By Robert Scucci | Published
I can’t think of a single stand-up comedian who was more sincere, profound and volatile than the late, great Bill Hicks. After leaving his mortal body at the age of 32 following his diagnosis of pancreatic cancer in 1994, Hicks left behind a treasure trove of dark comedy that was not only direct, but also socially conscious and prophetic to the point where it still resonates with die-hard comedy fans today. Having recently revisited American: The Bill Hicks Story on Tubi, it didn’t take me long to launch my copy of its Sane man special to see the master at work as he screamed, chain smoked and collapsed on stage like a madman with an ax to grind as he used his microphone to point out all the problems in modern America after Ronald Reagan transformed the world into “the third shopping mall from the sun.”
Celebrating the life and times of Bill Hicks
American: The Bill Hicks Story is an eye-opening documentary chronicling the upbringing of Bill “The Dark Poet” Hicks and his early love of the craft of stand-up, through his tragic and untimely passing, and everything in between. Through archive images and interviews with those close to him, American: The Bill Hicks Story pulls back the curtain on his beginnings as a young man who wanted to make a difference with his critical worldview of religious dogma and consumerism, global militarization, and the decline of the American dream as he saw it. But underneath his cynical exterior, Hicks dreamed of a future in which we would stop waging war and start using our abundant resources to explore space together in peace and harmony.
In other words, Bill Hicks may seem like the worst kind of cynic you’d ever want to hang out with, especially in the drug era, but American: The Bill Hicks Story highlights how he was more of a disappointed optimist than anything else.
Brilliantly edited
Through the stories of his parents and his childhood friend, Dwight Slade, American: The Bill Hicks Story is unlike any documentary I’ve ever seen before. Matt Harlock and Paul Thomas directed and edited the entire documentary using archival footage and old photographs of Hicks. I’m not just talking about B-rolls playing on screen while a voice narrates the whole thing like in your typical documentary, but rather a style of animation that jumps off the screen almost as if the viewer is allowed to traveling with Hicks as his life unfolds kaleidoscopically for all to see.
During the sections of American: The Bill Hicks History which highlight his stint with drug addiction before adopting a sober lifestyle (although he never quit smoking or extolled the virtues of mind-altering substances), the visuals become quite trippy as we watch a young brilliant mind battling his personal demons while trying to find the voice for which he would eventually be known and celebrated.
Streaming American: The Bill Hicks Story
If you’re one of those comedy fans who doesn’t appreciate Bill Hicks’ abrasive and often dark worldview, but want to understand why comedians hold him in such high regard, then American: The Bill Hicks Story is a must. You may not agree with his politics (or even his sense of humor), and I’m not here to push you one way or another, but his passion to ignite the scene with his bombastic speech makes a lot more sense as you learn. where he came from as a jaded young man who relentlessly pursued comedy like it was his only lifeline until the day he died.
American: The Bill Hicks Story also wins points for not being all sunshine and candy cane while telling her life story. But when his family, friends, and fellow creatives talk about his journey looking back, their stories come from a place of love because they know what a special human being he truly was despite his many flaws. Bill Hicks has burned bright and flown a little too close to the sun on several occasions, but each up and down throughout his career helps paint a complete picture of how ahead of his time he was and why his We miss our voice so much.
As of this writing, you can stream American: The Bill Hicks Story for free on Tubi.
