Bill Hicks: Relentless

Apparently the DVD version of Bill Hicks's comedy special Relentless- filmed from the Montreal comedy special where he finally broke out as a stand-up star- is not quite complete. It runs an hour, and is missing some footage. Luckily, there's enough that remains, and in mostly good enough condition, to suffice calling it an exceptional effort. With maybe one or two little moments where he lags, this is some of Hicks' most flawless work, as usual ranging from cigarette/non-cigarette fatalities, supporting the war but not the troops, playing music backwards ("You're Satan!"), BJ's, and of course drugs. Every bit is stinging with some kind of savagery, witty and with the right targets but never too mean (well, unless you're New Kids on the Block), and even giving a jab at Canadians as it is, of course, Montreal. But the delivery, too, comes sometimes out of left field, a little calm and subtle but with a kind of right sucker-punch that manages to really work the crowd well; just wait till he gets to the stuff about Alabama and you'll start rolling on the floor. It's brilliant stuff. 9.5/10

I watched a stand-up show from Bill Maher the other day and made comment on the fact that when he pushes to a delivery of "outrage" or anger" he seemed to lose his point and just ended up hammering the audience with a rant rather than becoming more passionate and convincing. I didn't know it when I wrote that sentence the other night but essentially what I meant was "he's no Bill Hicks". I have recently been making an effort to catch up on the man whose name is still spoken with reverence in the stand-up world and it is easy to see why because he manages to produce politically-aware, anger comedy that does not rely on him just ranting or shouting.

Of course he does shout and "go off on one" regularly but what he doesn't do is make less sense as a result and indeed the energy and anger he comes over with feels real and natural as opposed to some comedians who come over more like they are trying to fire up their audience by being extreme. In Relentless he covers subjects from smoking to celebrities advertising products and throughout he is consistently thoughtful but also funny. Now I am not saying that he excels at both, because I don't think he is wildly hilarious or incredibly wise or correct in all he says but just that in terms of getting the mix just right, he is spot on. A lot of this is from the writing but his delivery is good as he plays his arguments really well to both make his point and draw laughs at the same time.

The structure of his delivery is also important because, although extreme, he mostly manages to draw the audience in and see things from his point of view ("mostly" I said). This is again something to his credit because with many extreme political comedians (again, like Mayer) they tend to only play well to home crowds and are not good enough to "discuss" opinions as they get to their point. Here, Hicks does that well in the most part and only occasionally does he appear to throw an extreme opinion out of nowhere (and when he does, at least it tends to be funny).

Relentless is worth checking out and it is significant that, even so many years later it still feels relevant and fresh in most areas - something that similar comedians cannot often manage. Not the funniest comedy you'll ever hear, nor the most insightful commentary either but what Hicks did do very well was blend the two so they both work at the same high level and Relentless is a good example of why his name lives on long after his death.

A stand-up comedy show by Bill Hicks recorded live in Montreal, Canada.

A stand-up comedy classic. Bill Hicks is at his irreverent, subversive, cynical best here with subjects and ideas that are often incredibly left-field. Nothing is off-limits, making for hysterically funny takes on things.

Many of the jokes are grounded in defiance and calling out the absurdity of modern events and practices, making them even more telling.

Some of the jokes here are so fantastic they have come legend. I recognised jokes that I heard in isolation in the 1990s and only now realised that it was Bill Hicks delivering them.

Outstanding.

I searched Google for "best comedy specials of all time" and this one was #2. For reference, Dave Chappelle's Killin' Them Softly was #1 (and that's a well-deserved rating). So, I was excited to watch this.

But, it was awful. Just really, really bad. The guy makes these stupid faces and laughs at his own terrible jokes. I kept waiting for it to get better, but it never did. I wish I could get the time I wasted watching this, back. I would go get a root canal, instead.

Comedy is merely the hook on which Bill Hicks hangs a series of biting observations about subjects such as drugs and war and government.No cosy anecdotes about the colour of navel fluff to be found here. The high shock factor and skilled delivery almost disguise one of the most nakedly emotional performers of the last 20 years. Because of the depth and resonance of the material this is one of those rarities: a stand up performance that bears repeated viewings.

Relentless by name, Relentless by nature.