Born in Valdosta, Georgia, Bill Hicks was the son of Jim and Mary (Reese) Hicks and had two older siblings: sister Lynn and brother Steve. The family lived in Florida, Alabama, and New Jersey, before settling in Houston, Texas when Hicks was seven. He was raised in the Southern Baptist faith, where he first began performing as a comedian for other children at Sunday School.
Hicks was 16 years old when he started performing stand-up comedy at the Comedy Workshop in Houston, Texas, in 1978. During the 1980s he toured the United States extensively and performed a number of high-profile television appearances. It was in the UK, however, where Hicks first amassed a significant fan base, packing large venues with his 1991 tour. Hicks died of pancreatic cancer in 1994 at the age of 32. In the years after his death, his work and legacy achieved the significant admiration and acclaim of numerous comedians, writers, actors and musicians alike. In 2007 he was voted the 6th greatest stand-up comic on the UK's Channel 4's 100 Greatest Stand-Ups and again in the updated 2010 list as the 4th greatest stand-up comic.
Hicks was associated with the Texas Outlaw Comics group developed at the Comedy Workshop in Houston in the 1980s. Once Hicks gained some underground success in night clubs and universities, he quit drinking. However, Hicks continued to smoke cigarettes. His nicotine addiction, love of smoking, and occasional attempts to quit became a recurring theme in his act throughout his later years.
In January 1986, Hicks found himself broke, having spent all his money on a variety of substances. His career soon received another upturn, though, as he appeared on Rodney Dangerfield's Young Comedians Special, in 1987. The same year, he moved to New York City, and, for the next 5 years, performed about 300 times a year. On the album Relentless, he jokes that he quit using drugs because "once you've been taken aboard a UFO, it's kind of hard to top that", although in his performances, he continued to extol the virtues of LSD, marijuana, and psychedelic mushrooms. He fell back to chain-smoking, a theme that would figure heavily in his performances from then on.
In 1988, Hicks signed on with his first professional business manager, Jack Mondrus.[citation needed] Throughout 1989, Mondrus worked to convince many clubs to book Hicks, promising that the wild drug- and alcohol-induced behavior was behind him. Among the club managers hiring the newly sober Hicks was Colleen McGarr, who would become his girlfriend and fiancée in later years.[citation needed]
Hicks quit drinking in 1988, as stated in his 1990 album Dangerous on the first track, entitled "Modern Bummer".
In 1989 he released his first video, Sane Man.
In 1990, Hicks released his first album, Dangerous, performed on the HBO special One Night Stand, and performed at Montreal's Just for Laughs festival. He was also part of a group of American stand-up comedians performing in London's West End in November. Hicks was a huge hit in the UK and Ireland and continued touring there throughout 1991. That year, he returned to Just for Laughs and filmed his second video, Relentless.
Hicks made a brief detour into musical recording with the Marble Head Johnson album in 1992. During the same year he toured the UK, where he recorded the Revelations video for Channel 4. He closed the show with his soon-to become-famous philosophy regarding life, "It's Just a Ride". Also in that tour he recorded the stand-up performance released in its entirety on a double CD titled Salvation. Hicks was voted "Hot Standup Comic" by Rolling Stone magazine in 1993. He moved to Los Angeles in 1992.
The progressive metal band Tool invited Hicks to open a number of concerts in its 1992 Lollapalooza appearances, where Hicks once asked the audience to look for a contact lens he had lost. Thousands of people complied. Members of Tool felt that they and Hicks "were resonating similar concepts".
Intending to raise awareness about Hicks's material and ideas, Tool dedicated their triple-platinum album Ænima (1996) to Hicks. Both the lenticular casing of the Ænima album packaging as well as the chorus of the title track "Ænema" make reference to a sketch from Hicks's Arizona Bay album, in which he contemplates the idea of Los Angeles falling into the Pacific Ocean. Ænima's final track, "Third Eye" contains samples from Hicks's Sane Man and Relentless albums. An alternate version of the Ænima artwork shows a painting of Bill Hicks, calling him "Another Dead Hero," and mentions of Hicks are found both in the liner notes and on the record.
In 1984, Hicks was invited to appear on Late Night with David Letterman for the first time. He had a joke that he used frequently in comedy clubs about how he caused a serious accident that left a classmate using a wheelchair. NBC had a policy that no handicapped jokes could be aired on the show, making his stand-up routine difficult to perform without mentioning words such as "wheelchair".
On October 1, 1993, Hicks was scheduled to appear on Late Show with David Letterman, his 12th appearance on a Letterman late-night show, but his entire performance was removed from the broadcast—then the only occasion where a comedian's entire routine was cut after taping.
Hicks's stand-up routine was removed from the show allegedly because Letterman and his producer were nervous about a religious joke ("If Jesus came back he might not want to see so many crosses"). Hicks said he believed it was due to a pro-life commercial aired during a commercial break. Both the show's producers and CBS denied responsibility. Hicks expressed his feelings of betrayal in a letter to John Lahr of The New Yorker. Although Letterman later expressed regret at the way Hicks had been handled, Hicks did not appear on the show again.
Hicks's mother, Mary, appeared on the January 30, 2009 episode of Late Show. Letterman played the routine in its entirety. Letterman took full responsibility for the original censorship and apologized to Mrs. Hicks. Letterman also declared he did not know what he was thinking when he pulled the routine from the original show in 1993, saying, "It says more about me as a guy than it says about Bill because there was absolutely nothing wrong with that."
For many years, Hicks was friends with fellow comedian Denis Leary. But in 1993 Hicks was angered by Leary's album No Cure for Cancer, which featured lines and subject matter similar to Hicks's routine. According to American Scream: The Bill Hicks Story by Cynthia True, upon hearing the album "Bill was furious. All these years, aside from the occasional jibe, he had pretty much shrugged off Leary's lifting. Comedians borrowed, stole stuff, and even bought bits from one another. Milton Berle and Robin Williams were famous for it. This was different. Leary had practically taken line for line huge chunks of Bill's act and recorded it."
The friendship ended abruptly as a result.
At least three stand-up comedians have gone on the record stating they believe Leary stole Hicks's material as well as his persona and attitude. In an interview, when Hicks was asked why he had quit smoking, he answered, "I just wanted to see if Denis would, too."
In another interview, Hicks said, "I have a scoop for you. I stole his [Leary's] act. I camouflaged it with punchlines, and, to really throw people off, I did it before he did." During a 2003 Comedy Central roast of Denis Leary, comedian Lenny Clarke, a friend of Leary's, said there was a carton of cigarettes backstage from Bill Hicks with the message, "Wish I had gotten these to you sooner." This joke was cut from the final broadcast.
The controversy surrounding plagiarism is also mentioned in American Scream: Leary was in Montreal hosting the "Nasty Show" at Club Soda, and Colleen [McGarr?] was coordinating the talent so she stood backstage and overheard Leary doing material incredibly similar to old Hicks riffs, including his perennial Jim Fixx joke: "Keith Richards outlived Jim Fixx, the runner and health nut. The plot thickens." When Leary came offstage, Colleen, more stunned than angry, said, "Hey, you know that's Bill Hicks's material! Do you know that's his material?" Leary stood there, stared at her without saying a word, and briskly left the dressing room.
When Change Is No Longer Possible
Bill Hicks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Chuggin' it down and reachin' for another,
'Bowin' their brother outa the way
Like they can't be late for their own funeral.
Look at the trees rushing by out the window,
Look at the town, so pretty and sweet,
Little picket fences, swings on the branches,
(chorus)
Dappled sunlight thru the dancing oak leaves
On the concrete sidewalk where the stand sits perched,
And the four little girls are counting their money
And their momma's calling them home for church.
Somebody hollers, "You better get on board.
The train's a leavin' and it ain't coming back."
And you're half a mile from the Birmingham station,
With an old guitar and a fifty pound pack
.
(break) Pick up you feet! Keep a runnin'!
You still got time to say your prayers.
And leave your pack if you're getting tired,
But you hold on tight to that old guitar.
But here she comes: black chain lightning.
Whizzing past at a hundred and ten,
Wind in the weeds, sparks and gravel,
Clickety-clank and she's round the bend.
(chorus)
And it's a country road where there ain't much traffic
An empty bottle rolling 'cross the floor,
A distant whistle when she hits the tunnel--
That's it pal---there isn't any more.
(chorus)
The song "When Change is No Longer Possible" by Bill Hicks tells the story of a person who is running to keep up with the fast pace of society. The chorus describes how everyone is rushing towards something, chugging down whatever it is they are drinking and pushing others out of their way, as if they can't afford to be late for their own funeral. The images presented in the verse about the town being pretty and sweet with little picket fences, Sunday dresses, and lemonade stands seems like an ideal place to live. However, it is all a facade that hides the constant race that society is in. The sound of the train rushing by represents the constant moving and effort one has to make to keep up with society's standards.
The verses present images of typical things the singer would see as he runs past. The dappled sunlight through the trees and the sound of little girls counting money at the lemonade stand describe the innocence of childhood, which is contrasted by the train rushing by. The train represents the harsh reality of adult life. When someone hollers that the train is leaving, it signifies that there is no more time to waste standing around, and the person has to make a decision whether to get on the train or stay behind. Finally, the train rushing past with all its noise and wind blowing past the person symbolizes the unavoidable fact that society will always move ahead, leaving some people behind.
Line by Line Meaning
(chorus) E'reybody running it as fast as they can,
Everybody is trying to do things as quickly as possible
Chuggin' it down and reachin' for another,
People are consuming everything they can and always looking for more
'Bowin' their brother outa the way
People are pushing their fellow human beings aside to get what they want
Like they can't be late for their own funeral.
People are so focused on accumulating things that they don't realize the brevity and fragility of life
Look at the trees rushing by out the window,
Bill Hicks is urging us to take a moment and appreciate nature
Look at the town, so pretty and sweet,
Even though modern life can be overwhelming, there is some beauty in it too
Little picket fences, swings on the branches,
These images evoke nostalgia for a simpler time
Little Sunday dresses at the lemonade stand.
Bill Hicks is highlighting the innocence and purity of childhood
(chorus)
Reiteration of the idea that people are consumed by materialism and rushing through life
Dappled sunlight thru the dancing oak leaves
More appreciation of nature's beauty
On the concrete sidewalk where the stand sits perched,
The lemonade stand is situated in a modern and urban context
And the four little girls are counting their money
Once again, Bill Hicks is drawing attention to the purity and innocence of children
And their momma's calling them home for church.
Even in the midst of consumerism and modern life, people still hold to traditional values and practices
Somebody hollers, "You better get on board.
This is a metaphorical call to action
The train's a leavin' and it ain't coming back."
Bill Hicks is urging us to take action, as time is limited and we don't get second chances
And you're half a mile from the Birmingham station,
This line is setting the scene and giving context
With an old guitar and a fifty pound pack
The artist of the story is carrying something heavy but valuable
(break) Pick up you feet! Keep a runnin'!
This line is urging the singer to keep going and push through difficulty
You still got time to say your prayers.
Bill Hicks is reminding us that spiritual practices are important
And leave your pack if you're getting tired,
If something is weighing you down, you can set it aside
But you hold on tight to that old guitar.
Despite the difficulty, the artist is still hanging on to something that matters to them
But here she comes: black chain lightning.
The train is approaching and things are picking up speed
Whizzing past at a hundred and ten,
The train is moving extremely quickly
Wind in the weeds, sparks and gravel,
This line is painting a picture of the train going by rapidly
Clickety-clank and she's round the bend.
The train has disappeared from sight, and the moment has passed
(chorus)
Reiteration of the idea that time moves quickly and people are consumed by materialism
And it's a country road where there ain't much traffic
The calm after the storm - things have slowed down again
An empty bottle rolling 'cross the floor,
The detritus left behind after the chaos
A distant whistle when she hits the tunnel--
The train is still on the move and we can hear it in the distance
That's it pal---there isn't any more.
The moment has passed, and there are no second chances
Contributed by Skyler C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Nathan Wilson
A great man who did the right thing. It's just a ride folks remember it's just a ride
Maria Paraskeva
This is amazing!! Very well done!
Fishtopher
This man was a genius. It's a travesty that he had to go at the age of 32 :( If only I could've seen him live.
livingdeadgrl18
Legend. Rest in peace, Billy.
KnokKnokProductions
this is an incredible song u should make more and get in a studio
Asif Khan
this is great, usually these tribute things are cheesy as fuck but this is actually good.
EmceeAlex
If anyone has chords or tabs for this please, enlighten me!
Debbie Allen
We are poorer as a planet without Bill!!
acousticlynew
Amazing stuff, a great honor to bill. Thanks.
Kenzo Balerdi
The clips are from the movie "American: The Bill Hicks Story" Good documentary about his life, I recommend watching it.