Talk:Bill Hicks

message: When I started adding quotes from Bill, I was not aware wikipedia had a section specifically for that..  So I propose moving all of Bill's quotes to there and then tidying, deleting doublers, etc.
Maybe leave between 3 to 6 (at a maximum) of Bill's quotes on the main page ?
I say, definitely this one..  IMO it totally defines what Bill, his philosophy, his beliefs and his entire career was about.
Bill- "I was told when I grew up I could be anything I wanted: a fireman, a policeman, a doctor - even President, it seemed. And for the first time in the history of mankind, something new, called an astronaut. But like so many kids brought up on a steady diet of Westerns, I always wanted to be the avenging cowboy hero - that lone voice in the wilderness, fighting corruption and evil wherever I found it, and standing for freedom, truth and justice. And in my heart of hearts I still track the remnants of that dream wherever I go, in my endless ride into the setting sun." (Opening voice-over to Hicks' Revelations special, also quoted in the last issue of Preacher)  Dirk Diggler Jnr 10:46, 15 January 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Make it so. --Viriditas 14:06, 15 January 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: *When people keep adding quotes (IMO usually because they want to get involved without writing any useful, original content) until the article becomes ridiculous, something has to be done... I've had success with removing the quotes section entirely to the talk page (eg Don Vito) and limiting the section to 3 quotes (eg Mitch Hedberg). Wikipedia is not a fansite or tribute and we don't allow dicdefs because we have wiktionary, wikiquote should be given respect too. <FONT STYLE="verdana" COLOR="#990099">D</FONT><FONT COLOR="#669900">e</FONT><FONT 
COLOR="#9900CC">iz</FONT> 10:29, 2 March 2006 (UTC)

text: *Either option—total removal or a firm restriction to three—sounds good to me.  Anville 14:28, 2 March 2006 (UTC)

text: Can people all agree on the 'best' three though? I have added one that I thought he was most well remembered for. And can somone please amend it, it is an abridged version from his famous London show. It cut's out a small middle piece.(Halbared 17:39, 11 June 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Move all Bill's quotations to proper location? 

message: I cannot find a clear source on the release year of Flying Saucer Tour Vol. 1. Some sources indicate 2002, others indicate 2003. I've put 2003 in my article on the album Love, Laughter and Truth, while the Bill Hicks article says 2002. Sources across the Internet disagree. Does anybody here know?  gspr 12:49, 22 January 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Don't know about anywhere else, but I'm fairly sure that in the UK Flying Saucer Tour Vol. 1 and Love, Laughter and Truth were released on 11 November 2002. I vaguely remember this as the date they were due be released, it's the release date shown by www.hmv.co.uk and amazon.co.uk, and I don't seem to recall there being any delay in the releases (though admittedly my memory is far from great). --CapitalLetterBeginning 15:06, 22 January 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Flying Saucer Tour Vol. 1 release date 

message: In the intro I think we should mention that many people believe Bill Hicks to be a prophet of enlightenment, this is not only my view but also the view of many other people and a valid philosophical point. To say that the term prophet is synonymous with the term 'respected and well known religious philosopher' would be a fair definition; while defining Bill Hicks as a respected and well known religious philosopher would also (certainly by the opinion of many people) also be fair. Bill could be described as the first athiest prophet of internal enlightenment.
—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 87.115.224.60 (talk • contribs) .
:To add this to article, we would need a source or a direct citation to make it verifiable, because (according Wikipedia guidelines - articles need Verifiability, not truth). --Johnnyw 03:15, 17 February 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Hi Theinnerexits, welcome to Wikipedia. =) A citation would need to excplicitly say that "Bill Hicks was a prophet" and nothing less, otherwise it's only made up by ourselves. See Wikipedia:Citing sources and Wikipedia:No original research for more info. Best wishes, Johnnyw talk 09:59, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

text: Hi Johnny, thanks for the info.... I read further on reliable sources and it kinda rules out most of the websites (blogs/reviews) that cite Bill as a prophet. Well at least I know many people hold him in the same high regard as I do... thanks again...Time to hear some of the gospel... I'm off to watch it's just a ride and relentless.Theinnerexits 13:49, 19 August 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Bill was a prophet 

message: And here they are:
*"Johnny's in the basement mixing up the medicine (LSD), I'm on the pavement thinking about the government. My life in the fucking nutshell." (With the first two lines Hicks is quoting Bob Dylan's Subterranean Homesick Blues)
*"They said the same thing when [Bob] Dylan went electric!" (After announcing he had quit smoking and being booed by a crowd.)
*"I subscribe to Mark Twain's theory that the last person who should be President is the one who wants it the most. The one who should be picked is the one who should be dragged, kicking and screaming into the White House."
*"I'm sorry if any of you are Catholic. [beat] I'm not sorry if you're offended, I'm actually just sorry about the fact that you're Catholic."
*On the theft of his material by Denis Leary: "I have a scoop for you. I stole his act. I camouflaged it with punchlines, and to really throw people off, I did it before he did."
*"I love going to the movies.  Now, I'm watching Terminator 2 and I'm thinking 'you know what? There is no way that you will ever be able to top these stunts in a movie ever again.  You cannot top this shit.' Unless they start using terminally ill people as stunt men in pictures!"  (Hesitant chuckles from the audience) "....well hear me out."
*At his final show: "This is the material, by the way, that has kept me virtually anonymous in America for the past 15 years. Gee, I wonder why we're hated the world over? Look at these fat Americans in the front row—'Why doesn't he just hit fruit with a hammer?' Folks, I could have done that, walked around being a millionaire and franchising myself but no, I had to have this weird thing about trying to illuminate the collective unconscious and help humanity. Fucking moron."
*"How much do you smoke a day, dude? Pack and a half? You little puss...Why don't you just put the fuckin' skirt on, and swish around for us? 'Pack and a half, I smoke a pack and a half..' I go through two lighters a day, dude."
*"..you never see my attitude in the press, that's what bugs me. You never see my point of view. For instance, gays in the military. Now, I dunno how y'all feel about it... here's how I feel about it: Anyone dumb enough to want to be in the military should be allowed in. End of fucking story. That should be the only requirement. I don't care how many push ups you can do, put on a helmet, go wait in that foxhole we'll tell you when we need you to kill somebody. You know i'm sick of hearing military guys saying "The esprit de corps will be affected, and we are such a moral..." Excuse me, aren't y'all hired fucking killers? Shut up! You are thugs and when we need you to go blow the fuck outta a nation of little brown people we'll let you know. Until then... Where do the fucking military get all these morals? "We are the military; is that a village of children and kids? Where's the napalm? (explosion) I don't want any gay people hanging around me when I'm killing women and kids. I just dont wanna see it."
*"I'm Bill Hicks and I'm dead now, cause I smoked cigarettes.  Cigarettes didn't kill me, a bunch of non-smokers kicked the shit outta me one night. I tried to run, they were faster than I. I tried to hide, they heard me wheezing... Some of them smelled me. But now I'm in heaven... sniffing Yul Brynner's noggin!"
:(in this quote Bill is parodying a real life anti-smoking commercial that the actor Yul Brynner made around nine months before his death. The simple-approach commercial shows Yul Brynner speaking directly to the viewers. He says words that are very close to "I'm Yul Brynner and I'm dead now because I smoked cigarettes. Don't die of cancer, give up smoking.")
*(In relation to a Lynyrd Skynyrd show in Chicago in 1989, in which an audience member continuously yelled "Free Bird!")
:Bill: "Hitler had the right idea!  He was just an underachiever!  Kill 'em all, Adolf! All of them! Jew! Mexican! American! White! Kill 'em all! Start over! The experiment didn't work! Rain 40 days! Please fucking rain to wash these turds off my life! Wash these human waste of flesh and bone off this planet! I pray to you God to kill these fucking people!"
:Audience member: "Free Bird!"
:Bill: "Free Bird."
:(dull muffled sound from the microphone)
*"I'm a comedian and poet, so anything that doesn't get a laugh... is a poem."
*"Frightening people man. Bush tried to buy votes towards the end of the election. Goes around, you know, selling weapons to everyone, getting that military industrial complex vote happening for him. Sold 160 fighter jets to Korea and then 240 tanks to Kuwait and then goes around making speeches why he should be Commander-in-Chief because, "We still live in a dangerous world."...Thanks to you, you fucker!"
Well, now we're down to four.  Good enough?  Anville 15:41, 3 March 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Yeah think so. Thanks! --Johnnyw 16:53, 3 March 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: You're welcome!  Anville 17:08, 3 March 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Removed quotations 

message: Possibly a previously unknown and certainly a very rare recording of one of Bill's sets performed after he learned his final appearance on David Letterman was completely censored from the broadcast, is available to download in it's entirety and free from the art site 'Frequency23.org'. I hope you guys like it. [with love, Dirk Diggler]
[Bill Hicks - the lost hour - 5th October 1993|http://frequency23.org/component/option,com_zoom/Itemid,104/catid,4/]
Source : [www.Frequency23.org|http://frequency23.org/content/view/105/]
Contributed by michael cummings
Saturday, 04 March 2006
If the ideas of Bill Hicks are important...if his values are what we want folks to spend more time with...then we need to work on his legend in concert, a concerted effort...Howard, am I using this technology label right? You talk about orchestrated noise and this morning you posted about the book The Republican Noise machine, so I'm working on a Bill Hicks story to help folks have the "reasons to believe" Bill Hicks is legendary. I'm giving them what they might want to repeat to their friends...
Something to give a shit about...
Bill Hicks (December 16, 1961–February 26, 1994) is considered one of the most influential comedians of the 20th century. However, he is far better known in Europe and Canada than in his homeland of America. His outspoken candor kept him from widespread fame and mass media attention. However, his legend is building.
Each year, on the anniversary of his death, fans around the world help his ideas evolve by asking, What would Bill Hicks say?
New material emerges that honors his memory. This year, some authentic new material surfaced. For many fans, this is a momentous find. While eBay offers hundreds of hours of his material...there were three hours that ardent Bill Hicks fans craved to hear.
On 1 October 1993, Bill Hicks did his twelfth gig on the David Letterman show. What the audience in the studio didn't know was that Bill Hicks had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Later that night, Bill Hicks became the first comedian censored from CBS' Letterman show. Perhaps fitting for the Ed Sullivan Theatre, where Elvis Presley was censored in 1956. But, while Presley wasn’t allowed to be shown below the waste, Hicks was made to disappear.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have censorship in America. 
As reported in The New Yorker, Letterman greeted Hicks as he sat down on the couch with, "Good set, Bill! Always nice to have you drop by with an uplifting message!" But, there was trouble in the air and Letterman knew it. Letterman went to commercial with, "Bill, enjoy answering your mail for the next few weeks." 
Back in his hotel, Bill stepped out of the shower to answer the phone.  Robert Morton...the Letterman show was not running his set.
Bill was terminally sick and knew it. He imagined his Letterman show to be his swan song...what he would be remembered for. In many ways he might have been right. This debacle brought him more attention in The United States than his previous 11 Letterman appearances combined.
In the next few days after the censorship, Bill Hicks performed three shows ranting harder than ever before. These three "post-Letterman shows" as they've been called, have long been thought not captured. This last week, one of these three historic shows has just emerged, the middle show from 10/5/93, recorded by an audience member who happened to be an audio engineer. There is a brief gap in the recording at the one-hour mark when he switched tapes, but the quality is as high as can be expected from a covert recording.
This historic performance is available in its entirety as a completely free download from the art site Frequency23.org. The download can be found on the second page of Mutant Media Gallery entitled "The Lost Hour".
Bill Hicks has been popularized by such bands as TOOL and Radiohead, cartoonists Jeff Danziger and Martyn Turner; writers Neal Pollack, Robert Newman, and A.L. Kennedy; and essays by Thom Yorke of Radiohead.
:Thanks for the link! Is there any reason this cannot be linked under Bootlegs? That Nate Guy 22:06, 18 May 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Noticed the link was added. I've changed the link to point directly to the appropriate page (though not directly to the mp3) and also changed the link style to match the rest of the links. That Nate Guy 01:59, 19 May 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Bill Hicks - the lost hour 

message: nathan is the man
cool till I clicked it and saw it up close and saw how badly the face has been pasted onto another body! Think I'll touch that up in Photoshop and keep myself a copy of the better version ;)
:if you look in the description of that image, it says "A fan art image inspired by the 1991 'Revelations' performance in London, England" Elijya 07:04, 30 March 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Photos 

message: I have a serious problem with the fawning tone of the article.  The authors are obviously hard-core Hicks fans.  Nothing wrong with that, but it should be a biography, not a hagiography.  Hicks was not without his detractors (Yes - I am one of them).
[James A. Walsh] —This unsigned comment was added by 24.111.18.50 (talk • contribs) .
:Any specific suggestions? Constructive criticism is always welcome.. --Johnnyw 13:49, 2 April 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  fawning tone of the article 

message: I removed: Bill Hicks was often asked to advertise products, only to turn down all offers.  Bill did not believe that the art of stand-up comedy was only a jumping-off point to a larger career.  Most other comedians at the time would start doing sitcoms or commercials, but Bill believed in and practiced the art of stand-up.
His goal was to educate the American public.  He wanted to get people to understand that things were going on all over the world, not to trust everything that you hear on television, and to break the local masses out of their provincial ways of thought.  Bill used stand-up comedy as a medium because he said that "the truth is much easier for people to handle if you wrap it up in jokes."
Near the end of Bill's life, Bill's mother started to understand and listen to Bill's work more.  One day she told Bill that he was so good that he could be a preacher.  To this Bill responded by saying "But Mom, I am a preacher, don't you see?" This cannot be included as is since it is highy biased; see Wikipedia:NPOV about this before reinserting a strongly modified version. You cannot jump to your own conclusions (see Wikipedia:NOR) but need to cite sources to make it verifiable (see Wikipedia:Verifiability)! Also, the text is supposed to be an encyclopedia, which basically means that we only sum up what has already been said by (reputable and/or reliable) thirds and nothing else. Anything that goes beyond cannot be included (see Wikipedia:What Wikipedia is not#Wikipedia is not a publisher of original thought). Thanks for your attention.. --Johnnyw 09:44, 3 April 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: I think sources can be found for a decent amount of that text. I know for a fact he rejected endorsement offers. I left a request on the author's talk page for a source the other day, because I think most of that is true and I would like it to be backed up. Elijya 14:54, 3 April 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Yes. He used his attitude to endorsements in his act. Such as the 'orange drink' routine.(Halbared 17:37, 11 June 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  removal of "philosophy" section 

message: I have just added the info on Bill Hicks's dedication by Radiohead.  I was hoping that someone could add to it, the dedication within the album is shared between Bill Hicks and Indigo, I do not know what it is meant by Indigo.  I am hoping someone can help.  If I have posted this in the wrong place, please delete.  My apologies, since this is my first contribution to this website.—The preceding unsigned comment was added by Christratocaster (talk • contribs) . 06:35, 23 April 2006
:Looks fine, no need to apologize! Thanks for your contribution.. Although I must say I cannot help with the Indigo-issue, since I do not own a copy of The Bends.. --Johnnyw 11:33, 23 April 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Bill Hicks's Influence on Music 

message: How about changing the following paragragh, to what follows next.. (?) —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Dirk Diggler Jnr (talk • contribs) .
Hicks is often compared to Lenny Bruce and Sam Kinison (the latter a contemporary and friend), and characterized his own performances as "Chomsky with dick jokes".
Hicks is often compared to Lenny Bruce and Sam Kinison (the former being a childhood hero and inspiration for Hicks, the latter a contemporary and friend), and characterized his own performances as "Chomsky with dick jokes".
:Looks good, do it. -Quiddity 20:42, 30 April 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Suggestion for small edit to main page text 

message: Just a minor change. The tool album is called "Ænima" while the song in question is called "Ænema".
Enaku 13:21, 15 May 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Ænima/Ænema 

message: There used to be an external link next to the line in Bill's bio paragraph that says Bill described his routine as "Chomsky with dick jokes", the link took you to the webpage that confirms the above statement..  but the external link is gone I noticed. Anyone know when and why it was removed? Thanks. Dirk Diggler Jnr 11:10, 22 May 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: It got removed in this revision (diff). The actual citation had ended up at the end of another sentence and was removed because, as Michael Dorosh explains in his edit summary, it appeared to be irrelevant. I've reinstated it now. --CapitalLetterBeginning 21:09, 22 May 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  missing "Chomsky with dick jokes" citation link 

message: Cringe humor
This web site is very interesting, educational and offers lots of downloads, interviews and pics of up and coming, recent and grand-master comedians. It also champions free speech and is an opponent of censorship. It is certainly worth a visit and also worth bookmarking.
The biography it features on Bill Hicks (presently) has more scope and depth than Bill's entry at wikipedia and so is a handy cross reference place to compare wiki's details on Hicks against.
I did create a page for 'Cringe Humor', but apparently it is not a valid subject for the encyclopedia and will be deleted in 5 days.. so I am placing the link to it here on Bill's discussion page to make others aware of it's existence..  as the site in question (C.H.) offers information on Bill Hicks that is not available at his wikipage. (it also offers information and downloads from around 18+ other comedians..  some very new, some deceased) Dirk Diggler Jnr 10:25, 2 June 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  'Cringe Humor' a Hicks-esque stand-up comedy website 

message: Has anyone heard of the play in London right now? Bill Hicks : A Slight Return. I saw it last week, its amazing. It's basically a play that lasts 1hr 10mins that imagines what Bill would say were he to return to earth now for one night only. It done with the upmost respect for Bill and his works, its well researched, well written, well acted and absolutely f**king hilarious. Surely this play must deserve a mention here somewhere or even its own wikipedia entry? Some1? Any1? 
I'm not very adept at writing articles but I have lots of info and images is any1 needs any help? It's got alot of press over here in the UK and I was almost in tears by the end of it because its so heart-warming towards the end. It really does pay alot of respect to Bill.
:It's a witty name for the show too..  Slight Return is the subtitle name of a classic Jimi Hendrix track, whom Bill was a massive fan of. (song "Voodoo Chile") Dirk Diggler Jnr 11:32, 22 June 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Bill Hicks : A Slight Return 

message: the UK artist, charlie dore, on her 2006 album 'cuckoo hill' has a song named after and about bill hicks. ("When Bill Hicks died")
[Charlie Dore]
you can hear and/or legally download the song to keep for free, from her myspace page at this link ;
Charlie Dore's "When Bill Hicks died"
-an ex-wikipedia editor.
::I'm calling "shameless self-promotion" here. -MRP 4/1/08  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.210.145.212 (talk) 09:00, 1 April 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Bill Hicks Tribute Song Featured On a 2006 Album 

message: I notice that the Biography section covers some posthumous events. Shouldn't these be in the Legacy section? (Except, perhaps, for the mention of Arizona Bay and Rant in E-Minor being released in 1997, as they were the first posthumous releases.) --CapitalLetterBeginning 12:13, 21 July 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Biography

message: I've read through the archived talk of "flamewar on criticism section" and think there's been sufficient time for a cool-down and to suggest that a new and fresh criticism section be included?
This would need to be written with minimal bias either way, very matter-of-fact.  I don't see why pro-Hicks would see this as such an affront as the man himself didn't seem afraid of criticism... should I source that statement? I'm "pro-Hicks" so maybe that counts.  Anyway, I'd like to throw it out there that at least a brief list of who he pissed off, why and what sort of objections there were would do well to give it the balance an encyclopaedia entry requires. Has a criticism section been completely ruled out forever on this article?
Judging from past reactions though, I think that we a mature discussion and fair amount of agreeance before bothering to put anything up there.  - and you will know know me by the trail of dead. 04:33, 5 October 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: I love Hicks, and I'd love to see a list of who he pissed off. :)--Sean.ridgeley 18:51, 23 August 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Criticism, as loathed as it is

message: I have made a couple of changes regarding the use of the word "drugs", as well as detail about Hicks Drug use.
I changed one occurance of "drugs" to "mood altering substances", partly for variety, as "drugs, drugs, drugs" gets boring, and partly because of the overuse/misuse/confusing use of the word by our culture. "Just say no to drugs!", but prescription drugs, oh, they're OK. Nasty substances like crack, PCP, and heroin are "illegal drugs", but so are potentially useful medicinal plants/fungi, like many psychedelics and marijuana. Even though Hicks denied using drugs in later years, he evidently considered psychedelics and marijuana useful, as he talked about them often in routines. --Bill Huston  (talk) 23:53, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Mood-altering substances is not accurate. Also, Hicks never denied using drugs. This is different than when he stated he had stopped using them.--Sean.ridgeley 18:53, 23 August 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  drugs 

message: Article should at least mention why the Letterman performance didn't make it on air.  Preferably with the specific quotes that made some censor uncomfortable.  Tempshill 04:16, 20 April 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Letterman show 

message: I picked up this book a few days ago, The Conspiracy Encyclopedia. Hicks has a section in the "Key Figures" chapter on page 190.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.243.228.86 (talk) 20:43, 7 September 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Conspiracy  Encyclopedia. 

message: Has anyone thought of starting a section expanding on Hicks' spiritual beliefs? Since much of his material is related to religion/mysticism/God/etc., I thought it could be relevant to his biography. Are there any documented accounts on what he believed (such as texts or interviews) and how he came to his beliefs besides his recorded routines? From his acts, Hicks seems very aligned with monist and pantheist ideas, i.e. "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..."  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.60.10.123 (talk) 05:37, 24 November 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Hicks' spiritual beliefs? 

message: I am concerned with the plagiarism section of the article. While there is sufficient evidence to name Denis Leary as stealing jokes, the section only uses a youtube video as its justification for naming other comics with careers established before Hicks'. The use of a youtube video as the only evidence seems lacking for it to merit all the information of that particular part of the article. I believe this section either needs a revision or should be removed. Even as a hard core fan of Bill, I find the sparsity of the section to show a considerable ammount of bias. I may look up some unformation for biographies written about Bill to add more sources and content to this section later, but I suggest that others take a close look as well.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.24.45.123 (talk) 22:08, 16 December 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: A section on plagiarism by Denis Leary is needed, though. See  for material. Nishkid64 (talk) 06:35, 31 December 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Plagiarism

message: :Image:Bill Hicks, 'Tool' album cover - 'another dead hero'.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.
Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Wikipedia:Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.
If there is  other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page.  Note that any fair use images lacking such an explanation can be deleted one week after being tagged, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.
While Bill was very much pro the idea that people should be free to smoke, I think that anyone familiar with his work, would know he was very much against advertising a product, or class of product.  Given that the classic style of advertising cigarettes is to picture it in the hand of someone 'cool', im quite sure bill would have been. while pro having the liberty to smoke, anti being a poster child for the cigarette industry.  Would recommend using a different image.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 87.147.46.253 (talk) 16:47, 1 October 2009 (UTC)
thread_title: Fair use rationale for Image:Bill Hicks, 'Tool' album cover - 'another dead hero'.jpg

message: Hi not much of a fan, havent listen'd to him much, heard a quote somewhere and Wikipedia'd the man.  Just wanted to point out that on the main article it says he was 32 years of age when he died.  It also says that he was born on the 16th December 1961.  It also says that he died on the 26th of Febuary 1994.  Now I'm no mathematician, but if he was born on the 16th December 1961 and died on the 26th 1994, he wasn't 32 years old when he died.  I'm going to quote the late Mr Hicks for you now:  "Fucking moron."  have a nice day.—Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.83.47.97 (talk • contribs) 
: Uh... yes he was.  He would have turned 33 on 16 December 1994, but he died in February.  Don't call other people morons until you can count. Katharineamy (talk) 15:48, 6 August 2008 (UTC)
replies: text:  Owned, as they say. --LiamE
Stupid fuckwit, as they say, for saying "owned".
 (talk) 17:04, 6 August 2008 (UTC)

text: "Now I'm no mathematician" No, really? 71.58.210.86 (talk) 03:08, 25 December 2008 (UTC)

text: Do we really need this rubbish here?  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 122.108.204.159 (talk) 16:50, 12 December 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  Age of the man? 

message: In the introduction at the top it states: "Finding moderate mainstream success in the late 1980s and early '90s, Hicks tended to balance heady discussion of religion, politics and personal issues with more ribald material..." But I think think that the word 'philosophy' should be added to that description, as that was an essentual and stand-out part of his Hicks' comedy. It was my favorite part and what I remember him for. Neurolanis (talk) 22:03, 2 October 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  New Subject Mention Suggestion for Introduction 

message: On the recent Letterman show, Mary Hicks revealed that Bill initially wanted to be a veterinarian, but when he saw Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show for the first time he said,"You can do THAT for a living?" Perhaps worth adding to the Early Life section?  —Preceding unsigned comment added by Stevewunder (talk • contribs) 06:15, 31 January 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Bill's initial interest in wanting to be a veterinarian  

message: The article says that the Larry Sanders show episode about the Letterman appearance first aired in Aug., 1993.  It also says that the actual episode was in Oct., 1993.  Could someone please fix this?  Thanks. Phiwum (talk) 01:53, 6 February 2009 (UTC)
replies: text: Unfortunately, on 24 February 2009, someone just changed the Larry Sanders air date from 1993 to 1994. But the 1993 air date is accurate, thus the episode could not possibly have been based on the Hicks incident on Letterman. As a result, I have removed the paragraph from the article. It seems to be just one of those coincidental cases of life imitates art.99.192.81.99 (talk) 19:11, 31 December 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Funny date problem? 

message: Folks - is it right that this section is LONGER than the Legacy section?! please, someone edit it down to a LINE OR TWO and be done with it, even having its own section is giving it more credit than it deserves - listing all the arguments is IRRELLEVANT - what has this got to do with Bill's life & work?! Transfer most of the info to the Denis Leary page if you want to, but this is NOT the place for it...
I'm not gonna do it as it needs consensus to avoid an edit war, so i hope to get some agreement before anything is done. Thank you. BigSteve (talk) 04:03, 15 February 2009 (UTC)
replies: text: agreed - "leary denied it." is really all that is necessary here. untwirl (talk) 14:01, 20 February 2009 (UTC)

text: It's mostly one excessive cut-and-paste quote from a single editor. I've cut it back to one line. --McGeddon (talk) 14:17, 20 February 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Denis Leary section TOO LONG 

message: This article states "IMDB lists Hicks as an "uncredited" writer for Leary's No Cure for Cancer album". IMDB has taken this down. We could change it to "IMDB for some time listed", or it could just be taken down since it doesn't prove much compared to the views of the comedians and critics who discussed the issue. Billwilson5060 (talk) 13:01, 23 February 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  imdb credit for derivative work 

message: Other than an aside in the Dennis Leary section, there is nothing in this article about Hicks' Waco documentary, and nothing in the Waco Siege article about Hicks' documentary. In Channel 4's 100 Greatest Stand Ups there is a clip of Hicks making a substantial, personal, eye-witness account where he alleges that the authorities deliberately started the fire that ended the Waco Siege. Presumably these clips came from Hicks' Waco documentary. The authorities deny these allegations and subsequent enquiries have also refuted these allegations. Can someone with more knowledge on the subject please add a well-sourced section about Hicks' Waco documentary, to either this article or the Waco Siege article? If this is not correct, can someone explain the clips of Hicks making the allegations on Channel 4's programme? Thanks, Andrew Oakley (talk) 09:47, 14 April 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Waco documentary - request for more info 

message: These sections within the infobox had gotten completely out of hand.  Influences require a citation wherein the subject of the article (in this case Hicks) indicates that the included person was an influence; "Influenced" falls under the WP:BLP guidelines and also require a citation wherein the person named indicates that Hicks was an influence.  Jgm (talk) 01:59, 10 May 2009 (UTC)
replies: text: Deja vu all over again. Are any of these people sourced as having influenced or been influenced by Mr. Hicks? - JeffJonez (talk) 05:34, 7 July 2011 (UTC)
thread_title:  Influences/Influenced 

message: This article deserves a award of some kind.   Just my 2 cents.--Dana60Cummins (talk) 04:08, 27 August 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  This article 

message: Can anyone elucidate what this actually means...
He moved back to his parents' house in Little Rock, Arkansas, shortly thereafter. He called his friends to say goodbye, before he stopped speaking on February 14, and re-read J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring.
Does that mean Hicks, due to his illness, became incapable of speech, or does that mean he cut himself off from the outside world?
As Hicks made a living from what he said, it would be a bitter irony that he was silenced at the end!  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 217.42.255.137 (talk) 11:42, 20 December 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Clarity... 

message: Who did Bill Hicks get his material from?  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 94.197.240.90 (talk) 10:07, 22 December 2009 (UTC)
thread_title: Material

message: On 3 February 2009, the following text was added to this article:
"An episode of Larry Sanders Show (Season 2, Episode 14 "The Performing Artist"), featuring Tim Miller, apparently was based on comedian Bill Hicks' final appearance on "Late Show with David Letterman < ref >[ http://www.tv.com/the-larry-sanders-show/performance-artist/episode/46707/summary.html ] Larry Sanders Show.< /ref >. In that episode Larry cut Tim's act from the show for being too daring, later to be publically scolded by Tom Arnold and Roseanne Barr. Ironically, it was first aired 25th Aug 1993."
Three days later it was noted (above on this page) on 6 February 2009 that since the Hicks/Letterman incident happened in October 1993 that a show airing two months prior could not be based on it. So on 24 February 2009, someone just changed the date of the Sanders episode to say that it aired on 25 August 1994. But that's not true. The tv.com page used as the citation for the "based on" claim says that the episode aired on 25 August 1993. The Wikipedia page List of The Larry Sanders Show episodes also has the same date as does IMDB. All sources agree that the episode aired on 25 Auguat 1993. As a result, it is not possible that the Larry Sanders episode could have been based on the Hicks/Letterman incident. I have removed the paragraph mentioning the Larry Sanders episode, but it was re-added once already. It should not be included in the article.142.68.45.254 (talk) 23:42, 1 January 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  Do not re-add Larry Sanders 

message: You reverted my mention of the book 'Love all the people' Letters, Lyrics, Routines. 
In regards to my edit. You also reverted due to bad grammar.
Bad grammar you can correct.
Explain or do it better. 
On my side i will quote  Pages 270-272.
Love All The People: Letters, Lyrics, Routines.
If you have not read this book then i would advise you dont revert that which u can't suppourt.
I do hasten to add if you have not read this book http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_All_The_People then why are you ruling on this article? 
 
Love all the people  ISBN , (or if you are the U.S), US , Pages 270-272 contains the whole version of the 'Letterman Incident' from Hicks' diaries
— Preceding unsigned comment added by Special:Contributions/213.107.93.242 (talk) 23:58, 30 June 2011
:I'm not going to sink to your level of vitriol. If you can't be bothered to read how to do proper, footnoted citations, write posts in a civil way, or use proper English, then I'm not sure you're a constructive contributor to Wikipedia. This is not a Bill Hicks fan site. If you can't do the work of following Wikipedia policies and guidelines, or even that of the English language, then perhaps Wikipedia is not the best place for you. --Tenebrae (talk) 00:49, 1 July 2011 (UTC)
replies: text: Please read Wikipedia policy regarding civility, which your rant above violates. We do not speak to other editors in such fashion. If you cannot adhere to that policy, it may be best you do not edit Wikipedia. Further violations can lead to your being blocked. Thank you. --Tenebrae (talk) 13:24, 7 July 2011 (UTC)

text: Incidentally, that would be "try to school," not "try and school." Also, you misused the word "oversight." -- Tenebrae (talk) 13:25, 7 July 2011 (UTC)
thread_title:  RE: User:Tenebrae 

message: RE: The following passage:
"He spent time with his parents, playing them the music he loved and showing them documentaries about his interests. He died of side effects of his cancer treatmentItalic text in the presence of his parents at 11:20pm on February 26, 1994. He was 32 years old.[37]"
The source does not mention in any fashion, that the cause of Bill Hicks' death was anything but the cancer itself. No where, does the cited source mention side effects from cancer therapy. This needs to be edited or recited.— Preceding unsigned comment added by Bmer24 (talk • contribs) 00:38, May 1, 2012‎ (UTC} (moved from Talk:Bill Hicks/Comments by elektrikSHOOS (talk) 01:01, 1 May 2012 (UTC)
replies: text: Thanks! I tagged the sentence with  for now. Woz2 (talk) 02:02, 1 May 2012 (UTC)
thread_title:  Edit request on 1 May 2012 

message: The 2nd paragraph says Hicks was 4th in 2007 and 2010, but later in the article it's 6th in 2007 and 4th in 2010.  The only link I saw (reference 3 from Channel4.com) is, curiously, described as being retrieved in 2007 but points to an article clearly written in 2010.  My suspicion is that
* That link originally pointed at 2007 and listed Hicks 6th there
* It subsequently changed to point to the 2010 article listing Hicks 4th
* Someone then looked at what was supposed to be the 2007 article and concluded that Hicks was 4th in 2007, and incorrectly wrote or edited the 2nd-paragraph statement.
But I have no way of confirming this. -- Steve Pucci | talk  —Preceding undated comment added 14:14, 1 May 2012 (UTC)
thread_title:  Ranking in best-comic lists 

message: An image used in this article, File:Bill Hicks image.jpg, has been nominated for speedy deletion for the following reason: Wikipedia files with no non-free use rationale as of 6 May 2012 
;What should I do?
Don't panic; you should have time to contest the deletion (although please review deletion guidelines before doing so). The best way to contest this form of deletion is by posting on the image talk page.
* If the image is non-free then you may need to provide a fair use rationale
* If the image isn't freely licensed and there is no fair use rationale, then it cannot be uploaded or used.
* If the image has already been deleted you may want to try Deletion Review
To take part in any discussion, or to review a more detailed deletion rationale please visit the relevant image page (File:Bill Hicks image.jpg)
This is Bot placed notification, another user has nominated/tagged the image --CommonsNotificationBot (talk) 21:05, 6 May 2012 (UTC)
thread_title: File:Bill Hicks image.jpg Nominated for speedy Deletion

message: I believe that this article contains unnecessary of slang and casual language. Could I request permission to grammatically improve the article so it will sound more like an encyclopedia instead of the rolling stone magazine?
comment added by User:Alex.miles.miller  — Preceding unsigned comment added by Alex.miles.miller (talk • contribs) 05:57, 1 July 2012 (UTC)
replies: text: That's sure OK by me, though you don't need permission. --Tenebrae (talk) 00:43, 2 July 2012 (UTC)
thread_title:  Revisions Needed 

message: I work for Free Press Houston and we are trying to get a statue built of Bill Hicks in Houston.  I am writing to request that this information be included on the Wikipedia article about Bill.  The text I would suggest is:
"In August 2012, Free Press Houston started a campaign for a statue of Bill Hicks - http://www.billhicksstatue.com - to be permanently placed in the city of Houston."
Willguess (talk) 19:13, 2 August 2012 (UTC)
replies: text: Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. What is needed is something in a secondary source (i.e., independent from Free Press Houston) that suggests that the campaign is noteworthy and not ephemeral. The best example probably would be an article specifically focusing on the campaign in a major newspaper. Rivertorch (talk) 10:20, 3 August 2012 (UTC)
thread_title:  Edit request on 2 August 2012 

message: I know this topic has been addressed before, at least twice (see above), but the article, as a result, seems to be worse rather than better.  Specifically, I'm worried about a strong charge of plagiarism, against a living person, based on such thin referencing.  The entire accusation relies on a single passage in Cynthia True's book, which is reproduced verbatim, without adding any of the evidence she cites to support it.  And the evidence that she cites is marginal at best.  Here is the sum total of all evidence that she presents:  
::"...'a bunch of whinin' fuckin' maggots,' Leary ranted of therapy junkies.  A bunch of whinin' fuckin' maggots.  That's what Bill called non-smokers in his audiences.  '...We live in a country where John Lennon takes six bullets in the chest,' Leary cried, 'Yoko Ono is standing right next to him.  Not one fuckin' bullet!'  We live in a world where John Lennon was murdered yet Barry Manilow continues to put out fuckin' albums!  Bill had said on Dangerous four years ago.  '...All these rock stars should have been killed, man,' Leary said. 'Right after John Lennon died we should have got in the Partridge Family bus and driven around and killed 'em all one by one.'  If you're gonna kill someone, have some fuckin' taste.  I'll drive you to Kenny Rogers's house.  Get in the car!  I know where Wham! lives, Bill had declared on Dangerous.  
This is hardly ineluctable evidence that "...Leary had, practically line for line, taken huge chunks of Bill's act and recorded it."  Corroborating evidence -- that "at least 3 comedians have gone on record" about it -- is even more thinly supported by vague blog material.  And there is no trace of documentation that Leary has denied the charges -- which he has -- so there's a problem with WP:NPOV as well.  I have looked unsuccessfully for more solid evidence; so unless someone else can produce some, I'm going to remove this potentially libelous charge, or at least modify it to state that it is Cynthia True's opinion only.  If someone is going to get sued, let it be her.  For the record, I am neutral here -- I have no association with Leary, nor his family, nor with anyone related to or associated with Hicks. DoctorJoeE review transgressions/talk to me! 15:10, 29 August 2013 (UTC)
replies: text: Having allowed more than enough time for objections or other input, I am going to proceed, as time permits.  There will be a few additional changes as I make my way through the Berlin/Booth biography. DoctorJoeE review transgressions/talk to me! 14:25, 4 October 2013 (UTC)
thread_title:  Denis Leary redux 

message: Is it possible to take out the word "body" in "body of work" as it immediately follows info about his pancreatic cancer? You initially think it is talking about his body. Could it not just be "his work" ?  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.247.214.182 (talk) 22:40, 26 June 2015 (UTC)
replies: text: A valid suggestion.  I have made the change. DoctorJoeE review transgressions/talk to me! 00:30, 27 June 2015 (UTC)
thread_title: "Body of work"

message: e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmCI8tYUccY 
Famous "Conspiracy theorist" Alex Jones has claimed to be Bill Hicks and that he and a partner faked the death of Mr Hicks (that is, of the persona) and he took on his next persona, Alex Jones.
This really should be mentioned somewhere, even if it is not wideley accepted, because it is a neat post-death conspiracy that follows Hicks, just as the Paul was Replaced theory still dominates the conspiracy world of Mr McCartney. This Hicks theory is a common google search result with many pages on this from what it looks like.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 142.52.81.11 (talk) 19:21, 17 July 2015 (UTC)
replies: text: Um ... no.  Even if you could source it properly - which I doubt - it would be giving undue weight to yet another ridiculous conspiracy theory that's riddled with holes big enough to drive a Mac truck through. This is an encyclopedia, not the National Enquirer.  DoctorJoeE review transgressions/talk to me! 19:52, 17 July 2015 (UTC)
replies: text: The website for Sacred Cow Productions for a long time, if not still, mentions that the character now played by Alex Jones was partly conceived by Booth and Hicks as an evil Rush Limbaugh caricature.  That is a fact.  In spite of this, Alex Jones continues to be taken seriously by almost everyone, and those who don't take him so are often admonished.69.43.35.98 (talk) 17:25, 20 November 2019 (UTC)
thread_title:  Bill Hicks -- Alex Jones Conspiracy Theory 

message: Hello fellow Wikipedians,
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thread_title:  External links modified 

message: I have never seen any of Mr Hick's shows. However to write that "making his stand-up routine difficult to perform without mentioning words such as "wheelchair"" must be wrong. Surely the wheelchair joke was not his only joke? The routine could take place without that joke, therefore it could not be difficult to perform his routine without mentioning wheelchairs.Royalcourtier (talk) 19:57, 22 May 2016 (UTC)
thread_title:  Wheelchair joke not his only joke 

message: Hello fellow Wikipedians,
I have just modified  on Bill Hicks. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
*Corrected formatting/usage for http://billhicks.com/Bio.html
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thread_title:  External links modified 

message: There should be added under the Legacy heading some mention of the 2004 song by Welsh singer/songwriter Jem, inspired by Hicks, entitled "Just a Ride."https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPeY7Mq3hC0
2601:246:4200:6792:E9FE:CE25:B7EA:CF64 (talk) 08:16, 14 December 2016 (UTC)
replies: text: How do we know that Hicks inspired the song?  We would need a reliable source to that effect. DoctorJoeE review transgressions/talk to me! 14:40, 17 December 2016 (UTC)
thread_title:  Legacy: additional information 

message: https://www.texasmonthly.com/arts-entertainment/bill-hicks-biopic-treatment/ 65.207.90.10 (talk) 18:49, 16 September 2022 (UTC)
thread_title:  Future Biopic 2018