Bill Hicks DVD coming soon!!

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by shucky ducky, Oct 16, 2004.

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  1. shucky ducky

    shucky ducky Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Arizona
    I just noticed this on another site...

    Bill Hicks Live - Satirist, Social Critic, Stand-Up Comedian

    Release Date: October 26, 2004

    contains the following...

    "One Night Stand" from the Old Vic Theatre in Chicago (approx 30 minutes)

    "Revelations" from the Dominion Theatre in London (approx 65 minutes)

    "Relentless", Bill’s breakout performance at the Montreal Comedy Festival (approx 70 minutes)

    ...and as a bonus, the documentary "Just A Ride" (approx 45 minutes)

    Finally!! Some classic Bill shows on Region1 DVD. I'm pretty giddy about this release. Should be great.

    By the running time, it looks like the documentary "Just A Ride" will be the uncut version, which is cool. The cut version they showed on Comedy Central was missing some key jokes the really messed up the continuity and effectiveness of the original.

    However, the running time listed on the Revelations show is kindof a bummer... the original show was cut to fit HBOs time schedule... and it looks like this is the version that will be included here. Off the top of my head, it will be missing the 'Farming Equipment', 'American Gladiators', 'The News' and the 'Cold War' bits; as well as parts of the 'Goat Boy' routine.

    The region 2 DVD "Totally Bill Hicks" has the approx 75 minute version of Revelations show, which is still an edited version of the original. Its missing much of the 'Goat Boy' / audiance interaction bits, and an audiance interuption right in the middle of the 'Its Just A Ride' bit. Not really essential to the continuity of the show, but still would be nice to see.

    Finally, I must say... It will be awesome to have the Relentless show on DVD with crystal clear audio! This is a great performance! :righton: I can't wait.
     
  2. Ted Bell

    Ted Bell Forum Dentist

    Great news!
     
  3. Ed Bishop

    Ed Bishop Incredibly, I'm still here

    In his time, only Sam Kinison was his rival as a true 'wild and crazy guy,' a maverick, over the top and on the edge...and both done too soon.

    Bill isn't for everyone, to be sure, but once you get on his wavelength....wow!


    :ed:
     
  4. reechie

    reechie Senior Member

    Location:
    Baltimore
    Excellent and long overdue! :righton:

    Transferring my Hicks VHS tapes over to DVD was going to be a main project of mine, this'll save me some time.
     
  5. reechie

    reechie Senior Member

    Location:
    Baltimore
    I've only gotten half way through the Revelations portion of the DVD, but the "Farming Equipment" and "American Gladiators" segments are intact, and look identical to the version on the VHS tape I have from the UK release (which also has the "Just A Ride" speech interruption edited out...I've heard about this, but never seen it).

    The It's Just A Ride documentary is indeed the UK version, with a bit more Bill performance footage, a couple more interviews added, no bleeping of the profanities, and a few different shots substituted here and there. Even so, you can get rid of the versions taped off of Comedy Central if you've got this one.

    Oddly, you have the option of watching either the short or long versions of Relentless. Apparently the complete master video source for the long version no longer exists, and the tape used for the "missing" segment comes from an inferior source (only slightly). You are given the option of watching the program either with or without this segment, through branching. I can't see wanting to watch the program without the segment though, it's probably my favorite portion of the program: Bill's routine about backwards masking in music and rock stars advertising products. Bill performance of this routine gets so passionate, filled with rage and venom, that the audience doesn't seem to know how to react to it. Anyone who truly loves music, like we do here on the forum, will understand what he's talking about, though.

    So, when do we get Ninja Bachelor Party on DVD? :D
     
  6. shucky ducky

    shucky ducky Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Arizona
    Thanks for the update Reechie, I'm still waiting for mine to arrive in the mail (along with the new MST3K box - can't wait!!). I'm glad were getting the UK version of Revelations!! That version is so much more interesting to watch then the edited version shown on HBO back in '92. Bill said durring the Austin Cable Access interview that he was feeling a little off that night (not quite 100%), which is kind of strange... because I always felt this show was very Strong. He really stretched out and elaborated most of the routines he had been working on durring that European tour. The Vanailla Ice/Satan routine, the Goat Boy routine, and the Evolution routine to name a few. Anyways, I can't wait!! It's always a great day when new Bill Hicks material is released! :righton:
     
  7. voicebug

    voicebug Senior Member

    Location:
    now in Houston, TX
    Wow!!!! This is news to me!

    Darn, I still have to pick up that latest wave of Bill Hicks CDs, that came out, what, 2 years ago? I only have the original 4 that came out on Ryko, and of course, an original CD pressing of 'Relentless' on the Invasion label.

    What's this CD selling for? Has anyone seen it at Best Buy? I might have to dust off my Amazon account.
     
  8. reechie

    reechie Senior Member

    Location:
    Baltimore
    $18 at Media Play over the weekend. I saw no "Bill Hicks" artist card though, so you may have to look through a few miscellaneous "H" titles to find a copy. Still, it was much easier to find than I'd expected.

    If you've got the original four Ryko Hicks CD's, you've pretty much got the essential stuff. The two discs they released later (not counting their Best Of disc) are made up of leftovers and "B" material. They're nice, but hardly essential.

    Additionally, Invasion released some dodgy sounding tapes featuring mainly retreads of already available material as Shock And Awe. There's really nothing there that you need that isn't covered on one of the Ryko CD's
     
  9. Tyler

    Tyler Senior Member

    Location:
    Hawaii
    I'm going to try and find a copy at Tower Video tonight.
     
  10. Ragu

    Ragu Forum Resident

    Location:
    LA
    I watched it and remembered just how orginically funny he was. The social relevance came later, but it wouldn't have worked without a just funny to the bone charming young man underneath. I knew him when he developed his genius. It was a privilege.
     
  11. reechie

    reechie Senior Member

    Location:
    Baltimore
    When Bill found out that he had cancer, he basically decided that he had nothing left to lose, and that's when some of the most extreme material (such as the stuff on Rant In E Minor) came about. That album is brilliant, lots of people call it his masterpiece, but it's also probably the hardest-to-listen-to comedy album I've ever heard. There isn't too much of that type of thing on the new DVD, I don't think he knew he was ill during Revelations, did he?

    But if there wasn't something really funny at the root of the whole thing, none of this stuff would have worked, and he'd just be another forgotten face that flashed past on Evening At The Improv years ago.

    I'm really sorry I missed this guy when he was around. :cry:
     
  12. Tyler

    Tyler Senior Member

    Location:
    Hawaii
    Any Hicks performance on DVD is welcome, and way overdue. Bill Hicks is my personal hero.
     
  13. FredCamp

    FredCamp Senior Member

    Location:
    Virginia
    I got to work with Bill a couple of times during the comedy boom of the late 80s. This dvd is a real gem. It captures Bill as I remember him and really drives home the timelessness of his material. In a way, it's sad that so much of what he said is still relevant today, but it's also great that we have this document of his performances.
     
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