Revisit " Sister, Sister " and more '90s TV throwbacks that need a revival now. See our picks list. Looking for some great streaming picks? Check out some of the IMDb editors' favorites movies and shows to round out your Watchlist. Sign In. Down 3, this week. Born in Georgia but raised in Houston since the age of 7, this self-described "Prince of Darkness" was compelled to use the comedy stage as his philosophic soapbox. At 13, he would sneak out of his suburban house to hustle his way onto open-mike night rosters.

Early life and start in comedy
King of the Texas Outlaw comedians
Cult Southern comic denounced Washington mendacity and corporate greed without fear in meteoric career tragically cut short by cancer at just Where do I send my list? Life is offensive. You know what I mean? Just get in touch with your outer adult. And grow up. And move on. Repeated a quarter of a century on, the remark stands as a fine example of the contrarianism the southerner was known for, but it also takes on a fresh resonance. Taking offence has become a global pastime in recent years.
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William Melvin Hicks December 16, — February 26, was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, satirist and musician. His material—encompassing a wide range of social issues including religion, politics, and philosophy—was controversial and often steeped in dark comedy. At the age of 16, while still in high school, Hicks began performing at the Comedy Workshop in Houston, Texas. During the s, he toured the U. Hicks died of pancreatic cancer on February 26, , at the age of In subsequent years, his work gained significant acclaim in creative circles—particularly after a series of posthumous album releases—and he developed a substantial cult following. In , he was No. He had an older sister, Lynn, and an older brother, Steve. While attending Stratford High School , he began performing comedy mostly derivations of Woody Allen material for his classmates. Steve told him, "Keep it up.
The stature of the Texan, who died of pancreatic cancer in , has grown and grown, with each posthumous DVD release or docu-hagiography stoking the legend of the fearless prophet-comic bellowing truth to power. It helped with the too-hot-to-handle mythology that Hicks was a prophet without honour in the US, where audiences stayed away and his final guest-slot on Late Night with David Letterman was cut. And it helped — morbidly enough — that he died at just All those routines deploring sell-outs and squalid compromises retained their power because this Kurt Cobain of standup never had the chance to betray his lofty principles in middle age. Then there are the memories of those who were there at the time, particularly in Britain, which took Hicks to its heart in the early 90s. Those who caught him live will never forget the excitement he generated.