This book, however, is all Hicks (as told by the people closest to him). And he just oozes out of every page. It was so refreshing to see how human Bill really was. Rather than demistify him, it almost elevated his status in that someone with such normal fears and fascinations became one of the greatest comics of a generation (and whose jokes are still relevant today). After reading it I felt like I had spent time around him, which is maybe the highest compliment I can pay the authors.

This book is superbly craftet and I can't recommend it enough.


Absolutely fantastic   November 18, 2005
 6 out of 7 found this review helpful

I had only a passing familiarity with Hicks when a friend passed me his copy of the book. It is an absolutely fantastic account of the comedian's life. Even better it is simply a compelling biography, very unlike any I have ever read. I literally had a hard time putting it down and skipped a day of work (a bit of subversion that Mr. Hicks I think would approve of) so that I wouldn't have to interrupt my reading. I can't recommend it enough.

And not to get nitpicky (and I really do not like reviews of other reviews) but after reading the book myself and discussing it with a couple of other friends who have read it I can only think that the one-star reviewers below are either victims of their own expectations (they wanted the book to be something else instead of enjoying what it was) or they have some sort of personal gripe against the author(s). Oddly enough I think that this runs against what was one of the more brilliant pieces of subtext in the book. All of the conflicting accounts put together let the reader know that nobody owns the memory of Hicks. There is no 'Authority' as he was different things to different people. Those who found something different might want to rethink themselves then reread the book because it is absolutely fantastic.


"Bill's mates down the pub" take on Bill   August 16, 2005
 9 out of 12 found this review helpful

Like the rest of the reviewers this is a book that I've anticipated for many years. It's certainly big enough, there's certainly enough stories about Bill but at the end of it I felt no closer to Bill than at the start.

Perhaps it's because the stories are simply that - an endless series of generic "guy" stories his mates tell which could be about anybody. Bill is reduced to an endless series of pub stories rather than a human being. Here's the tale of Bill doing coke, here's the tale of Bill injecting himself with heroin. What would have been more interesting in is WHY Bill was injecting himself with heroin, WHY sacred mushrooms meant the world to him. WHY he'd rather take mushrooms than take the biggest break of his entire career. What's missing is the emotional depth and background that would make you interested in the guys life, the reason why Bill was always so human and touching while a million other comics who do similar material are just obnoxious.

We learn practically nothing about the origins of Bill's comedy. How he developed his riffs, how he worked on the material and honed it, his physical comedy, his voices. We hear an enormous amount about his mediocre attempts at music which usually have Kevin Booth to the fore.

After looking forward to this book for years I found myself half-heartedly picking it up and almost forcing myself to read it in order to get to the end to just say "There, I've read it". It's a book where everything is seen through Kevin Booth's eyes. And for all the fact that Kevin Booth was Bill's mate it's apparent that he has very little in common with Bill. Booth doesn't have a sense of humour, he hasn't known pain like Bill, he isn't as passionate or anywhere near as intelligent or humble as Bill. My take is that Booth understands Bill even less than an average fan would. In the end this reads more like the Kevin Booth story than the Bill Hicks story.

No magic, no humour, no empathy. A major disappointment.


Not what I was expecting.   June 24, 2005
 12 out of 14 found this review helpful

Im going to break from the trend here and rate this book 3 stars because I was personally so underwhelmed by something Ive literally waited years for. I remember getting giddy in anticipation when I read Kevin Booth was writing a very personal biography of one of my favourite comedians of all time. Ive been a Hicks fan for a good few years now, devouring everything available to me including the sub-par biog from Cynthia True but Agent of Evolution made me feel hungry for something more.

The book itself is structured well enough with Hicks' life, loves and personal failures shown in an understanding light by both Bertin and Booth. But it just lacks something. Maybe its because anything worthwhile about Hicks' life has been written about by so many people already, not even the perspective of his real friends can add anything to a man we all seem to pretend to know so well.

But we dont, of course, know him. Which is why such biogs are valuable. But aside from the occaisional annecdote or insight into who Bill Hicks was, the book is thin on new information. Between the Just A Ride documentary, the mahr letters and True's book, everything has been covered already.

Were my expectations too high? Maybe.

Kevin Booth, a guy who I had a great deal of respect for (primarily for keeping the Hicks legacy alive via Sacred Cow Productions), seems to become the focus of the latter few chapters. Theres a hurricane of bitterness in Booth's words, towards a number of targets such as Bill's parents, other friends of Hicks & also, what I interpreted as a feeling of underappreciation or overshadowing of Booth's work. He'll always be know as Bill Hicks' best made rather than the producer/musician status that he craves. I dont think Booth is blameworthy for his feelings and you cant knock him for sharing them, but they do detract from the book. At least when I read it.

But I guess the redemption comes because its firstly a book about Hicks. Anything celebrating the man will always be welcomes by me. Even if I felt a bit empty when I finished it. Its worth buying if you consider yourself a Hicks fan and a completionist, but otherwise maybe wait until it comes out in Paperback. Secondly, if you're new to Hicks or want to know more about the man then this is probably the start you've been praying for. But for those that feel them 'know' the story of how Hicks came to be Hicks, I just felt let down.

Its a shame because I found it enjoyable enough, touching at times, but at the risk of sounding like a fat kid at a pizza shop: it just wasnt enough.