Bill Hicks: Just For Laughs

William Melvin Hicks, of Bill Hicks, was a comedian who was born in Valdosta, Georgia on the 6th December, 1961. He was the son of Jim and Mary (nee Reese) Hicks, and they moved around America a lot due to Jim's career. They lived in Florida, Alabama and New Jersey, until finally, they settled in Houston, Texas. Bill was seven when they finally came to rest here. As a young boy, Bill was very intelligent, and made friends with another boy in the neighborhood, by the name of Dwight Slade. Both sets of parents belonged to the Southern Baptist faith, and this is how the boys were raised.

Bill started performing stand-up comedy at his Sunday school. His main inspirations for comedy included Woody Allen and Richard Pryor. He would often write funny one liners and slide them under the door of his older brother, Steve's, bedroom. Even from an early age, Bill's comedy was hilarious. Along with these one liners, Bill also wrote funny routines with his friend Dwight.

The pair auditioned and sent tapes to various agents, taking professional photos in their fathers' best clothes, trying to get a comedic audition. Since their parents disapproved of this type of entertainment, Bill and Dwight forever took two hour bike-rides to meet with agents; most of the time to be turned down.

At the age of seventeen, Bill's parents were so worried about his behavior, that they took him to a psychoanalyst. When his parents left the room, the psychoanalyst told Bill: "It's not you, it's them."

Bill was teetotal and smoke-free. Him and Dwight used to have a catchphrase whenever someone lit-up: "WDPS?". This stood for "Why do people smoke?" When he finally got into his professional career, Bill tried magic mushrooms for the first time. Some would say this was the downfall into the downward spiral that was the next six years.

Hicks started regularly experimenting with drugs, and eventually started drinking heavily before going onstage. One night, he was so high on mushroom that he ended up at the corner of the stage, curled up in the fetus position as the crowd threw beer-mats at him.

His career went up and down because of the drinking.

There were numerous fights in clubs because him and his comedian friends got so drunk that they'd be too rowdy for punters. It didn't help that club owners usually dished out free drinks to performers as extra thanks.

Bill forever wanted to get out of drinking, and out of comedy. At still a young age, before the alcoholism, Bill quit comedy to go on to college, to take up a karate class and do philosophy. He lasted all of about two weeks. Of course, he went back to comedy.

He was an alcoholic from the moment alcohol passed his lips. The drinking got worse and the drugs got higher and higher class for six years, until Bill finally took a stand. One of his comedic friends was regularly attending AA meetings, and Bill asked if he could accompany him. He went once, came home and got drunk.

After that, Bill turned his life back around.

He went back to religion and meditation, back to eating right and fell back on chain-smoking and drinking water on-stage. As a result of this, Bill's comedy got better and better as his sober confidence hit an all-time high.

In about 1993, Bill was complaining of awful stomach pains. Colleen, his booking agent, booked him a hospital appointment. It was here they learned he had fourth-stage pancreatic cancer. Bill wouldn't let it get to him; he didn't tell anyone he was ill until right at the last minute.

Because he loved what he did as a career, the doctor set up clinics the country over so Bill could make chemo appointments.

On stage, he forever told crowds it would be his last show, because he was starting a brand-new television show: "Lets Hunt and Kill Billy Ray Cyrus". Bill made this joke on almost all of his last shows.

When the end was drawing near, a few more people knew about his illness. Bill moved into his parents house in Little Rock, Arkansas. He figured that he was born with his family around, so he would die the same way.

Very few of his friends found out until the very last minute.

Bill had never ever got on with his parents, but when he moved in with them, Bill got incredibly close to his mother. They would talk endlessly about anything and everything. Sadly, a few weeks before he passed away, Bill went silent. He wouldn't let many of his friends visit, and towards the end, the only people seeing him were his family.

Bill Hicks died at 11:20pm, on the 26th of February, 1994.