“The world is like a ride in an amusement park… 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.”
Field: Comedian, Social Critic.
Born: 16 December 1961, Valdosta, Georgia.
Background: When Bill was 7 years old, the Hicks family moved to Houston. There Bill formed his first comedy act with friend Dwight Slade (both aged 12). From an early age Bill was bored and mystified by the appeal of the so-called “American Dream,” and began performing routines to attack the hypocritical “morality” he saw all around him. Hick’s routines were angry, scandalous, filthy, and left no sacred cow unturned, but always contained a ray of hope – Bill believed that eventually, somehow, we might just cut through all the bullshit to see the beauty and mystery of life. His intense desire for the supernal led him to seek out illuminating drug experiences, which he would describe for his audiences. Kevin Booth said of Hicks, “Bill was the first person I ever met whose goal was to become enlightened.” Bill was in touch with aliens, he’d seen Jesus riding a unicorn, and he didn’t have time for petty politics. His unique and relentless standup style and metaphysical musings quickly earned him the respect of fellow comedians. As his act developed, Bill began performing at an amazing pace – sometimes doing 300 shows a year. His words had power, and his style is emulated (or watered down) by many of today’s standups and social commentators. Bill would have hated the watered-down ones, but he would have approved of the extreme and unforgiving ones. “Listen, the next revolution is gonna be a revolution of ideas. A bloodless revolution. And if I can take part in it by transforming my own consciousness, then someone else’s… I’m happy to do it.” Bill Hicks died of cancer on February 26th, 1994, in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Lesson: We are the facilitators of our own creative evolution.