bill hicks

Valdosta, Georgia, U.S. Died February 26, 1994 (aged 32)

Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S. Medium Stand-up, music Nationality American Years active 1978-1994 Genres Black comedy, observational comedy, satire/political satire Subject(s) American culture, American politics, current events, pop culture, human sexuality, philosophy, religion, spirituality, recreational drug use, conspiracy theories, consumerism Influences Woody Allen, Robert Benchley, Lenny Bruce, George Carlin, Johnny Carson, Noam Chomsky, Peter Cook, Jimi Hendrix, Terence McKenna, S. J. Perelman, Richard Pryor, Sam Kinison Influenced Lewis Black, David Cross, Eddie Izzard, Denis Leary, Henry Rollins, Tool, Radiohead, T. Sean Shannon, Ron Bennington, Doug Stanhope, Patton Oswalt, Joe Rogan, Dean Obeidallah, Gregg "Opie" Hughes, Sal the Stockbroker, Russell Brand, Keith Olbermann Website billhicks.com

William Melvin Hicks (December 16, 1961 – February 26, 1994) was an American stand-up comedian.

Bill Hicks was a comedian in the 1980s and early 1990s who challenged mainstream beliefs, aiming to "enlighten people to think for themselves."[1] Hicks used a ribald approach to express his material describing himself as "Chomsky with dick jokes."[1] His jokes included general discussions about society, religion, politics, philosophy and personal issues. Hicks' material was often deliberately controversial and steeped in black comedy. In both his stand-up performances, and during interviews, he often criticized Media and popular culture as oppressive tools of the ruling class, meant to "keep people stupid and apathetic."[2] Contents [hide] 1 Early life 2 California and New York 3 Early fame 3.1 Cancer 3.2 Censorship and aftermath 3.3 Death 4 Allegations of plagiarism towards Denis Leary 5 Legacy 6 Movie 7 Discography 8 Notes 9 Further reading 10 External links //

Early life

Born in Valdosta, Georgia, Bill Hicks was the son of Jim and Mary (Reese) Hicks, and had two elder siblings, Steve and Lynn. The family lived in Florida, Alabama and New Jersey, before settling in Houston, Texas, when Hicks was seven. Hicks has two school-age stories on the Flying Saucer Tour Vol. 1 album. He was raised in the Southern Baptist faith, where he actually first began performing as a comedian to other children sent to Sunday School. One pupil told Hicks' mother that "he was the funniest thing he had ever seen," which prompted Hicks' mother to question the reverend about what Hicks had been saying. The reverend replied. "He's very funny but you might look at how you raise him." Hicks never subscribed to the "valuable morals" that were preached to him. The Sunday school education he received gave him