In the '90s What’s Up With That? Seinfeld era of pre-#firstworldproblems observational humor, Bill Hicks was a bristling outlier. What was up with Bill Hicks, really, was his rage. He railed against the evils of corporate greed, was outraged over consumer complacency, fought vehemently for the freedom of expression, and was deeply offended by the criminal unfunniness of Jay Leno. (No doubt, 20 years on, you can relate to one, if not all, of these trangressions.)
Much of his work has been made available over the years, but Rykodisc just released a new EP of previously unreleased material, in honor of his 50th birthday today, with plans for the definitive box set in mid-January.
While alive, his charged diatribes (which made up for in passion what they sometimes lacked in cohesion) were aggravating and off-putting to mainstream audiences, as evidenced by an infamous appearance (or rather, non-appearance) with on David Letterman that was rectified years later by the late-night host.
Much of his work has been made available over the years, but Rykodisc just released a new EP of previously unreleased material, in honor of his 50th birthday today, with plans for the definitive box set in mid-January.
While alive, his charged diatribes (which made up for in passion what they sometimes lacked in cohesion) were aggravating and off-putting to mainstream audiences, as evidenced by an infamous appearance (or rather, non-appearance) with on David Letterman that was rectified years later by the late-night host.
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