You'd like to think that the originator of a comic persona would be the one to get credit for his invention despite the imitators that might follow his lead, the imitators that might momentarily upstage and co-opt his art. Sad to say, sometimes the thieves take the lead and keep it.
In the world of comedy, Bill Hicks is recognized by comics as probably THE major stand-up of the last quarter century. None of his peers seem to have developed such a devoted and cult-like following. Still, this comedian, who died of cancer in the mid-90's at the age of 32, is barely known outside circles of comedy addicts. The man who jumped his train is very well known.
I'm no huge Bill Hicks fan-- I don't know all his work but I like what I've heard. What I am about to recount is what I've picked up from his fans in Bill Hicks' Chatroom postings. As I've heard it, Denis Leary ran into Bill Hicks in either London or New York. One account has Denis Leary introducing Bill on some television show in London, on some comedian's special. As it was told online, Bill got a much better response from the crowd than Denis and you could practically see, as Denis brought Bill offstage, you could practically see the wheels spinning in Denis' head. Whether the two comedians met in the US or UK, Bill Hicks' fans say all you have to do is look at the two comedians' early compact discs for confirmation that Leary was stealing his early material from Hicks. If you listen to the early cds from each comedian, find the similar pieces, and then take a look at the copyright dates on the various cds, you'll get a clear picture of what was going on. Bill knew before he died what Denis was doing. Bill was known for being a compulsive chain-smoking comic onstage and at one point, he gave up cigarettes. A reporter asked Bill why he'd stopped smoking. His reply: "I wanted to see if Denis Leary would."
It's a sad world where comedians, the folk-singers of the age, the documentarians of politically incorrect but widespread feeling, use the stage not to attempt to voice an opinion or idea first, but to steal. Another raw deal for another dead American.
(Since this essay was written, a book has been published titled American Scream. It is a biography of Bill Hicks and accurately describes the relationship between Hicks and Leary. It also details the pieces Leary stole from Hicks, and compares them to Hicks' originals. Recommended.)