American: The Bill Hicks Story (Video)

By Aaron Dames on March 25, 2011 in News 31

The trailer for American: The Bill Hicks Story:

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RoscoeMG

I’m there man. That dude was a legend and a visionary. I just wish I could have seen him before he died.
RoscoeMG

I’m there man. That dude was a legend and a visionary. I just wish I could have seen him before he died.
http://thefirstchurchofmutterhals.blogspot.com/ mutterhals

Hicks!
http://thefirstchurchofmutterhals.blogspot.com/ mutterhals

Hicks!
ArgosyJones

Bill Hicks was kind of a knob.
ArgosyJones

Bill Hicks was kind of a knob.
- Markoff Cheney
  
  My God, what a piercing criticism!
- Honu
  
  mmm….and what part of the door might you kinda be?
- ScreamingChilliPepper
  
  So tell us Mr. Jones, did you know Bill personally, or you just talking out your ass?
- ArgosyJones
  
  I guess I should elaborate, since so many disagree. His attitude towards psychedelics was almost absurdly positive: he seems at times to be confusing the bliss of that altered state with the enlightened state of mind that allows some people to live their everyday lives with purpose, clarity and compassion. Personally, I’ve met only a few people in life that I really considered spiritual in that sense; they didn’t try and sell me drugs or sell me on drugs.
  
  At the same time he seems oblivious to the connection between excessive drug use and paranoia. Looked at from that angle, his conspiracy theorizing is less appealing for me.
  - DeepCough
    
    You realize, Argosy, that he was a comedian, right?
  - Honu
    
    A couple of things to consider here….one, no one was talking positively about drugs at the time Hicks was doing those bits. Compared to the oppressive propoganda regarding psychedelics, Hicks was just counterbalancing in his small way. Two, alot of pioneers in the field of psychedelic research including Terrence McKenna understand that using these substances will put you into that ‘enlightened’ state but doesn’t create a permanent kind of enlightenment. Hicks understands this also. He’s referring to the fact that if you do have an ‘enlightened’ psychedelic experience it will fundamentally change the way you think about your life and the world you live in. It’s just one approach to shifting perception, get a full blown psychedelic experience that will change your view points on life. I’m sure if transcendental meditation had the controversy or sex appeal of psychedelics he’d talk about that.
    
    And Bill wasn’t oblivious to the effects of excessive drug use. He stopped using them towards the end of his career and had a whole bit recognizing that some people couldn’t really handle their drugs.
    
    And to second DeepCough, he was a comedian. He has artistic license to exaggerate to present his view point. If you don’t like him it’s fine but a knob he’s far far from.
    - ArgosyJones
      
      Thanks for the civil and informative reply.
- GoodDoktorBad
  
  “Thanks for the civil and informative reply…”
Markoff Cheney

My God, what a piercing criticism!
Validemailtocomment

ur mom likes my knob
ArgosyJones

Not likely; my mother hates the smell of dog poop.
Honu

mmm….and what part of the door might you kinda be?
ScreamingChilliPepper

So tell us Mr. Jones, did you know Bill personally, or you just talking out your ass?
ArgosyJones

I guess I should elaborate, since so many disagree. His attitude towards psychedelics was almost absurdly positive: he seems at times to be confusing the bliss of that altered state with the enlightened state of mind that allows some people to live their everyday lives with purpose, clarity and compassion. Personally, I’ve met only a few people in life that I really considered spiritual in that sense; they didn’t try and sell me drugs or sell me on drugs.

At the same time he seems oblivious to the connection between excessive drug use and paranoia. Looked at from that angle, his conspiracy theorizing is less appealing for me.
DeepCough

You realize, Argosy, that he was a comedian, right?
Honu

A couple of things to consider here….one, no one was talking positively about drugs at the time Hicks was doing those bits. Compared to the oppressive propoganda regarding psychedelics, Hicks was just counterbalancing in his small way. Two, alot of pioneers in the field of psychedelic research including Terrence McKenna understand that using these substances will put you into that ‘enlightened’ state but doesn’t create a permanent kind of enlightenment. Hicks understands this also. He’s referring to the fact that if you do have an ‘enlightened’ psychedelic experience it will fundamentally change the way you think about your life and the world you live in. It’s just one approach to shifting perception, get a full blown psychedelic experience that will change your view points on life. I’m sure if transcendental meditation had the controversy or sex appeal of psychedelics he’d talk about that.

And Bill wasn’t oblivious to the effects of excessive drug use. He stopped using them towards the end of his career and had a whole bit recognizing that some people couldn’t really handle their drugs.

And to second DeepCough, he was a comedian. He has artistic license to exaggerate to present his view point. If you don’t like him it’s fine but a knob he’s far far from.
ArgosyJones

Thanks for the civil and informative reply.
ArgosyJones

Thanks for the civil and informative reply.
Adam

Preaching to the choir here most likely, but…

Bill Hicks is my fucking hero.

“I think the puppet on the right shares my beliefs; I think the puppet on the left is more to liking. Wait a minute, there’s one guy holding up both puppets!
Shut up! Go back to bed America, your govt. is in control. Here, here’s ‘American Gladiators’: watch this and get fat and stupid; by the way, keep drinking beer you fucking morons.”

Substitute the word “Idol” for “Gladiators” and you realize that fundamentally nothing has changed.
Adam

Preaching to the choir here most likely, but…

Bill Hicks is my fucking hero.

“I think the puppet on the right shares my beliefs; I think the puppet on the left is more to liking. Wait a minute, there’s one guy holding up both puppets!
Shut up! Go back to bed America, your govt. is in control. Here, here’s ‘American Gladiators’: watch this and get fat and stupid; by the way, keep drinking beer you fucking morons.”

Substitute the word “Idol” for “Gladiators” and you realize that fundamentally nothing has changed.
Anonymous

“Thanks for the civil and informative reply…”
Anonymous

If you don’t like Bill Hicks …..you suck!!
GoodDoktorBad

If you don’t like Bill Hicks …..you suck!!
http://www.nickmeador.org/ ndmeador

I’m an enormous Bill Hicks fan. I’ve watched most of his stand-up videos and listened to both his officially released records and some bootleg recordings. I also saw a short documentary about him that came on the “Bill Hicks Live” DVD. As a result, I didn’t learn much from “American: The Bill Hicks Story.” I thought this film would bring some new information to light. That wasn’t really the case. I learned how he became an alcoholic with the Texas comedians, but who cares about that? Okay, I did learn something about the end of his life, after the cancer diagnosis. But I thought it was strange that they used mostly still images made to look like movement (with AfterEffects or something similar). And they hardly ever showed the face of the person speaking, so it was hard to tell who was saying what. Still, I hope they’ll post the documentary on YouTube at some point so that more people can learn about him.
http://www.nickmeador.org/ ndmeador

I’m an enormous Bill Hicks fan. I’ve watched most of his stand-up videos and listened to both his officially released records and some bootleg recordings. I also saw a short documentary about him that came on the “Bill Hicks Live” DVD. As a result, I didn’t learn much from “American: The Bill Hicks Story.” I thought this film would bring some new information to light. That wasn’t really the case. I learned how he became an alcoholic with the Texas comedians, but who cares about that? Okay, I did learn something about the end of his life, after the cancer diagnosis. But I thought it was strange that they used mostly still images made to look like movement (with AfterEffects or something similar). And they hardly ever showed the face of the person speaking, so it was hard to tell who was saying what. Still, I hope they’ll post the documentary on YouTube at some point so that more people can learn about him.