Comic Invoice Hicks was solely 32 years previous when he died of pancreatic most cancers in 1994. It is arduous to imagine he is been gone for nearly so long as he was right here on Earth. What is not arduous to imagine is simply how related his insightful humor nonetheless is at this time.
Hicks wasn’t your commonplace arise comic. He was a thinker as a lot as he was a comic book. He was nihilistic, indignant, miserable, and sometimes, completely right along with his darkish view of the world. His comedy is not for everybody as a result of usually, it does not even appear to be comedy. Listed below are a few of his funniest and darkest quotes from his act over the few brief years he was a star.
“It is at all times humorous till somebody will get damage. Then it is simply hilarious.”
This quote just about sums up his philosophy on life. The whole lot is ache; let’s discover the humor within the ache. Even our personal ache, certainly particularly our personal ache, is hilarious, so let’s snort on the darkest edges of life.
“I imagine that there’s an equality to all humanity. All of us suck.”
Hicks noticed nothing as off limits. Everybody amongst us is horrible, together with ourselves. So cope with it.
“All of us pay for all times with loss of life, so every part in between needs to be free.”
Hicks’ politics have been broadly populist, and this socialist-adjacent thought reveals that. We’ve got sufficient in life to cope with; why does cash need to be one in all them?
“I used to be in Nashville, Tennessee, final yr. After the present, I went to a Waffle Home. I am not happy with it, I used to be hungry. And I am alone, I am consuming, and I am studying a e book, proper? Waitress walks over to me: ‘Hey, whatcha readin’ for?’ Is not that the weirdest query you’ve got ever heard? Not what am I studying, however what am I studying FOR?
Hicks was a snob about intelligence. His humor was good, and he was very good, as the very best comedians are. He wasn’t afraid to inform different those who they need to attempt to be smarter. That is why he was studying.
“Return to mattress, America. Your authorities has found out the way it all transpired. Return to mattress, America. Your authorities is in management once more. Right here. Here is American Gladiators. Watch this, shut up.”
Invoice Hicks had a reasonably robust libertarian and even anarchist streak operating by means of him, as is plainly apparent in his critique of the American authorities. It additionally confirmed how he thought too many individuals have been sleeping by means of life.
“I do not imply to sound bitter, chilly, or merciless, however I’m, in order that’s the way it comes out.”
To make sure, he knew that he was bitter, chilly, and merciless, and he made no apologies for it. It is like he by no means smiled, and his comedy was lethal severe. Humorous, however severe.
“People, it is time to evolve. That is why we’re troubled. You already know why our establishments are failing us, the church, the state, every part’s failing? It is as a result of, um – they’re now not related. We’re supposed to maintain evolving. Evolution didn’t finish with us rising opposable thumbs. You do know that, proper?”
Hicks additionally felt strongly about faith and science and was firmly towards the previous and steadfastly for the latter. It was a stark separation in his thoughts, and he wasn’t afraid to make that clear.
“I by no means obtained together with my dad. Children used to return as much as me and say, “My dad can beat up your dad.” I might say Yeah? When?”
It is simple to see the place Hicks’ cynicism got here from if you hear him inform “jokes” like this.
“When two or extra folks agree on a problem, I kind on the opposite aspect.”
One solution to describe his politics and his view of the world was that he was a pure contrarian. He did not agree with folks and he did not appear to care if folks agreed with him, so long as they have been in on the joke.
“I am bored with this back-slappin’ “is not humanity neat” BS. We’re a virus with sneakers.”
He actually did not suppose extremely of humanity. He noticed it as honesty, however some simply discovered it miserable. Perhaps it was to him, and he handled it by means of humor.
“It is nice to be right here. I thanks. Ah, I have been on the highway doing comedy for ten years now, so bear with me whereas I plaster on a pretend smile and plough by means of these items yet another time.”
“Faux smile” says all of it. Even when he advised this joke, he pressured himself to smile and it appeared painful to him. As soon as once more, this comedy was severe enterprise.
“There aren’t any strains. There aren’t any strains. I say, erase all of the strains.”
He did not imagine in any sort of censorship, even when it meant his act was banned or omitted from community reveals. Hicks did not care, he plowed forward with act, regardless of the fee.
“That is the place we’re at proper now, as a complete. Nobody is not noted of the loop. We’re experiencing a actuality primarily based on a skinny veneer of lies and illusions. A world the place greed is our God and knowledge is sin, the place division is essential and unity is fantasy, the place the ego-driven cleverness of the thoughts is praised, somewhat than the intelligence of the center.”
This quote appears straight out of 2025, not 1985 when Hicks might need first advised it. Or possibly it was each, and it highlights that little has modified for lots of people.
“I ascribe to Mark Twain’s idea that the final one that needs to be President is the one who desires it essentially the most. The one who needs to be picked is the one who needs to be dragged kicking and screaming into the White Home.”
That is one thing that, truthfully, everybody ought to agree with. We want extra reluctant presidents. That is not a shot at both political get together, it is a shot at each.
“Kids are smarter than any of us. Understand how I do know that? I don’t know one little one with a full-time job and kids.”
That is fairly a novel means of taking a look at life. Is life value residing if all we do is figure? It is one thing we have now to do, however how can we all discover a solution to simply benefit from the brief time we have now on this earth?
“They Need You To Be A Docile Apathetic Client”
It is a direct shot on the complete world and truthfully, it is solely gotten worse since Invoice Hicks died in 1994. It is sort of loopy.
“I smoke to fill the potholes in my soul”
Me too, Invoice. Me too.
“It’s all about cash, not freedom. For those who suppose you’re free, strive going someplace with out cash, okay?”
As cynical as he was about cash and consumerism, he additionally noticed actuality for what it was. To be really free in society at this time, you want cash. That is not the way it needs to be, it is how it’s.
“I’m availiable for youngsters’s events, by the best way.”
There is part of me that actually needs Hicks had carried out his arise at children events. For those who suppose clowns and magicians scare children, how a couple of robust dose of Invoice Hicks’ comedy? That might scare children for lots longer than a number of hours.
“Pay attention, the subsequent revolution is gonna be a revolution of concepts.”
Unfortuantely, that is one factor Hicks might need gotten flawed. He died earlier than the actual daybreak of the web, however for all of the discuss that the World Huge Net would make training extra egalitarian, it is actually made us all extra numb. Hicks would have hated it.
“Wherever reality, love and laughter abide, I’m there in spirit.”
Beneath all of it, Hicks was a comic, not only a bitter thinker. He sought reality, however he was searching for love and laughter. Are you able to think about how a lot he would hate “stay, snort, love” posters, although?
“I smoke. If this bothers anybody, I counsel you go searching on the world through which we stay and shut your mouth.”
There’s undoubtedly a aspect of Invoice Hicks with a loss of life want. It is like he knew he wasn’t going to be on this earth for lengthy, so he made essentially the most of it, as rapidly as doable. He did nothing at half-speed, even the worst of habits.
“I am unable to watch TV longer than 5 minutes with out praying for nuclear holocaust.”
Oh yeah, Invoice Hicks actually hated tv.
“I don’t imagine creating wealth so as to devour items is mankind’s sole objective on this planet.”
Whereas Invoice Hicks understood that cash was wanted to stay, he wasn’t completely satisfied about it. He really believed life should not be lived solely within the pursuit of cash or consumerism. Once more, what would he consider the world at this time, the place all of that is racheted up much more? It nearly makes you glad he did not need to stay to see it.
“Life is just a dream and we’re the creativeness of ourselves.”
Deep, man. You did not have to agree with every part he mentioned. That is fairly on the market, if we’re trustworthy.
“We’re the facilitators of our personal artistic evolution.”
That is vital. Life is as much as us. We should cope with all of the stuff it offers us and maintain transferring ahead, individually and as a collective.
“Only a easy alternative, proper now, between worry and love. The eyes of worry need you to place greater locks in your doorways, purchase weapons, shut your self off. The eyes of affection as a substitute see all of us as one.”
Hicks wasn’t simply a nihilist. There was a kernel of hope in no matter he was ranting about. He wished a greater world, however he simply did not see one.
“I simply have a type of faces. Folks come as much as me and say, ‘What’s flawed?’ Nothing. ‘Effectively, it takes extra vitality to frown than it does to smile.’ Yeah, it takes extra vitality to level that out than it does to go away me alone?”
For Hicks followers, this sentiment has at all times been on the coronary heart of his over-arching philosophy. You do your factor, I am going to do mine, but when we each deal with one another how we would need to be handled, the world can be a a lot better place.
“I would like my sleep. I would like about eight hours a day, and about ten at evening.”
Typically you could possibly simply see the despair behind his eyes and his jokes. He made no apologies for it.
“Right this moment I noticed that every one matter is merely vitality condensed to a gradual vibration. That we’re all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively, there is no such thing as a such factor as loss of life, life is just a dream, and we’re the creativeness of ourselves. Brothers and sisters, pals and neighbors, vibrations within the thoughts of the one true god, whose identify is Love.”
It was quotes like this that actually left you questioning if he was severe or if it was simply essentially the most bitter satire ever.
“I get a kick out of being an outsider always. It permits me to be artistic. I do not like something within the mainstream, and so they don’t love me.”
As soon as once more, Hicks confirmed why he wasn’t serious about being compliant.
“The very best sort of comedy to me is if you make folks snort at issues they’ve by no means laughed at, and in addition take a light-weight into the darkened corners of individuals’s minds, exposing them to the sunshine.”
This quote is actually what Hicks was all about. He was indignant, positive. He was bitter a whole lot of the time. His satire was darkish, and it might be very imply. That wasn’t every part, although. He might be constructive, however he wasn’t going to blindly smile by means of the darkest components of life. It might not be for everybody, however Invoice Hicks humor was in contrast to anybody else’s earlier than or after.