Bill Hicks
Philosophy
Ryko
Standup comedian Bill Hicks died somewhat prematurely, in early 1994, of pancreatic cancer. As he neared his final days, he read Huckleberry Finn, worked on his book, and tried to get his father to take mushrooms.
Hicks’ body of work wasn’t low-profile, but it seems to have been stuck in its early-‘90s time bubble, unable to stay in people’s memories longer. This collection of rants from several shows highlights Hicks’ incisive analysis of human hypocrisy. The government, the war on drugs, pro-lifers, the LA riots – they all get a shot of decidedly cynical contempt. You laugh with Hicks, but then it’s somewhat sad, because the stuff at the core of his material is pretty far from being laughable. And it’s even sadder that some of this rings somewhat more true five-ten years later. Philosophy is a great selection from the fairly large amount of Hicks material available, and hopefully will twitch a few angry smiles across the country.
Rykodisc: http://www.ryko.com • Bill Hicks Foundation: http://www.billhicks.com
