Bill Hicks

Comedian Bill Hicks (who died in 1994) was a stand-up American on so many levels: he was a chain smoker, an alcoholic, a coke addict, a porn lover, and a user of filthy language. But above all of these virtues, Hicks dug politics. Listening to the opening monologues of Salvation (Rykodisc), which captures an entire 1992 Oxford University performance on two CDs, you'd think Hicks was addressing the problems of today: he begins by singing "Ding-dong, Bush is Dead" before laying into issues like selling weapons to developing countries, and Bush Sr. being a child of Satan sent here to destroy the earth. Thirteen years later, the world is still dealing with the mess Hicks was so outspoken about. One can't help but feel that perhaps we should've taken the last of the great political comedians more seriously.