Hi All.
Just interested to hear your opinion's on the great Bill Hicks.
I have been a fan for years. I love his style. He was in my eyes, A world class Comic and a modern day preacher.
I believe his style was more accepted in Britain during his life then in his native America.
I wonder if he would have gone on to write a Sitcom, infact i think he was in the process before he found out about his Cancer.
I loved him when he was around at the time but he's a bit like Peter Cook now in that every single bit of material's been mined to death.
Just before he died he was working on a show called Counts of the Netherworld for C4 which was going to be pretty much a debating salon with all kinds of leftfield guests like Noam Chomsky.
It's interesting to imagine how he would've developed, I think it would've been in a very innovative direction though he'd probably explode with righteous indignation if he were around in these troubled times.
I'd never picked up on Bill Hicks until last year when I read a book of scripts. It was very very funny and although I didn't agree with everything he said, much of the material struck a chord. He wasn't everyone's favourite and knew it but I doubt he cared.
bill hicks was/is one of the best stand ups ever easily, i hate seeing stand ups like jimmy carr and people like that who use stand up to get somewhere or get a crappy panel show on channel 4, bill hicks for me is a real stand up shame alot of his jokes are blagged nowdays by poor imitations.....
So very true! He hated that aswell, he will be cursiing from the grave....
I often wonder how big he would have become, had he not died so very young. I reckon HUGE.
I see him as a comedy prophet in a way. He had things to tell the world and he done it in an incredibly funny way.
I know he loved us British and our comedy styles.
I think you either love him or hate him, and so many have never even heard of him, which is a shame.
Not 1 in a million. 1 in a forever
I'm sceptical about how huge he would have been. Hicks was never gonna hit the mainstream in a big way because he would have pissed off so many people, both in the audience and in the industry. He never would have sold out either, at least I hope he wouldn't have.
I wish I had discovered him before. An incredibly original, intelligent and funny guy.
I was forced to listen to Bill Hicks by a *friend* I have of the same name, who loves him, and it really cheered me up-bleak as it is! I think he was so original, too, unique in his own right, but I dont think he'd ever of been HUGE, maybe slightly bigger but yknow
I'm scared to say this... but I'm not a fan. I wanted to watch him for a long time, but when I finally did, I barely raised a smile.
I like "preachy" stand ups, comics with balls, but with Hicks, I don't know? Maybe it was the fact he worked stuff into the ground. Obsessed with JFK (boo me boo! yes I can hear you all).
I was just sat there thinking, "lighten up man". lol (boo me!)
Quote: charley rance @ December 17, 2006, 10:00 PMHi All.
Just interested to hear your opinion's on the great Bill Hicks.
Miss Rance, that is a understatement, he isn't great he is the greatest, or as you would say, "fantabulous", a great style and a true pro of his trade,
On the subject of poor immitations of Bill Hicks, the most obvious example is Dennis Leary's stand up. Now I like Leary, especially his fireman series, but his early stuff did rip off Bill Hicks to a shocking degree - something Hicks was well aware of and commented on a few times.
My other memory of Hicks is seeing him on The Word looking very uncomfortable since Oliver Reed was on at the same time pissed out of his skull.
Yeah he was very good.... although I didn't like the Goat boy stuff. Other than that brilliantly funny.
Bill Hicks was a one off. I've heard some people describe him as having a dry sense of humour which I always thought was wrong. 'Dry' is usually an excuse for being rude which Bill Hicks wasn't. His observation was razor sharp and I think comedy is worse off without him.
Jeezaloo - I just read that back and is it deep or what!
My friend has this name, too, and when asked if he was named after *the* Bill Hicks, he took it as a sign to spend the whole day feeling privilidged and proud 
And so he should SBF!
There will never be one like him again ever.
I might change my name by deedpoll.
Quote: Leevil @ February 13, 2007, 10:51 PMI'm scared to say this... but I'm not a fan. I wanted to watch him for a long time, but when I finally did, I barely raised a smile.
I like "preachy" stand ups, comics with balls, but with Hicks, I don't know? Maybe it was the fact he worked stuff into the ground. Obsessed with JFK (boo me boo! yes I can hear you all).
I was just sat there thinking, "lighten up man". lol (boo me!)
Ditto myself!