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Was Bill Hicks a prophet?

#21
Matt Till said:
His stand up is some of the least funny stand up I've heard ever. I've been on a big comedy CD kick at work, and I always listen to them all they way through, it makes me look insane, laughing at work. But the Bill Hicks I had was so unfunny, I just couldn't take it.
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i just watched some youtube videos... and i'd have to agree! :eek:


i saw a special on him a few years back on tv, and that was funny, but i guess it was because they took his best clips.



oh, and he's also mentioned in the liner notes to radiohead's, "the bends." no word yet on how he relates to mars volta, which would complete "the matt till trinity."
 
#23
wow, it really makes me sad that people don't get what he was about. Not only was he light years a head of his time, and then savagely ripped off after his death by some many comedians, he never once pandered to those he raged against. Say what you will about Carlin, but that man sold his soul years ago. He stopped being funny in the 80's.

If you actually take the time to listen to Hicks, you can see that nothing has changed in the last decade and if anything you sould be even more mad and enragged at the crap you get feed everyday.

Course if you the type of person that finds the Blue Collar comedians funny, it's no surprised you don't get Hicks.:rollno:
 
#24
GravitiesBass said:
wow, it really makes me sad that people don't get what he was about. Not only was he light years a head of his time, and then savagely ripped off after his death by some many comedians, he never once pandered to those he raged against. Say what you will about Carlin, but that man sold his soul years ago. He stopped being funny in the 80's.

If you actually take the time to listen to Hicks, you can see that nothing has changed in the last decade and if anything you sould be even more mad and enragged at the crap you get feed everyday.

Course if you the type of person that finds the Blue Collar comedians funny, it's no surprised you don't get Hicks.:rollno:
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I don't give a damn about what he's about, or if he's ahead of his time... if what he's about, and he's ahead of his time at telling jokes that just plain are not funny.

Said the man who hates the Blue Collar Comedy tour (except the occasional Ron White)

Current favorites:
Steven Wright
Lewis Black (that dude is pissed!)
Mitch Hedberg
David Cross (to a lesser extent)


I don't know. If you can point me to a funny Bill Hicks performance on youtube or whatever, I'll watch it. I based my opinion on one performance. It was completely mindless, and just plain not funny: but for some reason, the audience was laughing. Tool must have made him trendy.
:smug:
 
#25
Bill Hicks is not to everyones taste - who is? However if you are intersted spend some time listening to some of his CD's/DVD's and you may well be suprised that he has been dead for over ten years as his comedy is as apt today as it was then.

He talks about the "1990's Persian Gulf distraction" when Amercia used the "war" on Iraq to cover up poor domestic policy - and guess what ten years later we are all at it again.

His views on drugs are legendry and still make a lot of sense. Without Bill Hicks we would not have a whole string of impersonators ripping off his "angry young man - the world sucks" humour.

Love him or hate him Bill Hicks is a legend - read his book it is an eye opener.

PS - We listen to Bill when travelling to and from gigs and have done since the 90's.

my 0.02p
 
#27
poptart said:
Bill Hicks is not to everyones taste - who is? However if you are intersted spend some time listening to some of his CD's/DVD's and you may well be suprised that he has been dead for over ten years as his comedy is as apt today as it was then.
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Unfortunately, many of his vehicles of social commentary delivery are not up to date. Rock Against Drugs doesn't have impact as a puch line it did 10 years ago. Neither does his rambling about Jay Leno, or LA gangs vs the British, or the "Arizona Bay" riff, or the artistic roll call segment, or Jim Fix (very funny....if you know who he is), etc, etc, etc.

Many of the younger guys will not find it humorous because, while they might relate to the politics or social commentary, he wraps it in jokes that were hilarious in the 1990's. I still find it funny. I grew up in the 80/90's. You did, too. You can see the relevance of the issue to the punch line. Many can draw the line, but not relate because they didn't know the topic when it was fresh.

He's still not a prophet.

Mike
 
#28
mike_v_s said:
Unfortunately, many of his vehicles of social commentary delivery are not up to date. Rock Against Drugs doesn't have impact as a puch line it did 10 years ago. Neither does his rambling about Jay Leno, or LA gangs vs the British, or the "Arizona Bay" riff, or the artistic roll call segment, or Jim Fix (very funny....if you know who he is), etc, etc, etc.

Many of the younger guys will not find it humorous because, while they might relate to the politics or social commentary, he wraps it in jokes that were hilarious in the 1990's. I still find it funny. I grew up in the 80/90's. You did, too. You can see the relevance of the issue to the punch line. Many can draw the line, but not relate because they didn't know the topic when it was fresh.

He's still not a prophet.

Mike
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I guess it depends on how intelligent they are - humour is not all about current charactors and having listened to his repertoire extensively there is plenty that is very accessable to anyone (open minded) of any age. He uses well known people of the time to embelish his jokes - all comediens to a point do that, many are still around I guess - Leno, Bush, George Michael, Keith Richards, Limbaugh to name a few.

I agree he was not a prophet as such but a very credible alternative to the woefull middle ground of comedy that exists then and today. His attacks on artists selling their soul for an extra buck still rings true today, his attacks on pornography and drugs are still totally current etc etc not that much has changed in the past ten or so years.

I know what you are getting at, but as I pass through life there are those that have heard Bill and love him and those that have never heard about him at all and could not care less, I guess he is and always will be a cult figure - and long may that continue.

He spent his final years working a lot for UK TV chanel 4 as no US network would give him any work because of TV politics.
 
#29
poptart said:
I guess it depends on how intelligent they are - humour is not all about current charactors and having listened to his repertoire extensively there is plenty that is very accessable to anyone (open minded) of any age. He uses well known people of the time to embelish his jokes - all comediens to a point do that, many are still around I guess - Leno, Bush, George Michael, Keith Richards, Limbaugh to name a few.

His attacks on artists selling their soul for an extra buck still rings true today, his attacks on pornography and drugs are still totally current etc etc not that much has changed in the past ten or so years.
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Intelligent people can listen to the joke, understand the point, and still find it unfunny. The characters he uses are still around....but Jay Leno selling out was news in the 1990's. Joking about him as a relevant comedian turned talkshow-host and purveyor of Doritos is not funny for those that don't remember the commercials or the event that was Johhny's leaving.

George Michaael is dead as a punchline. Yeah, he's still around, but he's not topping any charts and therefor irrelevant as a current joke. Jokes about Bush Sr. are funny....to those that remember his presidency. The whole Waco thing: not ringing bells for kids today like it did us. I lived in Texas at the time. School classes were halted when the fire started and TV's wheeled into every classroom so we could watch it live. His commentary on government hit deeper with the use of that example. Not so for youth today.

I agree not much has changed in ten years....but his jokes are not funny to many who don't relate to the punchline, regardless if the message is current.

Sorry for the rambling post.

Mike
 
#31
Basshole said:
Maybe prophet is too strong, but in terms of Carlin, I'd easily go with philosopher.
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Good analogy, I would go with that.. it was his years on magic mushrooms that enabled him to squeegee his "Third eye" which eastern religions gives you the power of foresight and clarity of thought...hmm looks like we could all do with a bit of that.

"I agree not much has changed in ten years....but his jokes are not funny to many who don't relate to the punchline, regardless if the message is current."

Mike - I agree that many people do not "get" Bill Hicks..period, current or not. You have to give a go and find out for yourself;)
 
#34
One of my favorites:

Wouldn't you like to see a positive LSD story on the news? To hear what it's all about perhaps? Wouldn't that be interesting? Just for once?
"Today, a young man on acid realized that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration - that we are all One Consciousness, experiencing itself subjectively. There's no such thing as death, life is only a dream and we're the imagination of ourselves. Here's Tom with the weather...."
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- Dave
 
#35
Matt Till said:
I don't give a damn about what he's about, or if he's ahead of his time... if what he's about, and he's ahead of his time at telling jokes that just plain are not funny.

Said the man who hates the Blue Collar Comedy tour (except the occasional Ron White)

Current favorites:
Steven Wright
Lewis Black (that dude is pissed!)
Mitch Hedberg
David Cross (to a lesser extent)
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Bill Hicks didn't tell jokes. He ranted about social and political issues.

And you think Lewis Black is funny? :hmm:
 
#36
Dave Grossman said:
One of my favorites:

Wouldn't you like to see a positive LSD story on the news? To hear what it's all about perhaps? Wouldn't that be interesting? Just for once?
"Today, a young man on acid realized that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration - that we are all One Consciousness, experiencing itself subjectively. There's no such thing as death, life is only a dream and we're the imagination of ourselves. Here's Tom with the weather...."

- Dave
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Classic!! I love Bill! One of my all-time favs! :cool:
 

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