20% funny stuff, 10% on how drugs are good for people, and 70% R-rated nonsense. No wonder he was never known very well; most of the material was not suited for TV. Maybe OK for Bill Hicks fans.
Bill Hicks was a very dark and very funny man who died way too young. A lot of his material stands the test of time. Unfortunately, too little of his material survives to make a DVD 2 hours and 48 minutes long.
There is so much repetition on the DVD that it detracts from the final product. If it were shorter, he'd still be funny and it would be a better DVD.
Bill Hicks is a fantastic, dark comedian. He is relentless in his scrutiny of current events and US history. I loved it. My girlfriend doesn't speak fluent English and she couldn't stop laughing either. However, this DVD ranks as the all time WORST video editing in the history of art in my opinion. There are 3 different stand up acts on this DVD. Approximately HALF of the second act is the EXACT same as the first one. Seriously, no deviation pretty much. About 5 minutes of the third one is the same as the 1st and the 2nd. Get your scan and/or fast forward button ready after act one. Acts 1 and 3 will have you rolling/crying and begging for me. So, in sum, it's worth it.
Hard to rate this as it has material from different eras. His newer stuff (not a lot if it) is presented in a style befitting a pro, but the older stuff is delivered in a manner that is very immature. Bad timing concepts to milk every moment that leave a bad taste even when the material was satisfactory. Most of the historical material is also the same as the main presentation so one really finds ways of wasting time here. I think there are a lot of dedicated fans here rating this disk up a bit high. I would recommend Rogan, Sykes or Louis C.K. way before this.
If I could name only one man as my favorite dark comedy comic, "Bill Hicks". And if I could say only one word about this man, "Genious". Not a comedian to come on stage and talk about his girlfriend and the same ol' same ol', he comes on and just gives it to you, everything straight forward and alotta "effed" up stuff. I find it all hilarious.
I enjoyed this.Bill was relevant and hysterically funny.Another tragic loss.Did anyone else notice his maniacle screaming Kinison-type delivery at times. I thought he was channeling Sam with his mike.
Awesome! Bill Hicks was one of a kind! left a big impression on me as a teen, tragically died too young of pancreatic cancer i think, too bad, would have been continuously hilarious! one of my favorite comedians of all-time, right up there with Sam Kinison & George Carlin, telling the masses how it is & its good to think outside the box! R.I.P.~
I love Bill Hicks. Plain & simple.
Theres really no need to explain more but I have to fill out this box with a full 80 characters.
This man reached the pinnacle of witty humor & theres probably a slew of people who didnt/dont know who he was. While his routine is the same on every live recording out there, (Duh!, its a routine) I still enjoy watching as he faced a different crowd in a different city & how he would improvise a few things here & there. Especially if he was in front of a bunch of morons.
Bill Hicks -- Another Dead Hero
One of the top comedians ever captured on film/video.
Yes, that is a bold statement, and I stand behind it.
Bill Hicks was a jester, in the truest sense of the role. The Jester was the only person in a Royal Court who could tell the truth, insult the King to his face, and not only live, but enjoy applause!
This is the role of the Jester, to make us laugh at the truth, realize our follies, and rethink our view of the world.
Bill was a genius that I wish he were around today to comment on our crazy world.
I'm just gonna address the documentary part of this DVD. The two biggest points: He died young and he got fired from Letterman's show for something scandulous. Yet there is absolutely no mention in the documentary about how he died or what he died of and no mention whatsoever of what he did that was so bad on Letterman that got him fired. Lame. And did he never ever give an interview? It would have been nice to see him not on the stage. I'd give it one star just for those things, but the interviews with the parents and other comedians are interesting.
It's my fault. I've often wondered if/wished I could see George Carlin for the first time now. And I thought that this would be my chance. I placed Hicks on the pedestal that only belongs to Carlin, and as I sat down to watch this compilation of this finest performances, I expected too much, more than any man could rightfully be expected to deliver. Though Hicks really needs to pick up the pace and some of his antics got too loud and drawn-out, the stand-up was not devoid of good lines. He tells the story of non-smokers who cough to indicate their displeasure with his smoking, to whom he replies, "It's a good thing you don't smoke; imagine how bad your cough would be then. That's a cruel thing to do: cough at a smoker. What else do you do? Go up to cripples and dance?" And the ejecting of a child out of a moving airplane was classic.
But overall, I was disappointed, and it's my fault.
READ MOREMost of what I heard of Bill Hicks makes him out to be some sort of under-appreciated comedy god. Many of the reviews here echo that. This is not really the case. Some of his material was funny, and I could imagine edgy for the time, but this does not translate well to 2009. His insight falls well short of being some timeless comic genius. He is just a guy who gets annoyed with certain things. While the seed of the jokes have some inherent humor, the delivery is predictable and drawn out. Coarse and vulgar, but not in a good way. Not artful, not genius, just sweaty and chaotic.
This guy was like watching a fatal crash. He seemed to be a good writer, but his choice of material was hateful, prejudiced, ultra-liberal fanaticism. When I watch a comedian I expect to laugh....this was so offensive I literally cringed
As we spiral uncontrollably into a web of (low) standards and practices, it is so good to see ol' Bill taking a swipe at it from beyond the grave. Do not, repeat, do not rent this if you just want nice comedy, or if you want dirty comedy. Bill Hicks is a real person. Not everything he says is laugh out loud funny (Some of it is downright scary) but it's not meant to be. Like all great satarists, Hicks is showing us how utterly ridiculous we as a society can be. Satire is becoming a lost art, few people have the intestinal fortitude to do it these days. It's good to have actual master versions of these three shows on DVD. The "Just a Ride" documentary is a great extra. I just hope that there is more material captured on video somewhere and that it will be released as well.
READ MOREWhile there's not a whole lot of new material here for the Goatchildren (ardent Bill Hicks fans), there is a lot that will replace the aging videotapes. The 'Just-a-ride' documentery is a great introduction for anyone who has never seen/heard his material before.
Recomended for anyone who has ever wondered where Dennis Leary got his material, and why he no longer does standup.
Bill Hicks was the best. He was a very funny comedian but he was more than just a funny man. He was a poet, philosopher and a preacher. Thru his 'comedy of hate' he tried to teach the world to love. He fought the forces that taint our collective unconscious (TV, Republicans, Fundamentalists etc) by showing them as the stupid, hollow things that blind our Third Eyes from the Truth. He died too soon just like all the other people that tried to save us from ourselves Jesus, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Bob Marley and Bill Hicks, another dead hero.
This DVD contains everything your parents hate, everything your church preaches against, everything your government fears and might be the key to evolving our ideas to the point where we can all live in peace forever. Watch and listen and open your Third Eye.
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