I just saw the documentary
American: The Bill Hicks Story hoping it would shed some light on why people think he was funny. It didn't change my view at all. I never found him particularly funny and this doc confirmed why.
His material was always pretty much the same. He rants about something, usually related to the government, large corporations, or drugs. Sometimes followed by a mildly amusing punchline. Nothing he said hadn't already been said more eloquently by someone else.
This is a cliff notes of every Bill Hicks show:
Hicks: the US government sucks, drugs are not as bad as the government says they are. Advertising agencies are evil and they make a lot of money.
audience: WHOA THATS DEEP
One thing I learned from the doc was that he was much more popular in the UK, mainly because he was an American making fun of America. He was like the UK's Yakov Smirnoff. Cashing in on a nation's irrational hatred of another nation.
His hobbies included consuming alcohol and halucinogenic mushrooms.
There must be some people here who like Hicks, could you explain why?