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Recommendations for a Bill Hicks newbie?

Started by AlanFarty, February 15, 2004, 04:30:55 AM

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AlanFarty

I feel like I'm missing out because I never really got into Bill Hicks. So What CDs, videos, or websites would you recommend to a newbie like me? Basically what I want is some starter material. Thanks for any help.

easytarget

Totally Bill Hicks is ace, various comedians pay tribute to him for half an hour followed by his Revalations show in London.

Relentless and Dangerous are really good. Get them, listen to them then get:

Arizona Bay, Rant in E Minor and Flying Saucer Tour Vol.1

You'll want to download everything from The Bill Hicks Bootleg Archive too. Especially "Dark Poet" - the audience hate him, it's an interesting listen.

There's also some audio and video bits and pieces on Sacred Cow Productions that are worth investigating too.

mook


Capuchin

Get the new book too, I think it's called Love everyone.
And the American Screaming Biog by Cynthia True.

axel

The 'Sane Man' vid is very good too, just ignore the dodgy mullets. You can pick this up from the Sacred Cow Productions website, or on e-bay.


european son

ummmm, will probably get spanked for saying this but a great place to start for newbies is probably Philosophy (the best of)

first thing i heard was Dark Poet which i'd have to say, whilst a fascinating listen, is the worst thing to kick off with if you're interested in laughing and that.

but yeah, i'd say Philosophy as a primer, and if you like that, move on to the other commercial albums (Relentless, LoveLaughterTruth etc.) then as many bootlegs as you can find.

Rev

Quote from: "easytarget"Totally Bill Hicks is ace, various comedians pay tribute to him for half an hour followed by his Revalations show in London.

Heh, you recommended pretty much everything in that post!  Not sure I'd agree with this one, though...  I don't think a documentary is a great place to jump in, and Revelations isn't really him at his best.  Really lazily put together DVD, too.

I'd get Relentless first, it's solid stuff, representative, and was his 'break-through' album if you like...  everyone I know who likes Hicks heard this one first.  Good sign, surely?  Dangerous has aged really badly if you ask me, or maybe it was particularly patchy in the first place.

Capuchin

Quote from: "Doctor Stamen"Has anyone bought this yet?

D'oh, Love All the People, not Love Everyone.

I bought it this evening.
I haven't had a chance for a dip yet but it's packed full of stuff.
Lots of show transcripts, interviews and letters, looks good.

easytarget

Quote from: "Rev"
Heh, you recommended pretty much everything in that post!  Not sure I'd agree with this one, though...  I don't think a documentary is a great place to jump in, and Revelations isn't really him at his best.  Really lazily put together DVD, too.

I'd get Relentless first, it's solid stuff, representative, and was his 'break-through' album if you like...  everyone I know who likes Hicks heard this one first.  Good sign, surely?  Dangerous has aged really badly if you ask me, or maybe it was particularly patchy in the first place.

Well, I missed out Ninja Bachelor Party...

I really liked Revelations, I think it was one of the first Bill Hicks things I ever saw (it was on Channel 4 about 10 years ago). I enjoyed the documentary too, it was nice to get a bit of background on him (having said that, I only watched it once, the documentary probably doesn't stand up to many repeated viewings).

To be honest, I think all* the albums are great and it doesn't really matter in what order you hear them.

*Disclaimer: I've not heard Shock and Awe.

Bellscab

Hey,

You can get Hicks - Rant in E Minor here: http://homepage.ntlworld.com/faceless/com2/frame.html


Found this site today... Has some good stuff on it.

Hope this isn't old news and I haven't make a gubbin-felcher out of myself.

Bellscab.

P.S. - It's the One Month and 4 day 'anniversary' of the death of Hazza Shipman tomorrow. As a mark of respect, I'm holding a minute's silence and hanging two score pensioners in my walk-in wardrobe. Anyone interested in joining let me know.  Just bring a bottle and a bolt gun. [/url]

Rev

Quote from: "easytarget"
I really liked Revelations, I think it was one of the first Bill Hicks things I ever saw (it was on Channel 4 about 10 years ago). I enjoyed the documentary too, it was nice to get a bit of background on him (having said that, I only watched it once, the documentary probably doesn?t stand up to many repeated viewings).

Oh, don't get me wrong, I like Revelations.  I probably saw the same C4 broadcast as you way back then, but Relentless had been on a while before that.  There was a video of it, no longer available by the looks of it, but I still think it's a stronger show even if it's audio-only these days.  The docu has been on TV loads of times, too, although not for a good few years...  I'm just not sure it's the best place to start if you're completely new to the fella.

Neil

Quote from: "axel"The 'Sane Man' vid is very good too, just ignore the dodgy mullets. You can pick this up from the Sacred Cow Productions website, or on e-bay.

Sane Man was great, I watched it again only yesterday.  It has some of his most stunning characterisation I've ever seen him do, some moments of pure Pryor-style brilliance.  Hilarious set too, some nice riffs on his normal material which don't feature elsewhere.  The only bad thing about Sane Man is that Kevin Booth saw fit to fuck about with stupid video filters to make it look "arty", in actual fact he just fucks up the flow of the show at some really untimely moments.  You get all this black and white footage floating on top of Hicks, argh it's bloody awful.  Great show though.

Where to start?  Start with the commercially released albums, *then* get the boots, and *then* get the documentary.

Capuchin

Then get the books after watching the doc.

Neil

Ah yes, the books.  Big thanks to Geej for the Cynthia True one, enjoyed that a lot, although got vaguely irritated by it at times.  I was expecting a lot more on the Outlaws years really.  In fact, it skimped on a lot of important details, it could have been twice the size easily.  

Is there any point getting this new book when the boots are so readily available these days?  Don't suppose they've got that massive (31-page hand-written) letter which Hicks sent to the journo who did a profile on him after the Letterman fiasco?  It'd be worth getting if it had things like that, but I'll never really see the point of transcribed comedy that is readily available.

butnut

Quote from: "Neil"... but I'll never really see the point of transcribed comedy that is readily available.

Yes, as it's all very available in either CD or video form, then there's not a lot of point in seening him in written from. Having said that, the Monty Python scripts were my only access to series 4 until last week, when I finally got them. Having spent too many hours reading them as a teenager (especially Michael Ellis), I'd built them up as works of the highest quality, and I was a bit disappointed by them really. Still good, but somehow better when I was 14 and they were in my head. Bit like ladies really...

Neil

Ah well I've just read the Guardian article you posted up butnut, and it appears that John Lahr (the columnist who was the recipient of the massive letter) is the guy who put together this book.  So if it has stuff like that in there then it's certainly worth buying for that alone.  This reminds me, there was a great post to the Hicks newsgroups years ago which was made by Fallon Woodland...I recall him going to great lengths to make some of the more idiotic fans aware that Hicks was actually a nice guy in real life who would never think of shouting at a waffle waitress.  There was also a great anecdote about Hicks being asked to perform for some abused women benefit.  Hang on, let me google...

Neil

Coo, that was easy:

Quote from: "Fallon Woodland"My Friend, Willie Hicks

by Fallon Woodland

Fallon Woodland is a former standup comedian and was a close friend of Bill
Hicks. He was Hicks¹ partner in his last project, a BBC Television series
entitled ³Counts of the Netherworld.² The series never happened, but there
is one pilot tape floating around in cyberspace. Fallon retired from comedy
soon after Hicks¹ death and lives somewhere in the American midwest. One
comedian told us that he ³disappeared² but that¹s not quite how Fallon sees
it: he moved on.

 ------------------------------------------------------------------------

I will not eulogize Bill in some squishy fashion that I know he would
ridicule me for, and I do not lie.

So here is the truth, and in Bill's grand way of announcing one of his many
truths (drum roll).......... I do not miss Bill.

That is right.

I do not miss Bill and I am not grieving as the 26th nears.

Now ...as Bill would say, "now hear me out."

I am not some cold bastard, nor am I some new-age mystic carrying around his
essence in a crystal in my pocket. The fact of the matter is I do not need
to miss him. He is in my heart in the same way a Christian has Jesus in
theirs. He was so big in life that I still smile anytime I think of him.

Of course I can smile because of the comedy that came from Bill. I hesitate
to use the phrase "comedy he wrote." It was so inspired it is more akin to
something he was "given." Yes, I still laugh at Bill's "public" words as
many around the world have and still do. But I smile not because of the
comic, but the man, the friend, the human being, the way he lived his life
and the footprints he has left behind.

It is not a day of tremendous grief.

Bill always was an adventurer. Life was not something to be wandered through
timidly. He was always tasting each moment with relish and appreciation,
devouring life and yet respecting it and the value he saw in all his
friends, never letting go of his belief that love was ultimately the only
answer.

Talk about a candle that burned brightly. For myself and others who were
lucky enough to call him friend, this candle did not burn briefly. It is
still here and always will be.

My god, Bill was and is bigger than life and he is certainly bigger than
death, and that is why this day does not toll heavily in my heart. It simply
reminds me how long it has been since I have gotten to talk with Bill on the
phone, or play Nintendo together or laugh over dinner.

I hate to disillusion many who have recreated Bill in their own image after
his passing (a phrase Dwight Slade aptly came up with). Bill was NOT the
same man you saw on-stage. He was not false and what he said on-stage was
not just some act but it was an aspect of Bill. It was a device to pass on
information so he could share his slant on the truth and his passions about
whatever captivated him that day, that moment and that is more than many
accomplish in a lifetime.

As for Bill the person, sorry folks, but when Bill went to dinner, he did
not treat the waiter like the waitress in the "wafflehouse" bit. He treated
the waiter and everyone else with dignity.

And as opposed to many in "the business" one would never know Bill was a
comic offstage because he was never "on." He felt no need to use comedy to
prove anything.

As far as standup comedy goes, Bill had a gift with that medium. I chuckle
now as I started to call it an art form and remembered Bill's words. "What
other art form starts with, "do we have any birthdays in the crowd?"

He had a gift, just as Shakespeare simply knew instinctively how to write
and seemed to be on some wavelength that resonated so deeply with some many
truths inside so many people. They were both great communicators, who, when
their words were perceived, would cause the listener to exclaim the great
"ahhhhhh yes. That is exactly the way to put it!"

But once again, there I go talking about Bill as a comic. Yes he was good,
he was great, he was a genius, he was the best of this generation,
blah-blah-blah. All of that pales when compared the person the other 23
hours when he was not sharing the "gospel according to Willie."

So here are a few truths regarding Bill (or Willie, as he wanted to be
called, but I just couldn't because it sounded so gay. Please, no mail
regarding this), as I knew him.

He was brutally shy and this made him all the more endearing. One felt so
honored to have been allowed into his sacred area of trust.

He once bought a Nintendo gameboy cartridge from one of those stores in New
York that sell cameras and VCRs and all that stuff and you have to haggle to
get the real price. Well, Bill not only did not haggle but when he got home,
he found he had an empty box. Many who have some "imagined" version of Bill
would see him returning to the store like Jesus turning over the
moneychangers tables and screaming beautiful profanities which would be
terribly funny to all who heard it but dreadful to the victim of his rage.
Well, sorry, that is not who Bill was. In truth, he was afraid to go back
and tell them the box was empty for fear the owner would think he had stolen
it and was perpetrating some scam.

He just sat there with an empty box and ate the loss. I rode him and said
..."God Bill, if your public only knew what a pussy you are," and we both
screamed and laughed.

Bill was not a fraud. Nor was he a pussy or a coward. He was a gentle man
brought up by good parents who could not stand to think that someone felt he
was a liar or dealing falsely with them and so he just bought another
cartridge and moved on.

Just as he never made a stink about his some of his material ending up in
Denis Leary's "little skitshow." Many would have sued and made a "name" and
a stink and found a way to "promote" themselves. He just joked, privately,
that Leary had been invited to Bill's parents' house for Thanksgiving
instead of Bill this year, and moved on.

He was the kindest, most compassionate, loyal soul I have ever known. Were
he a woman, I would have married him in a heartbeat, but I was not robbed of
anything because he was born a man. I simply knew him on another level on
which one should, hopefully, know their spouse and partner.

In knowing Bill, I had a friend who was so loyal that, if some woman hurt me
he would say "she is cut from the team." Were there a reconciliation, it was
very hard to get them back in Bill's good favor because he took the hearts
and feelings of his friends so personally and treated them so protectively.

In my years of touring and doing one-nighters with comics from all over and
watching married comics "slip off the ring," Bill had the ability, or rather
the absolute single-minded compulsion, to be loyal if he were involved, no
matter how he was being treated on the other end.

Any woman who was lucky enough to know him that way knew the soul of a poet
and had a devoted friend.

Jesus. I am reading all this I wrote here and I may very well throw up. This
sounds like a goddamned Hallmark card and like I am eulogizing some Eagle
Scout and somehow dressing up his memory in death.

That is not the case. Bill was and is that good. When I spoke at his
memorial service, I looked out at devoted friends and family and remarked,
"seeing this adoration for him reminds me of how religions get started."

When I was going through my separation and divorce, Bill was there every
step of the way. Not guiding and counseling, but instead coming up with
impromptu tirades and little plays which translated into hours of the most
hysterical healing laughter as he would do this little show nightly on the
phone with me called "I Love Lucifer."

He would begin with the theme song to "I Love Lucy" followed by the sound of
a doorbell "ding dong" then each episode would be about some unsuspecting
guest entering the home of my ex and her lover and their offspring.

The parents would be out and the "dark one" was always for some unknown
reason locked in a room pleading so sweetly and gently for someone to let
"it" out, reminding me of an old Twilight Zone with the devil locked in the
basement.

Each episode would end with this guest (from the paperboy to the landlord to
a grandparent) unlocking that door to release this poor child followed by
shrieks of "oh sweet Jesus!" and growls, chomping, screams and silence,
closing it out with the theme song again.

These were truly some of the funniest things I have ever heard, but more
importantly, they were the best medicine for a heart that badly needed
healing and he gave that so willingly and freely, hours on end.

In the days before on-line, we would talk on the phone while powering up our
Nintendos in sync and furiously playing Zelda and others at the same time as
we swore at the makers of the software.

When I fell in love once, Bill went into his bathroom with a tape recorder
he bought from Will Lee, Letterman's band's bassist, and, because the
acoustics were nice in there, he would play music on his guitar and sing.
After hours of recording and mixing he sent a tape for the girl I fell for
so she could listen to it while I was out of town and think of me and my
love. It was the most beautiful, romantic, sweet, heartfelt music. Which has
found its way onto his newer CDs thanks to Kevin Booth.

And when I broke up with that girl, besides applying the same brutally,
right on the money perceptions and humor he had used in the routines that
got me through my divorce, he called six or eight times a day to make
absolutely sure I was okay.

Sorry folks ...he was just simply a nice guy. His mother will tell you the
same and people will just think "well that is just the blindness of parental
love." Nope. He was just that nice and she got it and delighted in her boy
and rightly so.

For all of those who delight in the belief he hated children. Sorry, he
doted on his nephew and niece (brother Steve Hicks' kids).

He would give the children the most wonderful gifts like books he had read
as a child and other things that showed both love and proved he was simply a
terrific uncle who wanted them to be happy and imaginative. He would have
been such a great dad.

For those who delighted in Bill's observations and assumed that he would not
hesitate to be cruel, judge for yourselves.

I remember when Carrot Top called Bill and asked why he hated him. For those
of you waiting for a really "acerbic put them in their place" punchline,
there was none.

Instead, Bill explained his disdain for certain approaches to comedy and, in
what was so typically Bill, they met and ended up taking pictures; one of
Carrot Top showing Bill a prop and one of Bill showing Carrot Top a notebook
and a pen. Both men showed great humor and a lot of class that day.

And that is what Bill was all about ultimately, healing, not tearing
something or someone down, but building them up and making it all better
than it was before he had come into contact with them.

Another story, and this one is so obscure and strangely beautiful and
touching that I hope the point is not lost. It was such a small and gentle
act. We had a mutual friend who had a brother with schizophrenia.

(I hear he has passed away. Sorry I did not say I was sorry. You know who
you are. Your brother was a treat and thanks for introducing us. Sorry,
everybody, but I had to say that to someone who I know will be reading
this).

When Bill and I were in England, he bought a box of very expensive cigars
and brought them back to the states as a gift for this man. Instead of
lighting up and puffing away, this man furiously unrolled one of these
cigars over the toilet and emptied it out and flushed it in glee.

Bill, instead of being horrified at how his expensive gift was being
misused, was totally delighted that his gift was being enjoyed so immensely
and was supremely happy about it. That is how generous Bill was.

Even though I say I do not miss him I do miss having new stories.

The night after his memorial I had to do a gig. Afterward, I went back to
the room and, out of habit, looked at the phone to see if the message light
was flashing as it always had been every night for years before. Whenever I
would call the desk there would be a message "Bill called" or "Butch called"
or ³call Buddy Love."

One time I was working in such a small town the motel closed their
switchboard after 11.Well, this would not do for Bill. That is about the
time nightly we¹d begin to talk and enjoy the fullness of an evening. So
when the desk said "we cannot put you through. It is after 11," he said
"huh?" and they said "We cannot put you through, sir, after 11unless it is
an emergency. Is this an emergency?"

Bill responded "yes, it is an emergency. It is the 20th fucking century!"

Click. Dial tone.

Okay, so maybe sometimes he got cross with strangers, but she had it coming.
God he was so quick.

When the Amnesty International people called and asked if he wanted to do
their benefit because he was so "political" Bill immediately pointed out he
was not political and pointed out other comics better suited for that
purpose. They said "well, we would like you. BUT, we have seen your act and
it is the Year of the Woman and we are not trying to censor you, but we were
wondering, do you have any pro-woman material?" and he shot back "I'm a
comic, not a science fiction writer."

Dear God, he was funny.

One last story. When he was diagnosed with cancer in June of 1993 we talked
that night and after some tears, but not one seed of bitterness (instead
more of a sense of wonder as to what was next) he said "hmmm, well this is a
detour I didn't expect. I wonder where it will lead."

Then, after he remarked about our attempts to pitch our show (we were
working on "The Counts of the Netherworld") that "I guess now we have to try
to sell it as a cross between Dick Cavett and Brian's Song." That one joke
about the possibility of death, and then we moved on, ALWAYS believing he
was getting better.

Pancreatic cancer betrayed our plans and stole his body from us. But I
always believed he would be well and so did he. Some would say, because of
the final outcome, that we were in denial. My answer to that is, if you are
in a marriage that ends in divorce, was all the love that was given during
those years a waste?"

Love and belief are NEVER a waste and it served us well and it was what was
needed to fill each day with hope and I am glad for my part in being
blissfully ignorant as to what was about to occur.

Instead of dread, there were so many nights of laughter and plans for what
was next.

Sorry folks, the angry Bill you see on-stage did not even come out then. He
died as beautifully as he lived. And he has reminded me that it is "just a
ride," and to enjoy this thing called life since we are not getting out
alive.

Back to the point of looking that night after the gig to see if the message
light was flashing on the phone. Well, it wasn't. And I realized right then
that it wasn't going to that night. Or the next night. Or ever again.

So that I do miss. Talking to my pal all night, giggling over how much we
hated people while at the same time begrudgingly admitting how deeply we
loved them. Like Mickey Roarke in Barfly, "It's not that I hate people. I
just seem to feel a lot better when they aren't around."

So, I just wanted to ruin the idea for those of you convinced that Bill was
as much of a Texas tornado offstage as he was on. Sorry. He was everything I
would ever want to be.

Bill was my friend and always will be. And I want to thank him for giving a
damn about how my day went. Thank you, Willie(though it still sounds
so...well, you know).

Bill, you are my hero.

Personal fave Hicks bits are "Hoolligans" and any Elvis/Charlie Hodge stuff.  Hooligans never ever fails to reduce me to a hysterical heap.  Just work through the released discs in order Alan, save Rant In E-Minor and Arizona Bay for last, and let us know how you get on.

mrpants

There's an article in today's Metro about him.  Same old stuff really.

Capuchin

Quote from: "Neil"Ah well I've just read the Guardian article you posted up butnut, and it appears that John Lahr (the columnist who was the recipient of the massive letter) is the guy who put together this book.  So if it has stuff like that in there then it's certainly worth buying for that alone.  

It does have the long letter to Lahr, along with copies and transcripts of letters to Letterman and Leno.
Out of 38 chapters/pieces/bits, 8 are transripts from live shows and the rest are letters, interviews, musings, manifestos, articles and such.
It really does look decent, I should have a chance to start it later today.
I haven't got my CD of bootlegs to hand so I can't check if the transcripts are for available shows, but these are they-
1.Live at Village Gate and Caroline's Seaport  NYC 1990
2.Live at Vic Theatre Chicago November 1990
3.Live at Funny Bone Pittsburgh PA 20 June 1991
4.Laff Stop Austin Texas 14-17 December 1991
5.Live at Dominion Theatre London November 1992
6.Live at Oxford Playhouse 11November 1992
7.Live at Laff Stop Austin Texas December 1992
8.Live at Laff Stop and Cobbs San Francisco CA Spring and Summer 1993

Some Herbert

Quote from: "easytarget"Arizona Bay

I may be in the minority here, but I think Arizona Bay is quite shit. Don't get me wrong - I love Bill Hicks, but I was very disappointed by AB. The freeform jazzy interludes by Hicks' shitty band are very annoying and completely take the edge off his comedy. He was obviously a frustrated musician, but I'm glad he didn't make it his day job.

Rant In E Minor is ace though - that's what I'd get first if you're a newbie. And read Cynthia True's "American Scream" - the last few pages are emotional stuff.

Neil

Arizona Bay contains some of my fave HIcks stuff!  As I mentioned up there, Hooligans is sublime, Elvis is great too, and what about "As Long as We're Talking Shelf Life"?  "Step on the Gas" is great as well.  It is a bit..slower than Rant, but I think it's a great album.  I agree with you about the music though, sometimes it works nicely, but generally it can be intrusive.  What I don't get is why he couldn't put together a decent comedy music track, "Chicks Dig Jerks" is abysmal.  He had all the tools to create some excellent musical comedy but utterly failed.  Kevin Booth really should have left "She's Got A Broken Heart" off Arizona Bay too, yuck.

Some Herbert

Quote from: "Neil"Arizona Bay contains some of my fave HIcks stuff!  As I mentioned up there, Hooligans is sublime, Elvis is great too, and what about "As Long as We're Talking Shelf Life"?  "Step on the Gas" is great as well.

Yes, that's a fair point. I found the music too annoying to see past it for the comedy gold. You're right - there's some good stuff on there. I guess you could encode it and strip out all the music to make a decent album.

dj_bollocks

Stupid question alert -

Is there a site (or someone who was there) who can tell me the date that Hicks played the Queen's Hall in Edinburgh - I was there that night as an Usher (had never heard of the guy) and came away having witnessed something amazing !

I'm convinced it was October 1991 but I wouldn't stake my house (if I had one) on it...

Anyone ?

Papercut

I read about half of 'Love All The People' yesterday, and really enjoyed it.

The gig transcripts are a little too familiar of you've heard the bootlegs a lot, but the other material is quite fascinating. Theres the original treatment and 'manifesto' for Counts of the Netherworld, articles, interviews, poems, letters, etc.

I think they could have chosen a better set of gigs, theres a little too much repetition.  I guess they chose gigs that will probably not make it to CD or video, so fair enough.

The book saves the best till last, with Bill's letters regarding his cut Letterman appearance. I think Sacred Cow (credited as Arizona Bay Production Company) actually put the book together, but John Lahr's involvement might explain the Letterman stuff being there.

Hmm, anyone else think Rich Hall's Fishing Show came out a little like how you expected Counts of the Netherworld to be?

Papercut

Quote from: "Papercut"I think they could have chosen a better set of gigs, theres a little too much repetition.  I guess they chose gigs that will probably not make it to CD or video, so fair enough.
Thats crap actually, theres released and unreleased gigs transcribed in the book.

Yet again the trimmed version of the Dominion Theatre gig (from 'Totally Bill Hicks') is included rather than the full version.

The original TV version cuts out the more full on Goat Boy stuff, but has longer edits of some of the other material. When it was put out on video the stronger Goat Boy stuff was put back in (you can tell by the drop in quality of the editing) but some of the other material was trimmed, presumably for time.

For example, the opening skit about weather ends 'I'm a mammal, I can afford coats, scarves, cappuccino and rosy-cheeked women' in the video/DVD release, but was followed with the aside '... all of which are available on the streets of New York' in the original broadcast.

The recent DVD release is the trimmed video version, rather than the untrimmed TV version which could have had the Goat Boy stuff inserted instead.

There are two versions of the documentary too, a UK one biased towards UK comedians and a US one biased towards US comedians.

Would it have been so hard to cut together a complete version of both of these shows for the DVD release? Aaaargh.

Neil

That's not true about the documentary, is it?  I thought the only difference is that the yank version was called "It's Just A Ride."  Can't remember that many Brit comedians in the UK version anyway, there's Sean Hughes... that's all I can remember?!

NobodyGetsOutAlive


Papercut

Quote from: "Neil"That's not true about the documentary, is it?
I can't remember where I read it, maybe American Scream? I'd heard about an alternate version before reading that though.

It would make sense, the documentary was intended to be shown in the US as well as the UK. The idea was they cut out Hughes and Izzard and put more Letterman and Leno stuff into it.

I'm not certain the version on the DVD is the UK edition. I have the documentary and the Dominion Theatre show recorded from the original broadcasts somewhere, but I haven't seen those versions in years.

Papercut

Here we go:

QuoteThere are two versions of "It's Just a Ride," one geared for British viewers and one for American viewers.  The primary difference is in the personalities interviewed.  The version included on "Totally Bill Hicks" is the British version.

http://www.billhicks.com/justride/

Both versions of the documentary are called 'It's Just a Ride'.

Also hints that there is a third version of the Dominion Theatre show, a HBO Special edited version.