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Ian Stanley reviews
VCI and Laughing Stock Productions
“Welcome to my show. Welcome to the Comedy of Hate!” – Bill Hicks.
Bill Hicks died on February 26th 1994, a marginal figure in the world of American stand-up comedy. He had achieved remarkable success here in England, actually selling out a show at Londons Dominion Theatre, but that same level of success always eluded him in his homeland of America. A crying shame as, in my opinion, he was one of the bravest, most original and honest comedians that has ever walked the face of the Earth.
At the behest of a friend, I discovered the work of Hicks when Channel 4 first transmitted his show “Revelations” and the title couldnt have been more apt for me. Here was a comedian who seemed to say everything I thought, but was afraid to say. Here was a comedian who not only matched, but exceeded, my own personal penchant for cynicism. Its at times like these that we need voices like Bills, people who arent afraid to take the unpopular stance when its the right stance to take, someone wholl stick two fingers up in the face of societys move towards Right-Wing Conservatism. Someone who Oh sorry Wrong meeting!!!
The work of Hicks is not for all tastes as he is a very hardcore (literally, some times) and abrasive comedian. I would imagine that for every person who ‘gets’ him, there will likely be two or three more who will find themseves offended. Which probably goes some way to explaining why Hicks remained a marginal figure in the U.S., a place where a single exposed breast on TV can cause a moral panic. He seemed unable to get his message out to the masses because the content of his material usually kept him off Network television.
So below we have reviews of the two works of Hicks that have made the journey to UK DVD. Theyve been a long time coming, but have they been worth the wait?
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Review copyright © Ian Stanley, 2004.
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.