American: The Bill Hicks Story Page #5

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and I thought that was really strange, because

we were only 16 years old or something

and finally I just said, "Kevin,

I want to go over and meet this Bill guy. "

Bill and I had the same sense of humour

from the very beginning

and we just got each other instantly.

It was, "Really? You got a camera?

Oh, these pictures are good.

"Well, yeah, you're my photographer.

Take some pictures of me.

"I need pictures for a newspaper."

Just immediately, without question, I was the

photographer and he put complete faith in me.

I just saw it as that I found a kindred spirit.

He was the guy that was out in front,

breaking barriers.

Cos it was a very adult world

and he was like the high schooler

that was telling them what fools they were

for drinking and smoking

and giving them this clear mirror,

and you could tell

they all really respected him.

The good sign for a comic

is not just when audiences

come in and ask for you.

It's when other comics stop what they're doing

and come in the room and watch you.

There has never been anybody funnier

at his age as a stand-up.

Maybe the only other guy that touched him

at that age was Buster Keaton.

The stuff about his family and his parents

and growing up was entertaining to anybody.

Bill should have been famous right away.

Open house night, open house night,

your parents go out, talk to your teachers,

find out you've been lying through your teeth.

"His name is Bill?"

"I thought it was Moltvic."

Come home the next night and my father's

sitting there and he goes, "Hold it, Moltvic.

"Went out to the school last night and I talked

to your teachers and I talked to Miss Jones

"and she said you called her a frothing slut.

"What is that all about?"

"Well, Dad, she's a loser."

"Everyone's a loser, everyone's a jerk?

Tell me, Mr Blister, who's the real loser?"

"Promise you won't get mad, Dad."

Where it really hit me was

one weekend I was home from college

and he said, "Come down to this comedy club

and here was Bill performing

and the place was sold out,

and I remember going and telling all my

friends, "Man, you gotta come, this is unreal."

And it hit me pretty powerfully. It really did.

What Bill's comedy was,

was his view of our life.

He had been able to turn that

into this thing that could entertain strangers.

"Oh, that's what you been doing

the last few years. "

Both of my parents are college graduates.

My older sister's a college graduate.

I'm a college graduate.

Here came Bill and he said,

"I'm going to LA to be a comedian."

What does that mean, you know?

We had no idea.

When Bill basically said, "I'm moving

to LA and I'm not gonna play music any more",

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