[UA] The Jester Example: Bill Hicks

[moorebros at earthlink.net]

I'm not sure Bill Hicks is exactly what you had in mind for an example
of the Avatar, but I immediately thought of him after reading the post.
This is a write-up of the new Hicks biography on Amazon, "American
Scream":

"Biographies rarely capture the uniqueness and vitality of a performer
as deftly as this hilarious and touching chronicle of the short life of
maverick comedian Bill Hicks. Rebelling from a rigid south Texas
upbringing, Hicks focused his fury into a controversial career of
ranting against all hypocrisy, from the Christian right's to that of
hack entertainers, particularly shallow comedians, and the censorship of
his act on David Letterman. True makes a strong case for Hicks as heir
to Lenny Bruce and Richard Pryor, putting hard truths in the guise of
humor in a desperate attempt to educate and convert. Rather than seeming
a martyr, however, Hicks comes across as a deeply, perhaps dangerously
sensitive man blessed with extraordinary wit and a profound sense of
justice, who tried night after night to work through his doubts, fears,
and, of course, anger. The audience in
many of the book's admirably constructed performance scenes seems to be
simply along for the ride, with no idea of its ultimate destination,
alternately laughing uproariously and sitting in bewildered silence.
True shows great restraint in unfolding Hicks' story, often allowing his
words to speak for themselves and demonstrating a vital sense of comic
timing herself. After a moving
account of Hicks' death from pancreatic cancer at 32, she concludes,
"Four days later, Carrot Top won the American Comedy Award." Bill Hicks
would have laughed."-Will Hickman

If you've ever listened to any of his 4 Stand Up CD's, the man was
definitely trying to poke the Powers-that-Be in the eye.

I'm wondering if a Jester Avatar would have a channel of: See Through
Your Bullshit! And following up on that: Totally Piss them off! or What
a Marroon... (making the public opinion sway)

And for the taboo, what about "Just can't quit..." Like Andy Kaufman and
that wrestling schtik that no one really appreciated at the time. Or
Andy taking a poll to see if he should be voted off S-N-L.

RogerMoore
who just order the biography


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