Bill Hicks' Spot On David Letterman in 1993 - Another Tragedy Exposed

[Yavin4]

As you may know, David Letterman invited the late Bill Hicks' mom onto his show because he wanted to apologize for not airing a set that Bill Hicks did on his show in 1993. Dave thought that Bill's routine was inappropriate. (Methinks that in 19993 Dave was afraid of being too edgy. The Dave of the 80s would have had no problem with that set.)

Dave apologized to Bill's mom, and he played the set, which was indeed brilliant. At the time, Bill was suffering from cancer, but he was superb.

Yet, another tragedy was exposed during Bill's set. You see, Bill opened with a joke about his new show. On this show, Bill was going to hunt down and kill Billy Ray Cyrus.

Now, sure, it was a joke, but of we had killed Billy Ray Cyrus in 1993, there would be no Miley Cyrus, no Hannah Montana, and that's the real tragedy here.

[vixengrl]

1. It's weird. I looked up, "Cops" was still on, "American Gladiators"

was brought back. Billy Ray Cyrus had spawned. And Rush Limbaugh was in the news.

It's like, wow--Hicks' stuff only gets more relevant (and this after we got another Bush and went back to Iraq....)

But seriously--Miley Cyrus, and throw in the Jonas Bros, too--


Play from your HEEEAAAAARRTTT!!!!!

[Danger Mouse]

2. There are worse things in the world than Miley Cyrus.

[jobycom]

3. So you've got a vendetta against a teenage girl because other teenage girls

like her? Maybe you could pose as a hot boy online and then become Miley's friend and then break it off telling her you've heard bad things and then she'll kill herself and you can feel all good and stuff.

[harmonicon]

4. fuck

that's some funny shit

yes, I have a horribly bad sense of humour.

[jobycom]

10. That

may be why we get along. :)

[Tangerine LaBamba]

5. I thought Mary Hicks was elegant,

and handled herself beautifully. She did not let Letterman off the hook, but she did gracefully accept his apology.

What mystifies me is why Letterman did this at all. And why now.

The reality is that the decision wasn't made by David Letterman, although his taking the fall for it is admirable, I suppose. The spot was censored by CBS because - and you'd have to see the original show that was shown that night, without Hicks - one of the ads shown that night was for a Right To Life group, and the producers of the Letterman show knew that the jokes Bill Hicks made about them - "If you're Right To Life, you don't want to be blockading abortion clinics. You ought to link arms and blockade cemeteries."

That joke from a man who knew he was dying. Doesn't get any more real than that, does it?

I'm glad Letterman apologized to Mrs. Hicks and I'm glad she was able to see her son's performance aired properly, even if it was fifteen years after his death.

But I still wonder why Letterman took the fall.

[no name no slogan]

6. Wasn't that about the same time Letterman was switching networks?

He was leaving NBC for CBS (and an earlier time slot, up against the Tonight Show), so he probably didn't want to 1) be too edgy early in the night, and 2) offend his new bosses at CBS.

That could have played a part in it.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

8. What I know from people in the industry

is that the Hicks pull wasn't solely Letterman's decision. It was the producers - and he was one of them - but it never Letterman's alone.

But, yeah, his moving to CBS, the negotiations were going on, so, sure, he didn't need a stink from the Right To Lifers.

Any way you cut it, it sucked.

Did you ever read the John Lahr New Yorker profile of Bill Hicks and this whole episode? It's stunning, and must reading for any Hicks fan:

http://www.newyorker.com/archive/1993/11/01/1993_11_01_113_TNY_CARDS_000365503

[Yavin4]

9. The Thing Is That David Letterman of the 80s

Was the edgiest thing on TV. He'd put on Harvey Pekar and Brother Theodore.

[rcrush]

11. Wasnt that because of his time slot?

From what I recall NBC didnt really give a shit about the late night slot in the 80's so he could get away with a lot. I think Dave in 1993 didnt have the power that Dave does today at CBS. He said it was his decision but I dont see him as a guy that gets offended at jokes about religion and pro life stuff.

[Robeson]

7. Hicks was way to far advanced - and still would be - for anything this country...

...would allow on network tv. Listen to the stuff he said about Gulf War I, and you'd think he was talking about Gulf War II. What a loss.