[kj] OT: Bill Hicks

[Alexander Smith]

Inspired by all this, I've ripped both HATE RANTS IN E-MINOR by Bill  
Hicks and NO CURE FOR CANCER by Denis Leary onto my iTunes/iPod. Will  
listen to both in their respective entireties this week for a decent  
re-appraisal.

Alex in NYC



On Feb 1, 2009, at 7:25 PM, Darren A. Peace wrote:


> I think my favourite Aristophanes line is about how rain is God  

> pissing through a sieve. Either from "Frogs" or "Clouds", can't  

> remember which.

>

> And I'm thankful that the "comedy is the new rock & roll" nonsense  

> was euthanised. Horrible idea, aggravated by working a while back  

> with a Jongleurs zombie who insisted on using the phrase  

> "observational comedy" in every sentence and then explaining what it  

> means, as though I were both 7 and unable to speak English. Still,  

> he liked the Steve Miller band, and I got him to go to a non-fancy  

> dress board meeting dressed as Roy "Chubby" Brown, so all ended well.

>

> Like Hicks (mainly for religious diatribes rather than right-on  

> boredom), think Leary is a weasel-faced also-ran who made the grave  

> mistake of involving himself in that appalling fireman TV series. Meh.

>

> Darren

> Hungerford, UK

>

>

> From: gathering-bounces at misera.net [mailto:gathering-bounces at misera.net 

> ] On Behalf Of Brendan Quinn

> Sent: 31 January 2009 09:25

> To: 'A list about all things Killing Joke (the band!)'

> Subject: Re: [kj] OT: Bill Hicks

>

> I think people taking comedy seriously has something to do with the  

> ancient role of the court jester, poking fun at the King etc. Like  

> Jaz & BPF mentioned in that brief interview that went around a while  

> ago. We expect them to amuse us, but there’s also that angle of  

> social critique. Challenging values and challenging authority. With  

> the better comedians that is…you’re not really gonna get it from  

> Larry the Cable Guy, or Seinfeld (but you *might* from Larry David).  

> Christ if I remember back far enough (Classical Studies at school in  

> ‘91) there was a Greek slave comic playwright who took the piss out  

> of those in power, Aristophanes…and even though he was a slave who  

> viciously & publicly ridiculed those in power, he got away with it  

> because he did it with great humour. It’s hard to feel outrage about  

> something when an entire auditorium is cracking up about it...

>

> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristophanes

>

> So elevating a comic who challenges the status quo to heroic  

> proportions isn’t anything new.

>

> Hicks always said he attacked things that offended his sense of  

> reason, and after hearing that and going back over his stuff, it’s  

> quite a theme. Not that it’s anything unique in comedy. But the  

> extent to which he’s worshipped, I stand by it - hence the staunch  

> defence, 15+ years after the event. No one has ever made me laugh as  

> hard and at the same time articulated a sense of outrage at the  

> primitive state of civilisation. Basically take your peak  

> experiences with whatever art or literature or whatever that has  

> really elevated your consciousness, that’s how it felt for me,  

> listening to Hicks for the first time. So yeah, he’s up there with  

> Hendrix and Robert Anton Wilson and Soundgarden and my other heroes,  

> but not because of some cult of personality or posthumous popularity.

>

> And I can forgive the bits where he goes over the top, to the same  

> extent I forgive Jaz for the same. Seems to go hand in hand with  

> ‘being out there’.

>

> From: gathering-bounces at misera.net [mailto:gathering-bounces at misera.net 

> ] On Behalf Of Brendan Quinn

> Sent: Saturday, 31 January 2009 19:44

> To: 'A list about all things Killing Joke (the band!)'; 'Alex Smith'

> Subject: Re: [kj] OT: Bill Hicks

>

> Oh no how’d we get into this? I thought I was raising an in joke  

> between Ade and me re SG vs STP to a) illustrate how I felt about  

> Hicks vs Leary, and b) make sure that it was taken light-heartedly…

>

> From: gathering-bounces at misera.net [mailto:gathering-bounces at misera.net 

> ] On Behalf Of ade

> Sent: Saturday, 31 January 2009 08:40

> To: Alex Smith; A list about all things Killing Joke (the band!)

> Subject: Re: [kj] OT: Bill Hicks

>

> > PS: Soundgarden is, was, and e'er shall be LIGHT YEARS better than  

> STP.

>

> I'm sure they are mate, but how do I *make* myself like Soundgarden  

> & not like STP ?  What I actually said was that I preferred STP is  

> all. I'm supposed to be wrong, how?

> -----Original Message-----

> From: gathering-bounces at misera.net [mailto:gathering-bounces at misera.net 

> ]On Behalf Of Alex Smith

> Sent: 30 January 2009 21:09

> To: ade; A list about all things Killing Joke (the band!)

> Subject: Re: [kj] OT: Bill Hicks

> I saw Leary perform 'No Cure for Cancer' live in a tiny club in the  

> West Village, thanks.

>

> Hicks is funny, but has since become deified to ridiculous degrees.  

> Also, Hicks had a tiresomely sanctimonious quality to his work which  

> made me enjoy it less than Leary's.

>

> My opinion.

>

> Alex in NYC

>

> PS: Soundgarden is, was, and e'er shall be LIGHT YEARS better than  

> STP.

>

>

>

>

>

>

> -----Original Message-----

> From: ade

> Sent: Jan 30, 2009 3:30 PM

> To: Alex Smith , "A list about all things Killing Joke (the band!)"

> Subject: RE: [kj] OT: Bill Hicks

> I get the feeling you've not actually seen the material that I argue  

> (amongst many others) Leary

> clearly ripped from Hicks. In that case, how can you pass judgement?

>

> I loved Leary's 'No Cure for Cancer', until I got into Hicks. I  

> couldn't believe I was hearing the

> same jokes VERY DISTINCTIVE jokes being repeated right back at me -  

> that totally destroyed

> No Cure for cancer for me.

>

> Keep your fingers in your ears, it's only my opinion.

> -----Original Message-----

> From: gathering-bounces at misera.net [mailto:gathering-bounces at misera.net 

> ]On Behalf Of Alex Smith

> Sent: 30 January 2009 18:38

> To: A list about all things Killing Joke (the band!); 'A list about  

> all things Killing Joke (the band!)'

> Subject: Re: [kj] OT: Bill Hicks

> The perils and ramifications of smoking aren't really "niche"  

> material. You may not like Dennis Leary -- fair enough -- but to  

> accuse him of ripping off Hicks in that capacity is pretty unfair.

>

> Alex in NYC

>

> -----Original Message-----

> From: Brendan Quinn

> Sent: Jan 30, 2009 12:46 PM

> To: "'A list about all things Killing Joke (the band!)'"

> Subject: Re: [kj] OT: Bill Hicks

> We were comparing them because they covered similar material, that  

> I’m pretty sure Hicks came up with and Leary stole. Specifically the  

> voicebox gag. I could be wrong, but that’s the accusation.

>

> From: gathering-bounces at misera.net [mailto:gathering-bounces at misera.net 

> ] On Behalf Of Alex Smith

> Sent: Saturday, 31 January 2009 03:59

> To: A list about all things Killing Joke (the band!); 'A list about  

> all things Killing Joke (the band!)'

> Subject: Re: [kj] OT: Bill Hicks

>

> You seem to be equating them merely on the fact that they're both  

> "angry" comedians. That's not much to go on. I mean, why not toss  

> Don Rickles into the mix too, then?

>

> Alex in NYC

>

>

>

>

>

> -----Original Message-----

> From: Brendan Quinn

> Sent: Jan 30, 2009 10:31 AM

> To: "'A list about all things Killing Joke (the band!)'"

> Subject: Re: [kj] OT: Bill Hicks

>

>

>

>

>

> Not a fair comparison…because?

>

> From: gathering-bounces at misera.net [mailto:gathering-bounces at misera.net 

> ] On Behalf Of Alexander Smith

> Sent: Friday, 30 January 2009 23:15

> To: A list about all things Killing Joke (the band!)

> Subject: Re: [kj] OT: Bill Hicks

>

>

> Dennis Leary is rarely as earnest and sanctimonious as Bill Hicks  

> was capable of being. I love both, but it's not really a fair  

> comparison.

>

> Alex in NYC

>

>

>

> On Jan 30, 2009, at 1:34 AM, Brendan Quinn wrote:

>

>

> Let Hicks=Soundgarden, and Let Leary=Stone Temple Pilots

>

> If Soundgarden=TotalGodheadOnEarth and STP=BigFatYawn, then Leary=?

>

> Please show working.

>

> From: gathering-bounces at misera.net [mailto:gathering-bounces at misera.net 

> ] On Behalf Of ade

> Sent: Friday, 30 January 2009 07:24

> To: A list about all things Killing Joke (the band!)

> Subject: Re: [kj] OT: Bill Hicks

>

> LOL, don't forget Denis Leary ;)

>

> From wikipeedo: 'an industry joke began to circulate about Leary's  

> transformation and subsequent success (roughly; "Question: Why is  

> Denis Leary a star while Bill Hicks is unknown? Answer: Because  

> there's no cure for cancer"'

> -----Original Message-----

> From: gathering-bounces at misera.net [mailto:gathering-bounces at misera.net 

> ]On Behalf Of Brendan Quinn

> Sent: 29 January 2009 04:57

> To: 'A list about all things Killing Joke (the band!)'

> Subject: Re: [kj] OT: Bill Hicks

> The only other comedians I’d put in that category (and none as good  

> as Hicks) would be George Carlin, and lately, Joe Rogan, who’s a  

> surprising find actually.

>

> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grcqs9cDuN8

>

> PS: I haven’t watched this in ages so apologies if it sucks, but  

> from memory it’s pretty cool.

>

> From: gathering-bounces at misera.net [mailto:gathering-bounces at misera.net 

> ] On Behalf Of Bette Dillinger

> Sent: Thursday, 29 January 2009 12:34

> To: gathering at misera.net

> Subject: [kj] OT: Bill Hicks

>

>

> Hey everyone!

>     Strange, angering, yet I am still gonna try to catch it.  In the  

> US David Letterman will be showing on Friday, the 30th, 11:30 EST  

> the routine of Bill Hicks' that was never aired by Letterman in 1994  

> because it was considered too "controversial".  The routine that  

> sullied his relationship with the media to a degree.

>

> His mother Mary will also be a guest (the irony that the legal  

> executor of the estate is the ex attorney for Billy Ray Cyrus, but  

> then you can't make this shit up.).........

> Damn, it has been 14 years!  Are there any comedians that are flying  

> under the radar that should be checked out?  I am still looking for  

> one whose voice is so resonant with truth and humour.

>

> Bette

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> Windows Live™: E-mail. Chat. Share. Get more ways to connect. Check  

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