I was on a train reading American Scream, a biography of Bill Hicks, when I wanted to cry. That his life ended when he was 32 seemed such a waste of talent. His intense passion, searing anti-authoritarian diatribes, and furious on-stage rants were – and are – rare in stand-up comedy.
Hicks proved that the best comedy is always tinged with sadness. But crucially he offered a message of hope, his frustration born out of a deep love for his country and humankind. It was predicated on what he saw as the erosion of basic freedoms by government, and the hypocrisies of organised religion and other forms of power.
