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Outlaw Comic: The Censoring of Bill Hicks

He called himself the dark poet, a rock and roll comic out to shatter America's fundamental beliefs about entertainment, religion, sex, business, and politics. The New Yorker Magazine called him a renegade comic genius and a class all his own.
Rolling Stone named him 'Hot comic of the year'. Fans like Radiohead, Tool, and Rage Against the Machine dedicated albums to him. And comedians like Dennis Miller, Richard Belzer, and Brett Butler admired his unrelenting passion.

In a country where Full House, Tiffany, and Diet Coke commercials ruled the airwaves, Bill Hicks thought-provoking, boundary-crossing brand of comedy never reached the mainstream audience. Meanwhile in England, his work aired uncut on national television and he played to standing room only crowds who watched him speak out uncensored against American apathy.

On October 1st, 1993 in his final battle in a ten year war with censorship, Bill Hicks became the first comedy act to be completely cut from the David Letterman show. It wasn’t his language, but his anti-establishment jokes that had broadcasters too scared to put him on the air and the outlaw comic was silenced forever.

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