Bill Hicks

It’s the 4^th of July, but I don’t have anything particularly patriotic to say this time around; the prior 7/4 entries concerned the Grateful Dead (7/4/06) and the American Revolution (7/4/07).  Though I suppose, getting more esoteric and obtuse, that free speech and expression – in the most extreme form of irreverent comedy – could be considered patriotic.

Recently George Carlin died.  I liked him, he was excellent, definitely irreverent, definitely witty and on the ball – especially his rails against political correctness and his classic “football vs. baseball” comparison.  But when it comes to raging, obnoxious, dead on the nail thinking man’s comedian, forget Bill Maher, the ultimate was BILL HICKS.

The problems I have with Bill Maher: first, he seems phenomenally absorbed in himself.  He has this smug, smartass arrogance which turns me off.  The second is that he appears to rip off George Carlin: “say a whole bunch of obnoxious, outrageous, offensive, crazy stuff, to get people to pay attention to me.”  I don’t sense so much sincerity in his act so much as an effort to offend people for the sake of offending them... to draw attention and publicity to himself.

Somewhere along the line, some artists picked up the idea that great art offends the popular mainstream, so if it doesn’t provoke a reaction, if it doesn’t anger or offend anyone, it’s not worthwhile or real, true, art.  Marilyn Manson is the top example of this philosophy in the music world; punk rock was its earlier manifestation.  Even John Lennon got on board with his Two Virgins album with Yoko Ono.  Robert Mapplethorpe and the urine-soaked Jesus crowd are yet more examples.  And in comedy we have… BILL MAHER.  Enough said about him.

Bill Hicks was original, he was sincere, he was cool.

With Bill Hicks, as obnoxious and offensive as he could be, there was a difference, a very subtle and difficult distinction.  Hicks wasn’t out to offend, for the sake of offending: he had messages and ideas he sincerely believed in and wanted to get across, and if he did so in a way that was offensive, well, too bad.  It was funny and it worked. 

 Some of his wacked out humor:

1.         All the best music of the 60’s and 70’s was inspired by drugs.  If you want non-drug inspired music, chuck out all your favorite albums.

2.         “Clean cut” music which doesn’t offend anyone SUCKS.  If rock and roll IS the “devil’s music”, well, what do you know?  The Devil rocks!

3.         There can be POSITIVE drug experiences – it’s just that the press doesn’t want to be seen as glamorizing drugs by reporting them.

4.         Backwards messages telling people to kill themselves (e.g. Judas Priest – not a fan, though, two less JP fans = two less gas station attendants): IDIOTIC.  Why would the band want to kill its own audience?

5.         “Devil” music is about sex:  SO WHAT?  What’s wrong with sex?

6.         Women cringe about performing oral sex on men as “disgusting”, but they wouldn’t think of refusing a man to perform oral sex on them…as “disgusting” (imitates woman moaning, receiving oral sex, saying “no, don’t do that….it’s so disgusting… uhh yesss….”)

7.         If a guy could blow himself, he would. “Ladies, if this were possible, you’d be here by yourselves in the audience...looking at an empty stage.” (Ok, he doesn’t speak for me on that one….) 

8.         Alcohol vs. Pot: “Ever see any loud, obnoxious, aggressive, angry fan at a sports event or concert?  Now think, what drug is he on?  Pot? Uh uh.  Guess what, he’s DRUNK!”

9.         Legalize drugs so you can tax them!  Taxing alcohol is great, as it pays for roads… on which we can drive drunk and kill each other.  If a stoner causes an accident, who cares?  He was driving at 4 miles per hour!  “Whoa, we hit a pizza truck!”

10.        The Gulf War was hardly a war, it was so one-sided.  The much-feared Republican Guards went from “elite” to “hey, where did they go?  They ran away!”  Their casualties, 150,000; ours: 79!!!  “We could have gone to war with just 80 men and we’d still have won!”

11.  Railing against health-obsessed, arrogant non-smokers (as he lit up on stage and puffed away), he advised them of a chilling but undeniable fact: "non-smokers are dying every day."

Best is to rent one of his DVD’s, to see the man in action: “Bill Hicks Live: Satirist, Social Critic, Stand-up Comedian 2004”.