One of the great legends of comedy, Bill Hicks was a satirical, gunslinger of a wordsmith, who left no prisoners. The true rock’n’roll comedian who has inspired generations of stand ups that followed. Hailed by many of his peers as their all time great and an inspiration to many of today's comedians. ‘Ultimate’ is the new 3 DVD box set that includes Hicks classics; One Night Stand, Sane Man, Relentless, ‘Revelations’ and the documentary of his life- ‘It’s Just a Ride’.
‘One Night Stand’ (1989) Hicks’s infamous provocative stand up performance originally performed for HBO. With passionate conviction, Hicks shared his uniquely controversial views on a wide array of his favourite subjects; cigarettes, smoking pot, drinking, sex, advertising and music.
‘Sane Man’ (1989) Hicks’s celebrated, first full-length comedy special. Thought to be the best of his early years, ‘Sane Man’ became the foundation of what would become his signature material shaped by his notorious opinions. Funny and thought provoking, he attacks corporate America with venom.
‘Relentless’ (1992) Recorded at the Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal Relentless is the classic penultimate special, with Hicks as cynical as ever, launching a head on attack on pornography, religion, war and mortality.
‘Revelations’ (1993) was the last special Bill Hicks ever recorded and features him at the height of his genius. Recorded at Hicks’s sell out show at the Dominion Theatre in London; reiterating his beliefs in no uncertain terms, that we need to open our eyes and minds to the hypocrisy and ludicrousness of the world around us.
‘It’s Just a Ride’ (1994) is a tribute to Bill, who died in 1994 at the young age of 32. This documentary outlines the career of a man who proved himself as one of the most distinctive voices in comedy. Uncompromising and outrageous - Hicks lived his life as a sex, drugs and rock'n'roll comedian. Singularly passionate about his work, his comedy, built on his relentless conviction, set him way ahead of his contemporaries. This special includes interviews with Jay Leno, David Letterman, Eddie Izzard, Richard Belzer, Richard Jeni, Brett Butler, Eric Bogosian with intimate memoirs from Hicks’s friends and family.
I searched high and low for something I could actually include in the preview feature and settled on Bill's very amusing look at dealing with young kids on an airplane, check it out...
We'll be taking a look back at Bill's life and reviewing the entire boxset so keep your eyes peeled, we also hope to have a chat to Bill's brother soon and will include that in the final write up.... In the meantime, go pre-order it!
