I don't think there is any danger of Jimmy ever being compared to Bill Hicks.

FUCKING THIS. Jimmy doesn't realize how fucking confined and two dimensional his stand up is, because he doesn't watch guys who took real chances on doing something new on stage. Now go ahead and write another special with classic material such as "edging to porno" and "twitter people get offended and are hypocritical". Woah, cutting edge!

You act like that's all Jim's standup is. What about [insert one and a half year old pop culture reference here]?

Ice bucket challenge with trannies or AIDS patients

Don't forget the toe trigger references.

I can think of one thing I wish they had in common.

[deleted]

Is that David Irving?

Yes unfortunately this...

They're both unfunny shitty standups. It really is an apt comparison.

He's right though, like how every great director doesn't watch classic movies and every great author doesn't read classic books.

He should be hit with a brick for this baseless paranoia.

But they do...

Oh, literal jimcozad.

Joe DeRosa said the same thing about Hitler's speeches

Hitler would have sent him to a forced labor camp.

Which would be ironic since they were mostly Joe's idea.

Joe Derosa stinks

Jim gets stuck in these mental loops where he makes his mind up about something and then never re-examines it. At least that's the impression that I get with things like internet anonymity and Joaquin Phoenix. Maybe not watching Hicks made sense when he was first starting out, but he has a very defined style rooted in topical material, dick, and tranny jokes. The danger of him subconsciously biting off of Hicks at this stage in his career is probably close to non existent, their styles are vastly different. I think if Jim would take a moment to analyze this long standing belief he would reach the same conclusion.

Another mental loop he's stuck on. "KISS is a great band". He makes a decision about something (even when he's a kid) & never changes it. Maybe that's way he can't truly understand how big fans of the O&A show thinks that this O&J show really sucks.

Jimmy, a KISS fan, once said that Rage Against the Machine was "corny."

I think Jim has said a few times that he understands that KISS objectively sucks but that he was raised on it and likes it. Or at least that's how I understood what he was saying.

this is basically in a nutshell why he wont grow though.

If you know something objectively sucks, you dont have to give up your subjective opinion, but it stands to reason that there is other stuff out there that is going to be objectively or subjectively better. If you dont want to go find something better, that's fine, but you will not grow as a person, at least in whatever hypothetical aspect of your life we are talking about here, and your initial opinion is going to be dismissed because it has already been acknowledged as being mostly baseless.

All I've ever heard his him jacking off to the demon, cat, space ace & star child

Yeah, I don't really listen to KoRn or Ace of Base anymore, so why the fuck is he still listening to his cringey clown music.

Joaquin Phoenix

Jimmy bases his opinion of a guy who has worked as a lead with top directors (PT Anderson, Spike Jonze, James Mangold, Woody Allen) on his performance in a movie by one of the worst directors (M. Night Shyamalan). Logical.

I used to think Joaquin Phoenix stunk too but he really re-invented himself. After "the Master" he's been great!

Phoenix is a shit actor. He doesn't act at all. Another guy who thinks acting consists of long silent stares and mumbling.

If Joe Rogan had never listened to Bill Hicks he'd have no act.

He doesn't have one anyway.

True. I give no cares for his standup. Podcast is good if the guest is good.

If Joe Rogan didn't have a legion of followers who like his drug talk, he'd have no comedy career.

All the shit Rogan says about psychedelics Hicks was saying 25 years ago, except he at least peppered in some funny jokes. Rogan is like listening to the hippie kid in high school who believed every article he read in High Times.

If you're Rogan wasn't the announcer for the UFC and had a built-in audience well you see where this is going...

True. He's not a great or even good comedian, but he has a good podcast and the UFC, which allow him to draw an audience.

He's had a few jokes that made me laugh but he is such a bro and meathead its like gag me with a spoon

That's a dumb reason not to listen to Bill Hicks, a better reason is that he sucked. Angrily stating the opinions of your audience on stage isn't funny.

Corporations are bad, religion is dumb, psychedelic drugs are enlightening, some conspiracy theories are worth looking into, the government doesn't really like you, people who do things for money are soulless, etc. That was his routine, the opinions of every douchebag college sophomore.

I disagree with just about every philosophical or political point Hicks ever made but I think you may be looking at him through far too modern eyes. Hicks spewed his ultra liberal conspiracy theorist horseshit decades before it would've even been acceptable in New York's hippest coffee shop, also he mostly spewed it night after night in the roughest of the rough working man's pubs in America's Deep South. You can disagree with Hicks all you want but he literally risked his life spouting shit he truly believed in, however wrong he may have been. The man had balls of solid testicle and if there's anything irritatingly hipsterish going on around here it's this Millenial reappraisal of his work, as if his ballsy but misguided idea of ranting about Eastern philosophy to drunk rednecks in the 80s is somehow the same as Ari fucking Shaffir taking the stage in a Greenwich village coffee house and asking why bros be so fucked up about hos.

The only thing that would make this a better post is if you really were Ed asner.

All the guy did was scream dime a dozen liberal douche opinions on stage in the Bible Belt in the late 80's. In that context it was exciting, like a vicarious thing for the kids in his audience "Ooh boy this wouldn't fly at my parent's dinner table." But it wasn't funny. It was preaching to the choir.

And clearly those ideas were already flying around amongst college kids, or else he would have actually been controversial in the sense that nobody would've listened to him. It was just cathartic for them to see the opposite of their parents opinions stated obnoxiously on stage. And he was never in danger. He never said anything that threatened rednecks. He went after the same target everyone else does, "the system".

And he was never in danger. He never said anything that threatened rednecks.

There's an interview with him out there somewhere where he talks about him and two other comedians being threatened by rednecks and getting chased out of the bar. I can't find it, but it's definitely out there (something about a drunk angry heckler shouting "blowjob" over and over during one of the comedians' sets.) Hicks described the night saying he absolutely feared for his safety as it was going down. I think he actually said he feared for his life, but I imagine those rednecks would've just wanted to kick his ass.

"something about a drunk angry heckler shouting "blowjob" over and over during one of the comedians' sets.)"

It sounds like that had nothing to do with his material then. Just the perrils of dealing with the wrong heckler.

There was more to the story than just a single heckler, but that's the only detail I remember specifically so I included it in case anybody reading this actually felt like trying to find it for themselves.

Hicks was the worst; it was just rants and sometimes he would do a wacky voice. The only one who does that schtick right is Lewis Black.

Lewis Black is horrible. He just yells. It's shit

"He literally risked his life" ? I'm cringing so hard at that comment. Pure idiocy.

He got his ribs and a leg broken by Vietnam vets you fucking idiot, Bill Hicks risked his life by telling them they weren't shit, how anyone could claim differently is beyond me.

I guess Bill Hicks is funny after all. That made me laugh.

That could happen to someone nowadays if they fucked with an Iraq vet. How is that an example of how cutting edge Bill Hicks was in his day? He got beat up for being a douchebag.

This.

Ironically, you guys would hate Bill Hicks if he posted here. He was the personification of liberal douche. People just can't get over the mythological comedy pioneer he became for dying. Remember when he bombed post-mortem on Letterman?

I doubt that. I've been a fan of his for almost 25 years. Its theoretical of course but I think he'd be performing if he didn't pass away not posting on the Opie and Anthony subreddit.

Wasn't he talking about how repulsed he was by gays though? He certainly wasn't liberal in that sense.

People like seeing someone turn their back on their culture and do something completely different. There's a certain amount of heroism in what Hicks did and how he didn't give a fuck about guys like you. That's what we're admiring.

Remember how he bombed post-mortem on Letterman?

Well, when you're terminal with cancer it's hard to deliver your greatest stuff. And he's still going on stage without becoming one of those "I have a message we need to raise awareness" shit heads who run around today. He was a weird guy and we need more reckless weirdness.

Yes we do

Deconstructing anything into generalities makes it sound trite. I do not accept your argument as it stands.

That was cutting edge back then. Nobody was doing stuff like that before Hicks. You have to realize his time was different pre-internet and he revolutionized a lot of things common in stand up today. And yes lots of it is political, which is why it doesn't hold up.

Bill was talking to a bunch of ignorant, trailer-trash hillbillies - even in major cities of "libtards", as you might call them, he had extremely provocative material. It's very well known that he didn't give a shit about audience reaction - Maron and Kinison have talked about this. Imagine him doing the Hendrix raping Tiffany bit today. Tosh got crucified for implying a rape might happen, not viscously acting out each detail.

It's not fair to look at his act in a modern light, lots of people try to emulate his style. Some succeed, or have original thought processes that converge with a Hicksian philosophy, like Stanhope - but hating Bill Hicks because "you've heard it before" is as stupid and culturally ignorant as saying Robert Johnson sucks because you heard Jack White do it first. Because some stoner douchebags ceaselessly repeat the legitimate and thought-provoking points Hicks made doesn't mean he was stupid because a portion of his audience was.

You're saying "it sucks because i've heard this already" and the reason is Hicks was incredibly influential. To throw his act away because you heard someone else repeat a point is fucking incredibly solipsistic at best.

Bill fought political correctness at its infancy. You can disagree with his beliefs, but to idiotically reduce his philosophy to "college sophomore bullshit" shows your own ignorance. Show some fucking respect, you cretin

The people that think he was saying mindblowing stuff piss me off the most. These weren't new ideas by any stretch, it was already a prominent ideology many people shared. There was no Hicksian philosophy. Cynics, hippies, and conspiracy theorists existed long before he did.

I can't express how little you're going out on a limb by going after "the system". People haven't believed in America's system since the mid-60's. Guys like Bill Hicks and progressive beliefs have been more than welcome since then. You're applying the same points people make about Lenny Bruce, 25 years after he did what he did, in a much less traditionalist climate. Lenny Bruce fucked with Andy Griffith's America. Bill Hicks didn't get arrested for anything he said, he was never assaulted. Show me any blowback against Bill Hicks, any of the "controversy" he caused. His controversy is completely overstated. America wasn't in the dark ages in fucking 1990.

I would seriously argue comedians face more shit NOW than they did in 1990 in this age of social media. Bill Hicks sets would be dissected for victim blaming, rape culture, fat shaming, etc. nowadays. Every comedian I hear seems to agree you had more freedom to say what you wanted 25 years ago than you do now, but Bill Hicks is still ball licked for being edgy and provocative. It's horseshit.

Except nobody here is saying "he sucks because we've heard this already". He sucks because he used his "comedic" talent to stand on a pedestal and preach. He also wasn't funny, which was his worst offense.

Track down the bootleg of him completely tanking on stage and attacking the crowd.

Bill Burr vs Philly has nothing on that set.

Bill Hicks fucking sucked.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bn1oHdUvJwM

Louie sounds like Cosby, who gives a shit. Does this asshole actually think it's possible to just pull a personality from thin air? NOONE is that tallented and only a grandiose prick would even consider it possible. Not only is mild influence good, it's the ONLY way. Pryor was influenced. There hasn't been ground-up art since cave paintings faggot.

An ideal voice is one that's been influenced by so many people that adding Hicks to the mix isn't really even noticeable. The opposite of this is Jimmy who's voice is like five guys from the cellar and Michio Kaku. A fragile shitty voice that can be easily contaminated.

Jimmy's entire persona is basically sourced from Dice.

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Jimmy "doesn't want to be influenced by the greats" yet he knows everything about Pryor and Carlin and was best friends with Patrice.. aka, Jimmy is full of shit. He probably doesn't like Hicks but is too pussy to just admit it, it's weird but Jim's weird so whatever.

Patrice was fun on the radio but is not by any measure one of "the greats" of standup.

Replace Patrice with Burr, it's all subjective.

Yes, replace Patrice with Burr and my statement is just as true. It's not as subjective as you're imagining.

True to you, not to someone who views either of those as one of the greats. Not me, but it's just a fact.

No it isn't. Not even close to a fact. What makes a person one of the greats in their field is easily quantifiable. You are thinking of this from a pointlessly personal level and I'm talking about it in the context of their art and profession. If you can't understand the difference between Richard Pryor and Bill Burr in importance, there's no point in trying to explain it to you.

Ok, has-to-be-right guy. Bye bye.

Oh boy are you a dope. You're the one who came here saying "it's just a fact" about something that wasn't a fact. Don't cry about it now.

Go away, dumbass.

Are you really such a dope that you don't realize you don't have to reply?

Denis Leary must've listened to him alot.

That's basically admitting to being a hack, even though I don't think Jimmy is one, he is just extremely insecure.

Bet you Hicks haters just love Denis Leary's act though.

I bet you suck dick. See, we can both make statements with nothing to back it up.

[deleted]

Maybe he should start imitating successful comedians

He is a worm, plain and simple.

Why wont jim just come out and admit that he hates standup comedy, atleast as something to listen to.

E: Although its also possible he's just afraid of being called a Joke thief for some reason, so he either just says that or doesnt actually listen to that stuff as an excuse/safety measure.

https://youtu.be/JtAkLGLviGk?t=3623

Norm's thinly veiled contempt for Hicks (and Janeane Garofalo).

What is so bad about being influenced by others?

All artists are influenced by one another.

Tarantino makes amazing movies and he's very blatantly influenced by previous filmmakers.

It seems like it's Jim's addict mentality. If I have one drink I won't be able to stop. If I hear one guy's set I'll steal their whole persona and become a joke thief. It's pretty illogical.

So is paying someone to shit on your chest.

Am I wrong to say Hicks only ever had like 3-4 classic FUNNY bits and the rest was just him doing really strange wacky shit in the beginning of his career and just pontificating with a lack of funny at the end?

Jim said he doesn't really watch or listen to much standup

Who can blame him. How many Tinder and Uber jokes does any one person need to hear.

Love Jim - but this has always pissed me off. I'm a music composer, do you think I've listened to music before? Am I afraid to listen to certain composers? You take a little bit from all of your idols - in any art (subconsciously, usually). I also don't believe that he doesn't listen to other stand-ups.

he MUST listen to other comedians, because he's always preaching that "Amy Schumer is funny, man!". How would he know if he doesn't listen to her, or other comics? He's full of shit is what he is.

I'm pretty sure he bases that off personal interactions, and maybe watching his openers, Amy used to open for him. He does mention pretty frequently that he doesn't watch other standups because he doesn't want to be influenced. Definitely odd, I hear other comics talk about listening to each other constantly, but Jimmy does have his quirks.

Jim is a big silly. His attitude towards all art in general is mind boggling. He just will not leave the box he sealed himself into years ago.

There are no original ideas anyway. ALL the best art is in some way influenced by something else. Its just ridiculous arrogance to think that a person can spontaneously come up with these amazing, wonderful artistic thoughts with no input from the world around them. The more influences a person has, the higher the likelihood of making something that is fresh and brilliant.

If he is crusading for integrity it seems like he is doing it in a pretty naive way.

I wonder how many people think op is referring to Norton even though Jeffries said that.

That's always sounded like a load of shit to me. Hicks was at the height of his (pre-dead) popularity during Jimmy's first few years in comedy. Aren't standups supposed to study other standups when they're getting started?

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Bill Hicks stinks.

Jim is a liar. Also Bill Hicks is the best comic to ever grace a stage. RIP

Comedians seem to have this weird idea that watching each other is going to negatively influence their own jokes. They barely watch each other when they're at the same place. Yet they will be the first to tell you how funny the guy is when he comes up in conversation.

But listening to others, especially those that are considered "the greats," is far from something that automatically influences your own work. Goes with anything - music, art, speaking, writing, etc...You take the good and make it your own and you take the bad and realize what not to do.

Jimmy would probably end up saying that Hicks wasn't funny. I mean, Leary came off as a complete copy of Hicks and his delivery was 100 times better and that's why he made it and Hicks got shit on. I hate Leary with a passion, but he was better than Hicks because Hicks wasn't as funny as him.

Many, MANY comedians refuse to listen to other comedians so as not to be influenced.

Bill Hicks sucked. He never made me laugh, he just went on long winded diatribes. Fuck him. Having said that, Jim is a fucking retard.

I can think of one thing I wish they had in common.

FUCKING THIS. Jimmy doesn't realize how fucking confined and two dimensional his stand up is, because he doesn't watch guys who took real chances on doing something new on stage. Now go ahead and write another special with classic material such as "edging to porno" and "twitter people get offended and are hypocritical". Woah, cutting edge!

Oh, literal jimcozad.

Yes unfortunately this...

They're both unfunny shitty standups. It really is an apt comparison.