No, not that kind of hick, Bill Hicks. I’m currently in the midst of a Bill Hicks marathon. I just finished reading American Scream: The Bill Hicks Story. I followed that up with a viewing of Bill Hicks Live – Satirist, Social Critic, Stand-Up Comedian, the new DVD from Ryko.
I think I was vaguely aware of him during my college years at UT in the late 80’s/early 90’s, but I never really got into him. I must’ve barely missed the infamous censorship episode on The Late Show with David Letterman. I went to one of the taping that fall. I can’t even remember who the guests were the night I attended the show. I was also living in New York when he gave his final performance in January, 1994.
It seems like I kept just barely missing him over that 5 year period and only really became aware of him at Ethan’s recommendation upon returning to Austin a little more than a year after his death. It feels even more eerie now that I’ve read his biography. We share the same birthday. He was exactly 10 years older than me. Weird.