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The Goat Boy Rises (1993)
51–60 of 60 posts
Re: The Goat Boy Rises (1993)
#52Sometimes I find these kinds of link submissions pretty baffling. "Here's a nearly 30 year old article about a dead comedian!" Thanks, I guess. But also: why? Why this arbitrary New Yorker article, as opposed to any other article written in the last three decades?
Historical material is always welcome here, and the only criterion for a good HN post is gratifying intellectual curiosity. I had no idea that the New Yorker had profiled Bill Hicks while he was still alive. That's already interesting!
Re: The Goat Boy Rises (1993)
#53Quoted post unavailable.
"Please don't post shallow dismissals, especially of other people's work. A good critical comment teaches us something."
https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
Also, please don't fulminate and please omit name-calling from your comments here. Those things are also in the guidelines.
Re: The Goat Boy Rises (1993)
#54When he was alive he was much more appreciated in the UK than in the US. Good to see that the US is catching on.
Yep, he's got iconic status in the UK for those of a certain age. It's also quite shocking for those of that age to look back and realise he died at 32!
> iconic status in the UK for those of a certain age.
I remember introducing my partner to Bill Hicks around 2006.
I remember pointing out that all his Gulf War jokes were about the 1990 war.... She thought he was joking about the 2003+ conflict as, shockingly, the reasons for the war were exactly the same and the jokes all translated perfectly to the new war.
Sad.
Re: The Goat Boy Rises (1993)
#55Earlier quoted context omitted.
Post-1989?
After the Berlin Wall fell. That was one of Lenin's "weeks where decades happen", and the decade that happened in that week was the 90s, when the United States believed it had won the world forever and behaved accordingly.
It's not really one of Lenin's
Re: The Goat Boy Rises (1993)
#56I always liked Bill Hicks's content but couldn't get past the deadpan, unenergetic delivery. I know this is kind of heresy in Bill Hicks circles, but I think Denis Leary did Bill Hicks (from which he admittedly cribbed a lot) much better than Bill did. When I see a comedian, I guess I expect a better blend of visual humor and content. Unfortunately, YouTube videos of Bill's performances are as comedic as their text transcripts. The content is so good though, biting and sarcastic!
Re: The Goat Boy Rises (1993)
#57Man, this is so 90s. The bland mainstream, such a big fat tempting target. The comedian as a rock-and-roll star. The sarcasm.... The vanity, the ego, the sexual entitlement. Good times, bad times!
Re: The Goat Boy Rises (1993)
#58Re: The Goat Boy Rises (1993)
#59Quoted post unavailable.
" Please don't post shallow dismissals, especially of other people's work. A good critical comment teaches us something. " https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html Also, please don't fulminate and please omit name-calling from your comments here. Those things are also in the guidelines.
> "Please don't post shallow dismissals, especially of other people's work. A good critical comment teaches us something"
I admit that the tone of my post may have been inflammatory. However I don't think that it's fair to characterise my post as a shallow dismissal. I maintain that my opening rebuke of Hicks: "For all of his criticism of the stuffy conservative establishment..." constitutes more than a superficial critique. My dislike of Hicks stems from my view that his worldview discouraged people from joining in the task of reforming the system in which they live. He did nothing to encourage people to invest in themselves, or strive for lofty goals for the sake of humanity. I really dislike his attitude, and I loathe the insinuation that there is any profound insight to be gained from his apathy, and smugness. My opinion is that if you subtracted the establishment that he so limply derides, there would be no substance remaining in him.
Re: The Goat Boy Rises (1993)
#60Earlier quoted context omitted.
He was right about the out-of-control American war machine, too.
Without diminishing Bill, many have called this out for a long time. I blame the ever-bloodthirsty corporate media complex. They even applauded their avowed arch-enemy Trump as soon as he decided to lob a few missiles into Syria, that should tell you something.
Its no surprise: the same people who profit immensely from the manufacture of bombs with an expiry date, own American media.