TOTALLY BILL HICKS
PLOT-A documentary on the late comedian BIll Hicks, followed by one of his final stand-up performances.
WHY YOU SHOULD WATCH IT-The man was a genius, and anyone who's heard his act cannot dispute that fact. News of his death (of pancreatic cancer) in 1994 came as a surprise to me, and silenced one of the most important voices in American culture. If you like George Carlin, Lenny Bruce, Jello Biafra, Dennis Miller, Eric Bogosian, or Denis Leary, you owe it to yourself to check out Bill Hicks. This video is a great introduction to the man's work. The documentary is awesome, taking us on a tour through his life via interviews of his friends, peers, and family, and features numerous snippets of some of his best moments onstage. The concert that follows, taped in London, pretty much covers all the bases of his act. He's astounding, incredible, thought-provoking, and inspiring. Again, a tragic and unfortunate loss in the fight against corruption and ignorance. Bill, we miss you.
MEMORABLE SCENES-One of my favorite bits comes from the documentary, in which Bill rants in front of an audience about the evil pop group New Kids On The Block. He yells, "I want my rock stars dead!", and says he'll force his kids to listen to musicians that play from their hearts. I swear, it's a good thing Bill's not around to see how much worse music is today. He'd probably wish he was dead.
NOTES-Aired now and again on Comedy Central (edited, of course), this hard-to-find video was re-released this year by a British video company. For ordering information, go to www.eurofilmsltd.com, the 116-minute tape is $25 plus shipping. Here in the states, you can find 4 compact discs of his standup stuff (on Rykodisc) at most decent record stores.