Bill Hicks Live - Satirist, Social Critic, Stand-Up Comedian
Bill Hicks's scathing, fearless standup comedy is on full display inSatirist, Social Critic, Stand-Up Comedian, the first official DVD release containing the late performer's work. Hicks, who died in 1994 at age 32, may not have been a total original; he's often compared to Lenny Bruce, as well as Sam Kinison and others, and he was hardly the first comic to talk about sex, drugs, politics, and religion, even if Hicks's takes on these matters are usually strikingly fresh. But there's simply no denying the unabashed, in-your-face power of these three early '90s performances, one each from Chicago, Montreal (entitledRelentless, this show originally aired on HBO), and London. Hicks is profane, to say the least, but never crude for its own sake, and certainly not stupid (we're not talking Andrew Dice Clay here). His humor is abrasive, passionate, shameless, provocative--calling non-smokers "obnoxious, self-righteous slugs" is one of his milder observations--and it's delivered in riveting, almost preacher-like fashion, with a strong physical element. And anyone who doubts his impact, both during and after his short, turbulent life, need only watch "It's Just a Ride," the 40-minute documentary accompanying the three live shows, in which both family and famous (Jay Leno and David Letterman among them) comment on him and work. In the end, you realize that since his death, no comic has come along who can touch Bill Hicks.--Sam Graham