Bill Hicks
Who Bill Hicks is
American stand-up comedian and satirist whose dark, confrontational material on religion, politics, consumerism and drugs took shape at Houston's Comedy Workshop, where he began performing at 16. He toured the US widely and drew a large following in the UK and Ireland; his entire 1993 set for Late Show with David Letterman was cut and aired in full only in 2009. He died of pancreatic cancer in 1994 at 32; posthumous albums such as Arizona Bay and Rant in E-Minor followed, and Channel 4 ranked him No. 4 among the greatest stand-ups in 2010.
At a glance
- Born
- 1961
- Died
- 1994
- Style
- Philosophical provocation, Political
- Came up through
- The Comedy Store
- Stand-up specials
- Sane Man, One Night Stand, Relentless and 1 more
- Albums
- Dangerous, Relentless, Arizona Bay and 3 more
- Podcasts
- Love All the People: Letters, Lyrics, Routines
- On screen
- Rodney Dangerfield's Young Comedians Special, Late Night with David Letterman and Late Show with David Letterman and Ninja Bachelor Party
- Official site
- billhicks.com ↗
Specials, shows and podcasts
Stand-up specials
- Sane Man 1989, video
- One Night Stand 1991, HBO
- Relentless 1992, Just for Laughs, Montreal
- Revelations 1992, Dominion Theatre, London; Channel 4
Albums
- Dangerous 1990
- Relentless 1992
- Arizona Bay 1997
- Rant in E-Minor 1997
- Love, Laughter and Truth 2002
- Salvation 2005
On screen
- Rodney Dangerfield's Young Comedians Special 1987
- Late Night with David Letterman and Late Show with David Letterman 12 appearances, 1984–1993
- Ninja Bachelor Party film, 1991
Podcasts
- Love All the People: Letters, Lyrics, Routines book, 2004
Where they got their start
- The Comedy Store one of its new voices of the 1980s and ’90s; lived in the comics’ Cresthill house, from 1980
Came up the same way
Other comedians in SUCDb who came through The Comedy Store:
Comedians like Bill Hicks
Each linked to them by something on the record — a stage they both came through, a bill, a show, a style or a home town.
- Elayne Boosler the same style: political
- Paul Mooney the same style: political
Career timeline
- 1961Born
- 1984Late Night with David Letterman and Late Show with David Letterman (12 appearances, 1984–1993) On screen
- 1987Rodney Dangerfield's Young Comedians Special (1987) On screen
- 1989Sane Man (1989, video) Special
- 1990Dangerous (1990) Album
- 1991One Night Stand (1991, HBO) Special
- 1991Ninja Bachelor Party (film, 1991) On screen
- 1992Relentless (1992, Just for Laughs, Montreal) Special
- 1992Revelations (1992, Dominion Theatre, London; Channel 4) Special
- 1992Relentless (1992) Album
- 1994Died
- 1997Arizona Bay (1997) Album
- 1997Rant in E-Minor (1997) Album
- 2002Love, Laughter and Truth (2002) Album
- 2004Love All the People: Letters, Lyrics, Routines (book, 2004) Book
- 2005Salvation (2005) Album
Questions about Bill Hicks
What stand-up specials has Bill Hicks released?
Sane Man, One Night Stand, Relentless and Revelations.
What podcast do they host?
Love All the People: Letters, Lyrics, Routines.
What TV shows and films are they in?
Rodney Dangerfield's Young Comedians Special, Late Night with David Letterman and Late Show with David Letterman and Ninja Bachelor Party.
Where did they get their start?
The Comedy Store (one of its new voices of the 1980s and ’90s; lived in the comics’ Cresthill house).
Who are some comedians like them?
Elayne Boosler (the same style: political) and Paul Mooney (the same style: political).
The full SUCDb record
The full record — the career in order, the specials and credits, and the sources for each — is on SUCDb, with their place on the Legends ballots.
Sources
- Wikipedia — Bill Hicks ↗ Birth and death years, Comedy Workshop start, UK following, Letterman censorship, films and videos, Channel 4 ranking, book
- Wikipedia — Bill Hicks discography ↗ Album titles and years; video releases Sane Man, One Night Stand, Relentless, Revelations
- Bill Hicks — official site ↗ Official site (splash page)
Updated 5 October 2026 · the record checked 27 September 2026