American - The Bill Hicks Story

Bill Hicks was 32 when he died of pancreatic cancer in February 1994. He was younger than me although he looked a lot older. I was surprised when he died and a bit sad but I didn't realise he was so young.

The comparative youth of Hicks only struck me when I saw the film American - The Bill Hicks Story yesterday. I'm a fan of Hicks and I know a lot about him. I've seen or heard most of his major routines and I was aware of his slow rise to fame, his years of self-abuse with alcohol and cigarettes (and self-abuse) and I was aware of his death from pancreatic cancer. I just wasn;t aware that he was so goddam young.

Hicks was one of the stars of my youth, a navagational point with Jello Biafra, Ian MacKaye and Hunter S. Thomson. He encouraged me to think for myself and to question the powers that be and to read books. He reminded me that it was OK to be intelligent. He affirmed that it was cool to swear a lot.

American didn't really tell me much about Hicks that I didn't already know. There wasn't a lot of unseen footage. I think that better documentaries have been made about his life. This film didn't really teach me anything although I perhaps miss Hicks more now. What would he have said about George W. Bush, the second invasion of Iraq, Afghanistan, September the 11th and Obama? Would he have grown into a cool elder statesman or would he have become a lone nut, tilting against windmills?


RIP

'it's just a ride'