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22 December 2023
free adj:*
1. Not imprisoned or enslaved; being at liberty.
2. Not controlled by obligation or the will of another: felt free to go.
3. Not subject to arbitrary interference by a government: a free press.
For such a simple concept, one which we all like to think we understand, very few people are actually able to live a truly free existence. Without even realizing what we are doing, we enslave ourselves to thankless, menial jobs. We inhibit our actions based upon the common opinion. We seek to find a place in the existence given to us rather than attempt to define our own. So rarely do we find an example of someone who does what they wish and says what they mean without pretension, that the revelation is almost staggering when true freedom is expertly illustrated. Bill Hicks was a stand-up comedian only by title. His words provoked laughter, true, but they also provoked thought, insight, analysis, and reaction.
Bill Hicks Live: Satirist, Social Critic, Stand-Up Comedian (Rykodisc) gives you three of Bill’s best performances on one DVD: his HBO One Night Stand special; Revelations, filmed at the Dominion Theatre in London; and Relentless, arguably the definitive Bill Hicks performance from the Montreal Comedy Festival in 1991. Relentless even includes 12 minutes of material which even the very liberal BBC cut when the show was aired; 12 minutes of Bill at his absolute, unequivocal best. The disc also includes It’s Just A Ride, the documentary shortly following Hicks’ death which first exposed me to his message. It’s Just A Ride gives you an idea of just what Bill was attempting to do through his comedy, and it just might make you develop a modicum of respect for Jay Leno (who expresses a great level of reverence for Hicks in the documentary, despite Bill’s insistence that Leno was a no-talent, Doritos-shilling hack).
An interesting companion piece to the DVD, Love All The People: Letters, Lyrics, Routines (Soft Skull Press) is a grab bag of articles and columns written by or about Hicks, episode treatments for his planned BBC show, and a series of letters from Hicks detailing the circumstances of his final Letterman appearance being cut from the show. The other half consists of transcriptions of Hicks’ comedy, including the aforementioned Revelations and his HBO special. The transcriptions can be a little tedious, since the written word just can’t convey the fierce intensity behind Bill’s performance, and because certain jokes are repeated in consecutive sets. On the other hand, though, it can be cool to see the slow evolution of a joke as Bill improvises, making modifications from show to show.
Anyone not familiar with Bill Hicks’ work should definitely fix that flaw in themselves as soon as possible. Whether or not his audience agreed with his views on popular culture, government, sexuality, religion, or drug use, the fact that Hicks thought for himself and never let outside influences sway his position could never be argued. Bill’s message was not always accepted, but those who were willing to listen were given a glimpse of the clarity of mind and enlightenment behind his voice. Controversial, challenging, iconoclastic, brilliant-- above all else, Bill Hicks was free.
*source: dictionary.com
Wanna know more? Click here for the DVD, and here for the book.
1. Not imprisoned or enslaved; being at liberty.
2. Not controlled by obligation or the will of another: felt free to go.
3. Not subject to arbitrary interference by a government: a free press.
For such a simple concept, one which we all like to think we understand, very few people are actually able to live a truly free existence. Without even realizing what we are doing, we enslave ourselves to thankless, menial jobs. We inhibit our actions based upon the common opinion. We seek to find a place in the existence given to us rather than attempt to define our own. So rarely do we find an example of someone who does what they wish and says what they mean without pretension, that the revelation is almost staggering when true freedom is expertly illustrated. Bill Hicks was a stand-up comedian only by title. His words provoked laughter, true, but they also provoked thought, insight, analysis, and reaction.
Bill Hicks Live: Satirist, Social Critic, Stand-Up Comedian (Rykodisc) gives you three of Bill’s best performances on one DVD: his HBO One Night Stand special; Revelations, filmed at the Dominion Theatre in London; and Relentless, arguably the definitive Bill Hicks performance from the Montreal Comedy Festival in 1991. Relentless even includes 12 minutes of material which even the very liberal BBC cut when the show was aired; 12 minutes of Bill at his absolute, unequivocal best. The disc also includes It’s Just A Ride, the documentary shortly following Hicks’ death which first exposed me to his message. It’s Just A Ride gives you an idea of just what Bill was attempting to do through his comedy, and it just might make you develop a modicum of respect for Jay Leno (who expresses a great level of reverence for Hicks in the documentary, despite Bill’s insistence that Leno was a no-talent, Doritos-shilling hack).
An interesting companion piece to the DVD, Love All The People: Letters, Lyrics, Routines (Soft Skull Press) is a grab bag of articles and columns written by or about Hicks, episode treatments for his planned BBC show, and a series of letters from Hicks detailing the circumstances of his final Letterman appearance being cut from the show. The other half consists of transcriptions of Hicks’ comedy, including the aforementioned Revelations and his HBO special. The transcriptions can be a little tedious, since the written word just can’t convey the fierce intensity behind Bill’s performance, and because certain jokes are repeated in consecutive sets. On the other hand, though, it can be cool to see the slow evolution of a joke as Bill improvises, making modifications from show to show.
Anyone not familiar with Bill Hicks’ work should definitely fix that flaw in themselves as soon as possible. Whether or not his audience agreed with his views on popular culture, government, sexuality, religion, or drug use, the fact that Hicks thought for himself and never let outside influences sway his position could never be argued. Bill’s message was not always accepted, but those who were willing to listen were given a glimpse of the clarity of mind and enlightenment behind his voice. Controversial, challenging, iconoclastic, brilliant-- above all else, Bill Hicks was free.
*source: dictionary.com
Wanna know more? Click here for the DVD, and here for the book.
artid
2876
Old Image
7_4_hicks.jpg
issue
vol 7 - issue 04 (dec 2004)
section
entertainmental