Bill Hicks (placeholder)

not enough can ever be said for this incredibly riveting, intelligent and funny human being. he left us in 1994 at the age of 32 after a short battle with pancreatic cancer.

bill hicks paved the way for comedians, tackling sensitive topics like abortion, the republican party, the kennedy assassination, the deep south, and christianity. his bits on the gulf war are surprisingly topical today. some have called his stand up comedy prophetic.

hicks has influenced countless artists today, including bands like Tool and Radiohead. hicks, despite his sometimes angry demeanor and occasionally vulgar sense of humor, ended each show with a profound message that urged love instead of fear, and evolution instead of apathy.

“The world is like a ride in an amusement park. And when you choose to go on it, you think it’s real because that’s how powerful our minds are. And the ride goes up and down and round and round. It has thrills and chills and it’s very brightly coloured and it’s very loud and it’s fun, for a while. Some people have been on the ride for a long time and they begin to question, is this real, or is this just a ride? And other people have remembered, and they come back to us, they say, “Hey – don’t worry, don’t be afraid, ever, because, this is just a ride…” And we… kill those people.
“We have a lot invested in this ride. Shut him up. Look at my furrows of worry. Look at my big bank account and my family. This just has to be real.” Just a ride. But we always kill those good guys who try and tell us that, you ever notice that? And let the demons run amok. But it doesn’t matter because: It’s just a ride. And we can change it anytime we want. It’s only a choice. No effort, no work, no job, no savings and money. A choice, right now, between fear and love. The eyes of fear want you to put bigger locks on your doors, buy guns, close yourself off. The eyes of love, instead, see all of us as one. Here’s what we can do to change the world, right now, to a better ride. Take all that money that we spend on weapons and defences each year and instead spend it feeding and clothing and educating the poor of the world, which it would many times over, not one human being excluded, and we could explore space, together, both inner and outer, forever, in peace.”

Bill Hicks (December 16, 1961—February 26, 1994)