American

American: The Bill Hicks Story

"Here's another idea that should be punctured, the idea that childbirth is a miracle. I don't know who started this rumor but it's not a miracle. No more a miracle than eating food and a t@rd coming out of your butt. It's a chemical reaction and a biological reaction. You want to know a miracle? A miracle is raising a kid that doesn't talk in a movie theater.”

There are isolated pockets of creativity. In the aftermath of the horrors of World War I, a band of disillusioned artists and writers congregated in Europe trying to make sense of things. This “lost generation” included Ernest Hemingway, Ezra Pound, John Steinbeck, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Erich Maria Remarque, and Sherwood Anderson. In the late 1950s and early 60s, poor, working-class English boys hear American rock-n-roll, drawing on their own experiences, repackaged it, and produced the British invasion. The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, The Animals, The Who, The Kinks, Herman’s Hermits, and Petula Clark changed music as we know it. Inspired by heavy metal, indie rock, and hardcore punk, isolated by distance, and heavily influenced by the weather of Seattle, a new form of music developed called grunge, producing Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Nirvana, Soundgarden and dozens of other bands.

“You ever noticed how people who believe in Creationism look really unevolved? You ever noticed that? Eyes real close together, eyebrow ridges, big furry hands and feet. “I believe God created me in one day.” Yeah, looks like He rushed it.”

The same phenomena happens in comedy. It was the height of the “me generation,” the Reagan revolution. After the disaster of Vietnam, an energy crisis, Watergate, and malaise, America found itself on a path towards materialism, conservative values, consumerism and faith. Bouncing back from a recession, the epicenter of this wave was oil rich Houston, Texas. Yet, under the surface of this glossy surface was a seething anger, a resentment of this conservative backlash. These gypsies in the palace of traditional Americans values expressed their anger in the oldest socially acceptable means, comedy. Jack Wilks, Carl LaBove, and Bob Barber were three of these self-labeled “Outlaws of Comedy.” The two most famous of these raging stand-ups was a former fundamentalist minister named Sam Kinison and a chain-smoking cynic named Bill Hicks. Both would die before their time.

… We live in a world where John Lennon was murdered, yet Barry Manilow continues to put out albums. God-dammit! If you're gonna kill somebody, have some taste. I'll drive you to Kenny Rogers' house.

Sam Kinison and Bill Hicks challenged the boundaries of American comedy and like meteors screaming through the night, they quickly burned out, but not before leaving some of the greatest comedy bits of the latter twentieth century. They poked holes in the status quo and pointed out that the emperor wore no clothes. They faced censorship, found themselves banned from several television projects and programs because they were risqué, not family friendly and controversial. They had their material and personas were stolen by less talented comedians (Bobcat Goldthwait and Denis Leary). Their refusal to conform cost them millions. In 1992, 38-year-old Sam Kinison died on U.S. Route 95, just west of Needles, California, ironically the victim of a drunk driver. A little more than a year after that, his friend Bill Hicks also died the victim of pancreatic cancer, which spread to his liver. He was just 32-years-old. Much like Lenny Bruce before them, it is little wonder that Hollywood has been trying to make big screen biopics of their lives for years now. Kinison’s story has been in developmental hell since the early 1990s when producer and shock jock Howard Stern wanted to cast Robin Williams as Sam. Recently, HBO picked up the rights and cast Dan Fogler (Balls of Fury) as the portly, screaming comedian and promised to have the movie made within the year. Hicks’ story currently has one of the biggest stars, Russell Crowe, and greatest directors, Ron Howard, chomping at the bit to get it made. Until then the documentary American: The Bill Hicks Story gives an overview of one of the greatest stand-ups ever.

“If you don't think drugs have done good things for us, then take all of your records, tapes and CDs and burn them. Cause you know what? The musicians that made all that great music that's enhanced your lives throughout the years? Real high on drugs. The Beatles were so high they let Ringo sing a few songs."

Bill Hicks described himself as “Chomsky with dick jokes.” Usually dressed in black, he prowled the stage, chain-smoking, and challenging his audience to examine their lives and beliefs be it religion, politics, or drugs. His comedy, often dark, attacked superficiality, stupidity, consumerism and reexamined accepted truths. He questioned the Iraq War, creationism, the Kennedy assassination, and the siege at Waco. His musings on Christianity were so controversial that his twelfth appearance on the Late Night with David Letterman on October 1, 1993 was not just censored but removed entirely from the broadcast after it was taped. The only time this had happened in the whole history of the show. Angry, Hicks, speaking to John Lahr of the New Yorker, believed his segment had been removed because CBS had aired a pro-life spot during the show. Hicks never appeared on the show again. Yet, fifteen years after her son’s death, in 2009, Letterman invited Bill’s mother, Mary, on his show, apologized, and played the routine in its entirety.

You believe the world’s 12 thousand years old? “That’s right.” Okay I got one word to ask you, a one word question, ready? “Uh huh.” Dinosaurs … “Dinosaur fossils? God put those there to test our faith.” Thank God I’m strapped in right now here man. I think God put you here to test my faith, Dude. You believe that? “Uh huh.” Does that trouble anyone here? The idea that God... might be…screwing with our heads? I have trouble sleeping with that knowledge. Some prankster God running around: “Hu hu ho. We will see who believes in me now, ha HA.”

While the Valdosta, Georgia native Hicks had begun his comedy career as a teenager and enjoyed some moderate success in America, especially after being featured on “Rodney Dangerfield’s Young Comedians Special” in 1987, even garnering an HBO special five years later and being named the hottest comedian in America a year before his death, his major success came in Europe. “A prophet is without honor in his own home” and this was no truer than for Bill Hicks. He was a superstar in places like England while still struggling to make ends meet in this country. It was not until his death that a huge cult following began to develop around his humor.

"I was in Nashville, Tennessee last year. After the show I went to a Waffle House. I'm not proud of it, I was hungry. And I'm alone, I'm eating and I'm reading a book, right? Waitress walks over to me: 'Hey, whatcha readin' for?' Isn't that the weirdest question you've ever heard? Not what am I reading, but what am I reading FOR? Well, g@dammit, ya stumped me! Why do I read? Well . . . hmmm . . . I dunno . . . I guess I read for a lot of reasons and the main one is so I don't end up being a waffle waitress."

If you have never heard of Bill Hicks, American: The Bill Hicks Story is a nice place to begin. Download a concert or two of his, buy one of his cds, or watch some of his performances on Youtube.

People are bringing shotguns to UFO sightings in Fife, Alabama. I asked a guy, "Why do you bring a gun to a UFO sighting?" Guy said, "Way-ul,we didn' wanna be ab-duc-ted." Dude, if I lived in Fife, Alabama, I would be on my hands and knees every night praying for abduction every day.

Verdict: Rest In Peace Bill Hicks and we will laugh with you until we join you.