American Scream: The Bill Hicks Story - Softcover

True, Cynthia

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0380803771 ISBN 13: 9780380803774

Publisher: HarperPB, 2002

Synopsis

Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, Andy Kaufman -- add Bill Hicks to that list of brilliant, fearless comics. Just emerging from underground cult status when he died at age thirty-two, Bill Hicks spent most of his life making audiences roar -- and censors cringe -- with biting social satire about everything from former president George Bush to rock stars who hawk diet Coke. His nervy talent redefined the boundaries of comedy in the '80s and won him a list of admirers that includes John Cleese, George Carlin, and Thom Yorke of Radiohead.

This posthumous biography reveals for the first time what made Bill Hicks tick -- what made him laugh, what pissed him off, and what he saw as his ultimate mission: to release people from their prison of ignorance. From his first comedy gig at Bible camp to his infamous cancellation on The Late Show with David Letterman, Cynthia True portrays an artist whose outrage, drive, and compassion fueled a controversial body of work that still resonates today.

About this title

About the Author

Cynthia True has written for TimeOut New York, Texas Monthly, Glamour, Rolling Stone, and Harper's Bazaar. She lives in Los Angeles.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Biographies rarely capture the uniqueness and vitality of a performer as deftly as this hilarious and touching chronicle of the short life of maverick comedian Bill Hicks. Rebelling from a rigid south Texas upbringing, Hicks focused his fury into a controversial career of ranting against all hypocrisy, from the Christian right's to that of hack entertainers, particularly shallow comedians, and the censorship of his act on David Letterman. True makes a strong case for Hicks as heir to Lenny Bruce and Richard Pryor, putting hard truths in the guise of humor in a desperate attempt to educate and convert. Rather than seeming a martyr, however, Hicks comes across as a deeply, perhaps dangerously sensitive man blessed with extraordinary wit and a profound sense of justice, who tried night after night to work through his doubts, fears, and, of course, anger. The audience in many of the book's admirably constructed performance scenes seems to be simply along for the ride, with no idea of its ultimate destination, alternately laughing uproariously and sitting in bewildered silence. True shows great restraint in unfolding Hicks' story, often allowing his words to speak for themselves and demonstrating a vital sense of comic timing herself. After a moving account of Hicks' death from pancreatic cancer at 32, she concludes, "Four days later, Carrot Top won the American Comedy Award." Bill Hicks would have laughed. Will Hickman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: HarperPB
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0380803771
• ISBN 13: 9780380803774
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 304