← Autodidact Archive · Original Dissent · MadScienceType
Thread ID: 7404 | Posts: 3 | Started: 2003-06-16
2003-06-16 18:38 | User Profile
Anyone catch the Bill Hicks special on Trio last night? It was pretty good, as I liked the guy's sense of humor and style. If you do get a chance, take it in. I simply ignored Janene Garofolo's obnoxious voice-overs as well as the artsy-fartsy montages and enjoyed the previously-unseen Hicks footage. The show prompted me to dig out one of his CDs. His material on the first Gulf War was hilarious, but the truly funny thing is how the material would be just as fresh regarding our current Iraqi sojourn.
You know we armed Iraq. I wondered about that too, you know during the Persian Gulf war those intelligence reports would come out: "Iraq: incredible weapons - incredible weapons." How do you know that? "Uh, well... We looked at the receipts." "Ah but as soon as that check clears, we're going in." "What time's the bank open? 8? We're going in at 9." "We're going in for God and country and democracy and here's a fetus and he's a Hitler. Whatever you f*cking need, let's go. Get motivated behind this, let's go!"
2003-06-17 10:51 | User Profile
Hicks was one of those comics whose content was often truthful and challenging, yet whose personal style rubbed me the wrong way. I just didn't think the guy was funny.
I think the problem may be the Stand-Up Poisoning of America. The consortium of skullcaps who gave us disco and aerobics similarly killed standup comedy via supersaturation marketing a while ago....suddenly there were 'comedy clubs' where once the mighty roller discos and pet-rock emporiums had stood and there was no escaping a teeming horde of frat-boy schmucks in black blazers, sleeves pulled up to elbows, standing in front of brick walls asking the audience "anybody remember BEWITCHED?" or if you ever noticed the little differences between men and women. Groannn. It only took a year or two of this before I began to hate stand-up comedy and stand-up comics.
There are exceptions, like Sam Kinison when he was either sober or just on coke. But even he got annoying after 15-20 minutes. And what's this about 'the censoring of Bill Hicks'? He was a favorite of the hipoisie, which means you always could and still can still buy all his (unexpurgated) albums and videos. Censor who? Where? Me, I'm angrier that BBC America just discontinued their Monty Python & Fawlty Towers reruns than I am that NBC once bumped Hicks off Letterman a decade ago.
2003-06-17 14:43 | User Profile
I'm sure Hicks was insufferable on a personal level. I wasn't too keen on his "we can feed the world if we'd only want to do it" and his unbridled hatred for the South. I did enjoy the fact that he didn't engage in "safe" material such as that you mentioned.
If I never see another A&E "Evening at the Improv" special again, I would die happy.
I too enjoy anything Monty Python, and especially John Cleese puts out, but for some reason, most Brit comedy leaves me cold.