The Outlaw Comic

Thanks to the miracle of the internet, last night I watched the 75 minute documentary Bill Hicks: Outlaw Comic. Narrated by Janeane Garofalo it tells the story of how Hicks was censored by broadcasters in the States and played out much of his 16 years as a comedian in anonymity in his home country.

The doc is made up of archive clips of Hicks, mostly filmed in small clubs on cheap video cameras. There are also some clips of interviews with him from various cable shows and British television.

It’s very different from the other excellent Hicks documentary It’s Just a Ride which spoke to his family, friends and fellow comedians. This tells his story simply through voiceover and footage of him performing.

There were lots of clips I hadn’t seen, such as the 19 year old Hicks playing a local club and there were some I had seen such as his infamous rant one night in Chicago. "Take her out! Take her fucking out! Take her to somewhere that's GOOD! Go see fucking Madonna, you fucking idiot piece of shit!" His famed quote about how Hitler was right and was 'just an underachiever' isn't included however.

It’s well worth watching. Below is part one. You can click on it and follow the links for the further 7 chapters.