religious right even when performing in Bible Belt states. His unfiltered opinions led to many confrontations with unsuspecting audience members. In one incident, Bill broke his ankle. In another, someone pointed a gun at him on stage.
Now, more than a decade after the 32-year-old comic’s death due to cancer, one can experience his razor-edged brilliance on the Bill Hicks Live DVD. Three of the comic’s greatest performances are on the DVD, including his 1991 Relentless show at Montreal’s International Comedy Festival, a gig many considered to be his breakout performance.
Also great is his Revelations show taped the same year in London, England. This set features an attack on former president George Bush Senior, who thought it vital to destroy an enemy that past U.S. arms deals with Iraq had created in the first place.
Rounding out this remarkable comedy disc is the 45-minute documentary Just a Ride. It examines Hicks’s continuing legacy through the recollections and opinions of David Letterman, Jay Leno, Brett Butler and other esteemed comic performers.
Watching Bill Hicks Live you’ll likely be glad that such a fearless, intelligent muckraking comic once existed. And, you’ll regret that he is not around today to blast away at much of our modern bullshit. |
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