Bill Hicks - Salvation-Oxford, November 11, 1992

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At one time or another, we've all said to ourselves, "Fuck, I wish _______ were here to see this."

Well, if I wielded Jesus-like powers that allowed me to raise the dead, I would've been hovered over Bill Hicks' grave, Ouija board in hand, the day after George W. Bush took office. Because, fuck, I wish Bill Hicks were here to see this.

In the same way that Lenny Bruce wrapped social critique into stand-up comedy, Hicks' satirical, biting attacks on the Bush administration, government, the war in Iraq and the hypocracy of religious institutions are as apt today as they were 15 years ago.

On the Persian Gulf War: "Actually, I was for the war, I was just against the troops. I didn't like those young people. I was all for the carnage...don't get me wrong. I am an American."

The fact that Bill Hicks has been dead for 12 years, makes the content of his newest album, Salvation all the more eerie and profound, and serves as a reminder of both his comedic genius, and how little the world's political landscape has evolved.

The two-disc set, features Hicks' entire November 11, 1992 performance at Oxford University in England, a country that granted him the fame and appreciation that eluded him in his native land. The album--recorded just days after Bill Clinton usurped George H. Bush as the American president-begins with a jubilant song:

"Ding dong, Bush is dead, Bush is dead, Bush is dead. Ding dong, Bush is dead, Bush is dead..."

Hicks' comedy has seen a revival in recent years, and it's brought him a fame he never achieved in mortal life. The result has been a flood of new releases that have turned Hicks' posthumous album collection into a tome that rivals Tupac's, and more importantly, has introduced an entire generation of young comedy fans onto the man whose brilliantly hilarious social critique served as a precursor to the likes of politically-charged comedians like Jon Stewart, Bill Maher and David Cross.

As evidenced on Salvation, Hicks' brilliance lied in his unabashed truthfulness and ability to pull apart conventional wisdom and attitudes. With a mix of philosophy, vulgarity and sarcasm, he twists logic and satirizes society by boiling issues down to their essence and allowing the audience to see the absurdity of it all.

On the death penalty: "I don't find it ironic at all-Christians for the death penalty. 'Cause after all, if it weren't for capital punishment, we'd have no Easter. Fuck it, that's a three day weekend where I come from."

On panhandlers: "The very idea that they want me to give them the hard-earned money my dad sends to me every week...fuck off...my dad works eight hours a day for this money."

As fans know, the payoff to a lot of Hicks' material is often found in the details of his perfectly constructed, laden with shock value and delicious vileness:

On Los Angeles: "I live out in Los Angeles, which I call 'Satan's shithole.' The sooner it falls into the ocean due to a major earthquake the better this world will be. The sooner it is flushed away like the turd it is, into the Pacific Ocean, with all that's left floating on the sea are tanning beds like coffins and Charlton Heston's toupee, the world will be a better place."

While Salvation serves as an interesting historical vignette, it is not among Hicks' best albums. As timely as his rants against creationism, Iraq and the Bush Administration are, there's also plenty of dated material-i.e. Rodney King and a long segment about the movie "Basic Instinct" that don't resonate as strongly 15 years after the fact. I would recommend that Hicks virgins first acquaint themselves with some of his earlier releases like Relentless and Rant in E-Minor which offer slices of Hicks' best material in compilation form.

For those already familiar with Hicks' work, the album is worth checking out simply because, well, it's funny and also offers an unedited full-length performance, complete with audience banter and improvisational-type material that allow the listener to get a feel for the comedian's stage presence and style. And for those who're old enough to get references to Reginald Denny and the LA riots, there's some material that you can't find on previous releases.

On life: "As scary as the world is-and it is-it is merely a ride in the amusement park of the universe. It has its thrills, it has its chills, it has its ups, it has its downs. We think it's real because that's how powerful our minds are. And some people have known it...and they've come here to tell us it's just a ride. And we have killed those people...because we love the fucking ride. Jesus, Ghandi, Martin Luther King-murdered...Reagan-wounded."

Life's not fair. Bill Hicks, Mitch Hedberg, Richard Pryor...all dead. Yet, Carrot Top and Dane Cook live on.