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General Category => Entertainment and Media => Topic started by: Von Woofen on September 22, 2010, 01:39:34 pm

Title: why do people like bill hicks?
Post by: Von Woofen on September 22, 2010, 01:39:34 pm
why do people like bill hicks?
Title: why do people like bill hicks?
Post by: tuxedo marx on September 22, 2010, 02:30:54 pm
they go to a denis leary show and do it without knowing
Title: why do people like bill hicks?
Post by: jamie on September 22, 2010, 02:33:27 pm
because he's angry and self-righteous, and people think that means he is talking to power and all that, but actually he was a bit disgusting sometimes and his routine isn't actually clever or that funny if you aren't into all the shouting and 'religious people are RE-TARDS!!!!' rubbish. i mean especially now that seems so immature and boring, but maybe it was a little more notable in 1990.
Title: why do people like bill hicks?
Post by: Ryan on September 22, 2010, 03:37:45 pm
because tool told them to
Title: why do people like bill hicks?
Post by: Puppet Master on September 22, 2010, 08:46:03 pm
Because I live in an area with a lot of stupid religious conservatives and a lot of what he says is what I've been thinking for ages. If you did not grow up in such an area and you aren't a fan of angry humour I would understand your disapproval.
Title: why do people like bill hicks?
Post by: Vellfire on September 22, 2010, 08:52:40 pm
Because I live in an area with a lot of stupid religious conservatives and a lot of what he says is what I've been thinking for ages. If you did not grow up in such an area and you aren't a fan of angry humour I would understand your disapproval.

nah man

even growing up somewhere where it's nothing but religious conservatives, that doesn't make humor about them automatically funny.  i can't stand humor that consits of HEH...CHRISTIANS AND THEIR DUMB BELIEFS....or MAN....DID YOU KNOW RIGHT-WING NUTJOBS ARE CRAZY?  it doesn't matter if i agree or not, it's annoying.
Title: why do people like bill hicks?
Post by: Ryan on September 22, 2010, 09:42:41 pm
i grew up in lynchburg va. pretty much one of the most conservative/religious cities in the entire united states

bill hicks can suck my big ole donkey dick :cool:
Title: why do people like bill hicks?
Post by: Puppet Master on September 22, 2010, 10:01:55 pm
Yeah, that was too general. It more adds to why I enjoy his stuff rather than defines why I do.

I don't really have a good answer. I think with comedians you either think they're funny or complete talentless hacks. It's hard to explain why you find someone funny, ya know?
Title: why do people like bill hicks?
Post by: Parker on September 22, 2010, 11:15:47 pm
Yeah, I can't stand Bill Hicks. He's not a comedian. He's a commentator, or something like that. And it was never funny or entertaining. Like someone else mentioned, it's just a lot of "RELIGIOUSN PEOPLE ARE DUMB".
Title: why do people like bill hicks?
Post by: Von Woofen on September 23, 2010, 12:39:26 am
i just see his name come up so many times anytime i look for new comedians to check out and no matter how many times i check him out i just never get it. that being said, anyone know any really great comedians that aren't you know, pryor or carlin or anyone else famous like that? i really like stuart lee and louis ck. in case you havent heard of either of them you should absolutely check them out
Title: why do people like bill hicks?
Post by: jamie on September 23, 2010, 01:19:31 am
if you really like stewart lee and louis ck then your problems with bill hicks aren't the same as my problems with bill hicks and this is a weird topic.
Title: why do people like bill hicks?
Post by: tuxedo marx on September 23, 2010, 06:05:04 am
stewart lee grew up in my town. true story
Title: why do people like bill hicks?
Post by: thecatamites on September 23, 2010, 02:04:48 pm
I just watched his bit on marketing etc on youtube and, uh. It was definitely selfrighteous etc and not too clever and in a lot of cases I think it probably feeds into some awful smug worldview of you know sheeple working for the Man and the snarky freethinkers who oppose them and so on buuuuuuut at the risk of becoming apologist I don't want to dismiss all that stuff on the basis of UGH. . . HOW GAUCHE either because it's basically idealistic / GIVING A FUCK. It's important to give a fuck!! I wish I gave more of a fuck about things!! I mean the problem with adolescent rebellious trappings etc is that it uh can kind of solidify into just ego bullshit and obnoxiousness but I kind of distrust the idea that the only alternative to this is an equally obnoxious affectation of world-weary "realism". Heh of course you're gonna be marketed to, welcome to the real world kid.... Sigh of course the music you like will be used to sell cars, stop embarrassing yourself and get used to it.
I'm not particularly trying to defend fairly trite gestures of rebellion or whatever but I do think it's a little too easy to fall into DETATCHED INTERNET PERSONA where any level of enthusiasm or passion or interest beyond a vague preference is seen as basically embarrassing and yep gauche. I know I do this a lot semiinstinctively and it's a pretty disgusting habit. So uh yeah basically I don't want to completely throw away Bill Hicks yet, or the Dead Kennedys or Fight Club or some of the other shit we thought was soooo incredible lol when we were sixteen, because beyond the gross teenage rebel garbage there was still some sense of maybe idealism and yeah selfrighteous anger which I don't want to lose. Beyond teenage selfrighteousness and collegiate smug realism . . . lies the Shadow.

edit: idk about funny though but i never find standup funny so! i am a droid boop boop boop
Title: why do people like bill hicks?
Post by: Guana on September 23, 2010, 02:24:58 pm

I kind of like Bill Hicks, but usually to me he is more amusing than actually funny to me you know? I don't actually laugh at his jokes that much but it's fun. Same thing with George Carlin (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eScDfYzMEEw) and uh pretty much all stand-up comedy. I never really find it funny just interesting and amusing if it's good. I'm a robot with no feelings.. a modern man.. bleep bloop I only laugh at lolcats and megaphail pictures and status updates.
Title: why do people like bill hicks?
Post by: crone_lover720 on September 23, 2010, 03:24:18 pm
I never listened to bill hicks. that youtube was ok until it got to the waffle house

I've been noticing a lot of comedians like hicks seem to feel the need to adopt these dumb and kinda offensive stances on everything, and I dunno if they actually think that way or they're just trying to be funny or what. carlton and louis ck do the same shit and it isn't original or funny at all. I don't think louis ck is as dumb as he acts, but I don't really have a good reason for believing this other than the dumb humor is all you hear people repeat and seems to be his main claim to fame and money. I don't even like louis idk I kinda just wish he was more likable
Title: why do people like bill hicks?
Post by: Hundley on September 23, 2010, 05:00:47 pm
i have difficulty watching bill hicks now because glenn beck stole his presentation and ruined it

bill hicks was better contextually. his counter-sensationalist presentation was more timely and relevant in the late 80s, early 90s, but that sort of thing really turns people off now. i think his presentation would have changed substantially had he lived longer, which is usually the case with comedians like that. i really don't think we got to see him at anywhere near his best, which is the tragedy. i feel like he could easily reached that george carlin level of comedy(which took him a long time himself to reach) where you really need to have something wrong with you to not get it.

that said, i like his ideas a lot and find his convictions refreshing while being still timely and relevant. he had a pretty good idea of the problems of this world, which isn't something i can really say with confidence about too many(any?) active comedians. he was really a very fearless comedian, probably as much as any i've ever seen. it's a little outdated now, but there's something to be said for that.
Title: why do people like bill hicks?
Post by: Barack Obama on September 28, 2010, 06:42:01 am
he was funny and told funny jokes

you just gotta remember how dumb things were in the US during the 80's and 90's. His routine hasn't really aged well but if you have any connection or memories of the cultural decay of those times/places he refers to then he makes a lot more sense. He was saying a lot of things that you didn't hear often back then(the internet wasn't what it is today, the only mention of drugs in comedy were buffoonish weed jokes or pryor's sad/funny crack stories, etc) so its pretty difficult to communicate how subversive he was.
Title: why do people like bill hicks?
Post by: Barack Obama on September 28, 2010, 06:49:27 am
I never listened to bill hicks. that youtube was ok until it got to the waffle house

I've been noticing a lot of comedians like hicks seem to feel the need to adopt these dumb and kinda offensive stances on everything, and I dunno if they actually think that way or they're just trying to be funny or what. carlton and louis ck do the same shit and it isn't original or funny at all. I don't think louis ck is as dumb as he acts, but I don't really have a good reason for believing this other than the dumb humor is all you hear people repeat and seems to be his main claim to fame and money. I don't even like louis idk I kinda just wish he was more likable
Louis CK isn't dumb. If you watch his interviews he explains that every time he makes a silly overblown self-righteous complaint about some other person's stupidity/impatience/etc. he's talking about himself in a cloaked self-critical way and making up the part about the other person which makes him a little more endearing to me. He likes to run with absurd/offensive banal little thoughts and is pretty good at making funny critiques of everyday life while having fun with a self-mocking presentation of the "self-righteous comedian" cliche.
Title: why do people like bill hicks?
Post by: Bill Murray on September 28, 2010, 01:43:39 pm
this topic is going to get gw killed
Title: why do people like bill hicks?
Post by: tuxedo marx on September 28, 2010, 01:53:59 pm
Today at 17:43:39
in why do people like bill ... by Bill Murray
Title: why do people like bill hicks?
Post by: Von Woofen on September 28, 2010, 08:54:06 pm
thanks guys. one of my friends kind of explained things too me the same way. that he thought his comedy was pretty hit or miss but that it was more of his ideas that made him notable. and i can definitely imagine him being more relevant in the past.

also i dont think louis ck really does angry dumb humor, or is really that offensive. i think when he says shit like "i dont really see the problem with killing people" or "i cut the guy off, cause...fuck him, he's not me," its not cause he actually promotes those thoughts i think its more of a satire on the general apathy of people in america. i also think he has pretty good timing and presentation. compared to what other comedy is available, i think louis ck is pretty intelligent. i think its kind of silly to say "this isn't intellectual so its not funny." there's so much stuff that can make a joke funny and sometimes it has little to do with the content of the joke but to do with delivery, timing, or context.
Title: why do people like bill hicks?
Post by: crone_lover720 on September 29, 2010, 01:02:55 am
you haven't seen all hs materal then. maybe l'll edt ths post when l'm on a computer wth a better keyboard. also l'm not talkng about "dumb" n the sense of the second half of your post

Louis CK isn't dumb. If you watch his interviews he explains that every time he makes a silly overblown self-righteous complaint about some other person's stupidity/impatience/etc. he's talking about himself in a cloaked self-critical way and making up the part about the other person which makes him a little more endearing to me. He likes to run with absurd/offensive banal little thoughts and is pretty good at making funny critiques of everyday life while having fun with a self-mocking presentation of the "self-righteous comedian" cliche.
that mght be true. he has some funny stuff but l guess l forget about t when he starts talkng about AlDs and faggots and rape and hs famly. haven't seen hlarous yet
Title: why do people like bill hicks?
Post by: Barack Obama on September 29, 2010, 06:16:38 am
that mght be true. he has some funny stuff but l guess l forget about t when he starts talkng about AlDs and faggots and rape and hs famly. haven't seen hlarous yet
I see where you're coming from. I dunno, that sorta stuff is understandable because I know where he's coming from but a lot of people laugh at it for the wrong reasons so yeah it might not be appropriate on his part. When you hang out with gay dudes who you can laugh and make fag/AIDS jokes from the ignorant straight boy perspective in a self-deprecating way and have laughs all around which is what I'm sure he does but if you do it to a crowd of bros I'm sure you can have a sorta meta laugh at how you can make these completely ignorant statements and idiots eat it up but it's pretty masturbatory and just looks bad to everyone else. i like his family jokes though because it's funny and absurd to hear someone bitch about the things we overlook out of love in our family lives so while those jokes are always gross and stupid they're also pretty heartwarming cuz you can tell he loves his kids a lot & is probably a sweet dad
Title: why do people like bill hicks?
Post by: Frisky SKeleton on October 06, 2010, 04:12:00 am
i haven't seen his stuff for a while but i was watching him at an improv show and just out of the blue he said something fairly offensive. like his set wasn't going too well or he was out of material or something and he was just like "i have to clean shit out of my daughters cunt."

maybe that's a layer of his humour, like getting you to like him even though he's saying terrible things.
Title: why do people like bill hicks?
Post by: jamie on October 06, 2010, 09:25:25 am
actually that reminds me of the one of the reasons i've got it in my head that he is an ugly guy. there's that one show where they are some (i guess apparently female) hecklers/loud people in the audience and he starts going on like 'why don't you shut up you fucking cunt. 'oh i'm a woman, i can do whatever the fuck i like'. no-one is interested in what you have to say!' and that is pretty bad. go on to any youtube video of stand up where a woman makes herself known in any way and there will be a flood of comments like 'STUPID FUCKINGF BITCHES NEED TO SHUT THEIR MOUTHS' and all of that.
Title: why do people like bill hicks?
Post by: Barack Obama on October 06, 2010, 10:54:57 am
yeah well misogyny kinda comes with divorces. but fuck hecklers/loud people at comedy shows anyway... if that is your life it's probably pretty shitty for someone to do that and if you can call them a cunt/get a cheap laugh out of it then go for it.
Title: why do people like bill hicks?
Post by: crone_lover720 on October 06, 2010, 01:50:23 pm

in hilarious which is his new movie thing he explains it as trying to offend the crowd because he thinks it's funny to hear them get offended. i don't entirely buy it and i remember another sketch where he essentially said he does it because naughty words make him laugh

there are some good jokes in hilarious tho.
Title: why do people like bill hicks?
Post by: Von Woofen on October 06, 2010, 02:51:52 pm
do you guys have some archive of every show louis ck has ever done or something? cause i have sat around a bunch of time and just watched louis ck shit on youtube till i couldnt find anything i hadn't already seen, and i have only seen one clip that sounds anything like what you are describing, but its not even close. i just would like to actually see these videos instead of just hearing about them so that i can make my own judgement.

also:
yeah well misogyny kinda comes with divorces. but fuck hecklers/loud people at comedy shows anyway... if that is your life it's probably pretty shitty for someone to do that and if you can call them a cunt/get a cheap laugh out of it then go for it.

^that^. my mom divorced my dad and i can see where it skews my judgment of women and im not even the one who got divorced. and i have a huge respect for anyone who has the courage to get up on stage and perform something that they created, so fuck hecklers. whatever they get is what they deserve.

you haven't seen all hs materal then. maybe l'll edt ths post when l'm on a computer wth a better keyboard. also l'm not talkng about "dumb" n the sense of the second half of your post

what sense of the word dumb are you talk about then?

Title: why do people like bill hicks?
Post by: crone_lover720 on October 06, 2010, 04:04:37 pm
kinda like saying living in the city makes you hate blacks

still not on a good 'board sorry but i thin it should be clear. you sorta invented a strawman eg the part in quotations which is supposedly what i said

edit why am i saying SORTA it's lie juris and velfarre you gotta now when to say fuc it
Title: why do people like bill hicks?
Post by: Vellfire on October 06, 2010, 04:32:54 pm
^that^. my mom divorced my dad and i can see where it skews my judgment of women and im not even the one who got divorced. and i have a huge respect for anyone who has the courage to get up on stage and perform something that they created, so fuck hecklers. whatever they get is what they deserve.

the problem with this is that making statements like that towards women doesn't just affect the hecklers.  suddenly you've alienated all the women in the audience because a few dumb bitches won't shut their mouths.
Title: why do people like bill hicks?
Post by: Von Woofen on October 06, 2010, 05:30:19 pm
still not on a good 'board sorry but i thin it should be clear. you sorta invented a strawman eg the part in quotations which is supposedly what i said

edit why am i saying SORTA it's lie juris and velfarre you gotta now when to say fuc it

how is the quote "supposedly" what you said. its a quote. go back and read what you wrote if you think i tampered with your words or something. also, i dont know what you mean by me "creating a straw man." you said that my interpretation of "dumb" was different than what you intended so all i was asking for was for you to clarify what you meant by dumb.

the problem with this is that making statements like that towards women doesn't just affect the hecklers.  suddenly you've alienated all the women in the audience because a few dumb bitches won't shut their mouths.

i didn't say it was an appropriate thing to say, im just saying i can sympathize. im not saying "its ok to call women hecklers cunts", and its certainly not a wise buisness move (if you are trying to acquire female fans), i just  agree with dietcoke's point that experiencing a divorce can certainly give you a negative view of women whether you want it to or not. also, if you call a woman heckler a cunt, you aren't necessarily calling all women cunts. you are just calling that woman a cunt. if you aren't the one being called a cunt a don't understand why you would be offended, unless you are just offended by people insulting other people in which case sex shouldn't matter and you should be equally mad with the heckler and the comedian.

edit: i feel like i tend to come off kind of aggressive, and i don't mean to, so hopefully you guys dont think im sitting over here like ARGH FUCK THESE GUYS, or whatever.
Title: why do people like bill hicks?
Post by: jamie on October 06, 2010, 06:33:37 pm
Quote
if you call a woman heckler a cunt, you aren't necessarily calling all women cunts. you are just calling that woman a cunt. if you aren't the one being called a cunt a don't understand why you would be offended, unless you are just offended by people insulting other people in which case sex shouldn't matter and you should be equally mad with the heckler and the comedian.

well, The Big C has different meanings in different parts off the world but generally (definitely in the us) if it's directed at women specifically it is directed at all women because the word has nothing but negative and hateful meaning and is by definition female, and is a way of thinking about women that causes/enforces inequality and oppression. i mean this is a really basic point about prejudice/hate, and i could draw an easy comparison with pretty much any other kind right now but i won't because it always seems so dramatic and baiting. someone like bill hicks should have known better than to go off like that, and in a context like a comedy club where the levels of sexism are already ridiculous come on.

dropping a whore or slut or some stupid unexamined witless bullshit about their experiences or opinions regarding women is something almost every fucking stand up comedian does. i can't laugh at it anymore once they start with that. even some people i like go into it a bit - come to think of it, when dealing with hecklers or loudness - like neil hamburger will occasionally scream 'whore!' when telling someone in the audience to shut up and now he is playing this gross despicable character so it's a bit different but he's got to know just like i know that there are 50 guys in that room thinking 'woo! tell that bitch! gotta learn to keep her mouth shut.'.

actually i have never been to or seen a live stand up show where this exact problem didn't ruin my already middling enjoyment of the night. they just can't help themselves.
Title: why do people like bill hicks?
Post by: Von Woofen on October 06, 2010, 06:58:16 pm
yeah i get what you are saying. i just feel like it's like squares and parallelograms. you know all squares are parallelograms, not all parallelograms are squares. all cunts are women, not all women are cunts. but i guess what you intentions are with a word aren't as important as how it's actually perceived, and if you are gonna be a performer you should know that. it just doesn't particularly offend me because i think if you are a heckling then you are being a cunt (whether you are male or female).
Title: why do people like bill hicks?
Post by: Vellfire on October 06, 2010, 08:15:01 pm
all cunts are women, not all women are cunts.

this would make the best standardized test question ever
Title: why do people like bill hicks?
Post by: Puppet Master on October 06, 2010, 11:31:40 pm
Doesn't cunt just mean vagina? Am I missing out on something here?
Title: why do people like bill hicks?
Post by: Parker on October 06, 2010, 11:43:57 pm
yes.


also, if you are looking for some more comedy, hannibal buress just released his first album and it's pretty funny.
Title: why do people like bill hicks?
Post by: Vellfire on October 07, 2010, 12:11:36 am
Doesn't cunt just mean vagina? Am I missing out on something here?

it's a compliment when applied to a girl's eyes (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0asuF7ZlOw4)

edit: jesus been doin too much two's complement now i can't spell compliment
Title: why do people like bill hicks?
Post by: crone_lover720 on October 07, 2010, 12:14:28 am
how is the quote "supposedly" what you said. its a quote. go back and read what you wrote if you think i tampered with your words or something. also, i dont know what you mean by me "creating a straw man." you said that my interpretation of "dumb" was different than what you intended so all i was asking for was for you to clarify what you meant by dumb.
no t's not t's somethng you wrote and put n quotatons to mae t seem le  wrote t.  ddn't wrte "this isn't intellectual so its not funny." you dd!
Title: why do people like bill hicks?
Post by: Hundley on October 07, 2010, 03:32:27 am
you guys should listen to derek and clive (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derek_and_Clive) sometime. it is extremely respectful towards women.
Title: why do people like bill hicks?
Post by: Hundley on October 07, 2010, 03:38:13 am
Title: why do people like bill hicks?
Post by: UPRC on October 07, 2010, 05:21:29 am
I used to listen to Bill Hicks a lot 10+ years ago and I thought he was hilarious. After listening to him last year though, I kind of wondered what it was that I liked so much about him. Back then, he was really great to listen to, but when I tried last year it was mostly ho-hum. A few funny bits, but a lot of his material I almost wanted to skip over.

Like somebody mentioned earlier, I don't think that Hicks' material aged well.
Title: why do people like bill hicks?
Post by: crone_lover720 on October 08, 2010, 01:44:08 am
"The sland s a fckle btch" -- Dr. Benjamn Lnus n ABC drama Lost
Title: why do people like bill hicks?
Post by: Puppet Master on October 08, 2010, 03:36:37 am
After going back and listening to him again because of this post, I think he's more of a thought provoking public speaker with some funny moments than a laugh out loud funny commedian.

However I'm always pretty impressed with his gunshot sound effects. He was really good at those.
Title: why do people like bill hicks?
Post by: Warped655 on October 08, 2010, 05:54:21 am
Is it bad that I don't know who Bill Hicks is...? I recognize the name... just don't know a thing about him...

It's not like "not knowing what 'A Christmas Carol' is" bad I imagine...
Title: why do people like bill hicks?
Post by: crone_lover720 on October 08, 2010, 04:44:56 pm
no t doesn't matter t's worthless nowledge
Title: why do people like bill hicks?
Post by: Hundley on October 09, 2010, 10:48:49 am
Is it bad that I don't know who Bill Hicks is...? I recognize the name... just don't know a thing about him...

It's not like "not knowing what 'A Christmas Carol' is" bad I imagine...
no, bill hicks is only memorable because he died before he could do anything memorable