Friday Giveaway! Win the U.S. DVD package of “American: The Bill Hicks Story”

A special two-DVD edition of the 2010 documentary, American: The Bill Hicks Story, finally arrives in America on Tuesday, June 7, 2011. And one lucky reader of The Comic's Comic can win it for free!

The two-disc set includes more than five hours of extras, rarely seen footage, plus footage from the 2010 SXSW festival as well as festivals in the U.K. with the Hicks family, Bill's own personal audio journal, and a collector's booklet. Take a look:

HicksDVD.USversion 

Now how do you win yourself all of this for free?

Let's see.

How about this. In the comments of this post, please name your favorite Bill Hicks quote and tell us why it means so much to you. OK? Go!

Sean L. McCarthy

Editor and publisher since 2007, when he was named New York's Funniest Reporter. Former newspaper reporter at the New York Daily News, Boston Herald and smaller dailies and community papers across America. Loves comedy so much he founded this site.

View all posts by Sean L. McCarthy →

19 thoughts on “Friday Giveaway! Win the U.S. DVD package of “American: The Bill Hicks Story”

  1. “Once you do a commercial, you are off the artistic roll call.”
    Although views on this have softened since Bill’s death, his fearlessness and almost dogmatic refusal to do anything other than exactly what he wanted to do is still inspiring.

  2. This is at least one of my favorites, because it’s something that’s happened to me. I just wish I’d had an equally witty comeback. I love to read, and when people ask why you read, it’s just so… sad.
    I’ve noticed a certain anti-intellectualism going around this country; since about 1980, coincidentally enough. ‚Ķ I was in Nashville, Tennessee, and after the show I went to a Waffle House. I’m not proud of it, but I was hungry. And I’m sitting there eating and reading a book. I don’t know anybody, I’m alone, so I’m reading a book. The waitress comes over to me like, [gum smacking] “What’chu readin’ for?” I had never been asked that. Not “What am I reading?”, but “What am I reading for?” Goddangit, you stumped me. Hmm, why do I read? I suppose I read for a lot of reasons, one of the main ones being so I don’t end up being a fucking waffle waitress.

  3. “When did mediocrity and banality become a good image for your children? I want my children to listen to people who fucking ROCKED! I don’t care if they died in puddles of their own vomit! I want someone who plays from his fucking HEART!”
    This quote gets at the heart of Bill Hicks, I believe, as well as stand-up comedy in general. It’s not about being some wholesome example, but about reaching into the dark places in life and giving them some heart–all the while shitting on New Kids on the Block.

  4. Positive drug story on the TV news – “Today, a young man on acid realized that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration ‚Äì that we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively. There’s no such thing as death, life is only a dream, and we’re the imagination of ourselves…Here’s Tom with the weather.”
    To me, this sums up Bill Hicks’ philosophy of pretty much everything. That he put it in a joke is amazing.

  5. “Life is just a ride”- Growing up in Florida, when asked what my political affiliation was, I responded Republican because this is how my family, friends, and just about everyone around me labeled themselves. However, as I got older and began to formulate my own thoughts and philosophies on life, I found that I almost leaned left on just about every subject. It was confusing for me and I often felt isolated and perhaps a bit foolish. Once i was introduced to the comedy of Bill Hicks, things started to make more sense to me and his bit about “life is just a ride” seemed to crystallize exactly what I felt about what the true difference between being a conservative and a liberal is and it was exciting and liberating to hear someone I respected so much put a voice to my confused thoughts. Sorry for the rambling!

  6. “See I think drugs have done some good things for us. If you don’t think drugs have done good things for us then do me a favor. Go home tonight and take all of your records,tapes and all your CD’s and burn them. Because, you know all those musicians who made all that great music that’s enhanced your lives throughout the years? Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreal fucking high on drugs, man.”

  7. The entire Artistic Roll Call rant about Jay Leno being a corporate shill and a company boy to the bitter end. Bill hated Leno WAY before it was trendy.

  8. Bill Hicks Interview with the BBC2
    Woman interviewer- “They don’t want to think, they want to laugh.”
    Bill- “They don’t want to think? Well what am I supposed to tickle them individually? We have to express an idea here.”
    Bill looks aggravated, the woman looks exasperated.
    Male interviewer- “Well this is why we want to put something on TV that questions where we draw the lines.”
    Bill (looking sullenly at the floor)- “I say erase all the lines, there are no lines”
    Woman interviewer- “But that’s what our program is all about, where you CAN draw the line.”
    Bill- “…Could I recommend some jugglers you might like?”
    I saw Bill Hicks Revelations when I was 15, to say it was life changing would not do justice to the phrase. I could quote a hundred jokes of his that inspired me growing up leading me to the decision to become a comedian. Bill Hick’s true talent wasn’t his provocativeness it was his craftsmanship. He could take any topic and craft, with such definite joke structure, a bit that would work with everyone. But then now as I travel around, or find myself afraid to try something that on the basis of the subject matter might offend, I find myself at heart a people pleaser. I usually withdraw if I find them hesitate with subject matter, and then blame my construction and try again. It’s interviews like this one that remind me I’m insane. You can’t please everyone, to try is stupid and a compromise of your dreams. Have trust in people with your creativity and don’t think the audience/people are as stupid as comedians often do. Otherwise, learn to juggle. By the way, who is the Bill Hicks of the juggling world? He must be bad ass.

  9. “I’m a pro-life non-smoker”
    Growing up in rural Texas you were surrounded with self righteous conceited assholes. This whole bit is a phenomenal attack on that mentality. Having grown from some his earlier vitriol to follow Emily Dickinson, “Tell all truth, but tell it slant.” For someone who came from a similar upbringing as him who’s struggled with much of the same stigma from my home, it’s an immense inspiration that if you dig far enough you can realize the humor in the most serious of situations. And this bit was clean. I know it’s a bit cheap since it was from his unaired Letterman but don’t judge me for that!

  10. “I’ve been on the road doing comedy now for 10 years so bear with me while I plaster on a fake smile and plow through this shit one more time.”
    Just paints such a great picture of a working comedian. What a way to start a set.

  11. “By the way, if anyone here is in Advertising or Marketing, kill yourself.”
    I want to say this everyday to my sister and her co-workers when they talk about the shit they’re working on at their advertising companies, but I can’t so I just replay Hicks saying it over and over again in my mind till the urge goes away.

  12. “Life is only a dream and we are the imagination of ourselves.”
    As bitter as he was (towards a lot of the right people/targets), he wanted the happiest, best, most creatively-realized world for the people in it.
    I like that. And you. And winning DVDs.

  13. “You know all the money we spend on nuclear weapons and defense every year? Trillions of dollars? Correct? Trillions. Instead, if we spent that money feeding and clothing the poor of the world,which it would pay for many times over, not one human being excluded, not one, we could, as one race, explore outer space together in peace forever.”
    This is something that I believe 100% as well. Bill had it right, even almost 20 years ago. I just find it unbelievable that we as a society can have it told to our faces, and yet, we still march on trying to blow shit up in boner contests, as opposed to finding solutions to important problems like famine and disease.

  14. “I was in Nashville, Tennesee last year. After the show I went to a
    Waffle House. I’m not proud of it, I was hungry. And I’m alone, I’m
    eating and I’m reading a book, right? Waitress walks over to me: ‘Hey,
    whatcha readin’ for?’ Isn’t that the weirdest fuckin’ question you’ve
    ever heard? Not what am I reading, but what am I reading FOR? Well,
    godammit, ya stumped me! Why do I read? Well . . . hmmm . . . I dunno
    . . . I guess I read for a lot of reasons and the main one is so I
    don’t end up being a fuckin’ waffle waitress.”
    Why it means so much to me is I live in a little shit town in VA where the people would actually ask you a question like “Whatchu readin’ for” and instead of my head exploding I think about Bill Hicks and laugh. “Whatchu laughin’ for”? Don’t worry, you wouldn’t understand.
    ps. Notice my Twitter page. Been a Hicks fan since 89 when I saw him live.

  15. “Pornography is good.
    All drugs should be legal.
    War is wrong.
    The rich get richer.
    The poor get poorer.
    Thank you, I’ll be here all week.”
    It’s the perfect summary of his message in all his shows.

  16. “By the way if anyone here is in advertising or marketing… kill yourself.
    No, no, no it’s just a little thought. I’m just trying to plant seeds. Maybe one day, they’ll take root – I don’t know. You try, you do what you can.
    Kill yourself.
    Seriously though, if you are, do.
    Aaah, no really, there’s no rationalisation for what you do and you are Satan’s little helpers.
    Okay – kill yourself – seriously. You are the ruiner of all things good, seriously. No this is not a joke, you’re going, “there’s going to be a joke coming,” there’s no fucking joke coming.
    You are Satan’s spawn filling the world with bile and garbage. You are fucked and you are fucking us. Kill yourself. It’s the only way to save your fucking soul, kill yourself.
    Planting seeds. I know all the marketing people are going, “he’s doing a joke… there’s no joke here whatsoever. Suck a tail-pipe, fucking hang yourself, borrow a gun from a Yank friend – I don’t care how you do it. Rid the world of your evil fucking makinations. Machi… Whatever, you know what I mean.
    I know what all the marketing people are thinking right now too,
    “Oh, you know what Bill’s doing, he’s going for that anti-marketing dollar. That’s a good market, he’s very smart.”
    Oh man, I am not doing that. You fucking evil scumbags!”
    Sometimes things are just too true to be funny, but I still find myself quoting some or all of this rant a couple times a year, particularly the part about the anti-marketing dollar. Brilliant.

  17. “I left in love, in laughter, and in truth, and wherever truth, love and laughter abide, I am there in spirit.”
    – William Melvin Hicks, February 7, 1994

  18. “You know what causes sexual thoughts? … Having a dick!”
    why can’t all those politicians admit it and unban those cool late night shows? 🙂
    i’ve heard that man’s speeches and now i’m a believer. a true Hicksian fundamentalist, so help me Bill!

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