William Melvin Hicks was the best comedian ever.

[dorktv]

Can you believe he has been gone for ten years? I introduced another person to him the other day (Relentless album, Gulf War section) and he thought it was the best piece ever on the Iraqi war and then I said "Um that was done in '92." Bill's stuff is still fresh after 12 years.

And I am glad he did not live to see Bush*t. It would have broken his heart. He deserved better.
WE DESERVE BETTER. *edited*

[Whitacre D_WI]

1. Yup.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=723783&mesg_id=726482&page=

[BlackVelvetElvis]

7. Thanks for posting those

He was one of a kind!

[dolo amber]

15. We could have

a Bill Hicks quote thread that would take up all of the new DU servers...very little that came from his mouth wasn't quotable. He was utterly brilliant, and I feel SO amazingly lucky to have seen him. :)

Some of my (easily accessible online) faves are:

"I don't mean to sound bitter, cold, or cruel, but I am, so that's how it comes out."

"They lie about marijuana. Tell you pot-smoking makes you unmotivated. Lie! When you're high, you can do everything you normally do, just as well. You just realize that it's not worth the fucking effort. There is a difference."

"I can speak for every guy in this room here tonight. Guys, if you could blow yourselves, ladies, you'd be in this room alone right now. Watching an empty stage."

"I don't do drugs anymore... than say, the average touring funk band."

and of course, my original DU sig line:

"Watching television is like taking black spray paint to your third eye." ;)


R.I.P. Bill. :)


edit: Thanks for the pics, Vince. :hi:

[GOPisEvil]

2. I have his cds. They are still topical today!

He was a great, great comedian and social commentator. I miss him.

[opiate69]

3. Amen to that...

And, as an aside, Dennis Leary needs to bow down and beg forgiveness for stealing his act.

[dorktv]

4. I loved Hicks response to that.

[opiate69]

6. response??

Refresh my memory, if you would please...not sure I've heard the whole story..

[dorktv]

8. I forget the exact thing but it was

"Well I actually copied Dennis, but to make it seem like I didn't, I did all my stuff two years earlier"

[opiate69]

10. Brilliant...

I swear, I almost threw a brick thru my TV when I saw the ads for Leary's comedy special called "If it wasn't for cancer"..

[dorktv]

11. Bill would still be with us and Leary might still have a career. ;)

[Lostmessage]

5. He was from Texas right?

???

[dorktv]

9. Born in Georgia and grew up in Texas.

He was hot too.

[Djinn]

12. total and complete

LEGEND - I like to paraphrase one of his bits:

Dennis Miller....Alive and on TV

Colin Quin.......Alive and on TV

Bill Hicks.......Taken, there is NO God

[dorktv]

13. God gave me Dean so I would say there is one...

But then again he was awful mean to want to hear the jokes in person. :(

[mitchum]

14. Some of his material was brilliant, but his delivery was often rambling...

and shaky. Kind of the reverse Jerry Seinfeld.

Lenny Bruce and Richard Pryor are TIED for the title of best comedian ever.
Michael O'Donoghue was the funniest man of the 20th century (although he was not technically a comedian)

[Enraged_Ape]

16. I agree. Bill Hicks was absolutely first-rate.

And I CAN believe he's been gone 10 years. It seems like 30 years.

You know, there have been so many Bill Hicks impersonators. Even Dennis Miller started his career by trying to emulate him, but he was (and is) only an unworthy pale shadow of the MASTER. Allow me to hoist a :beer: to the memory of our friend William Melvin HIcks.