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Brick Wall Comedy

Flying Saucer Tour Vol. 1

Bill Hicks

Rykodisc · Album · 2002 · 75 min

A 1991 set where he battles a stubbornly silent crowd.

Bill Hicks spends the majority of this set fighting to wake up a room that just does not want to be there. The audience isn’t aggressively heckling him; they are simply dead quiet. Rather than walking off, Hicks digs his heels in. Fifteen minutes into the show, he formally congratulates the crowd on winning the election for the “worst fucking audience I ever faced,” then spends the remainder of the set pushing his routines on a room that refuses to give him an inch.

Released posthumously in 2002 from his estate’s vault tapes, the album captures a 1991 gig at the Pittsburgh Funny Bone. The material serves as an early, combat-tested draft for what would become his third release, Arizona Bay. Between tracks explicitly labeled “Vs. the Audience,” he powers through extended premises on the Gulf War, mandatory marijuana, and the mechanics of pornography. The friction between a stubbornly apathetic room and a comic determined to finish his act forces every joke to earn its keep.

The set list

6 bits

  1. Non-smokers, nicotine addiction, and Yul Brynner

    Railing against non-smokers in a non-smoking venue, discussing his intense nicotine dependency, and dissecting posthumous anti-smoking messages.

  2. The Gulf War

    Stating he was 'for the war, but against the troops,' contrasting the 150,000 Iraqi casualties with 79 American casualties mostly caused by friendly fire, and criticizing President George H. W. Bush.

  3. Battling the Pittsburgh crowd ('Worst Audience Ever' / 'Vs. the Audience')

    Confronting the completely apathetic room, observing they look at him like a dog shown a card trick, mocking their desire for 'dick jokes', and wishing for a nuclear holocaust upon them.

  4. Mandatory marijuana and the positive impact of drugs

    Arguing in favor of mandatory marijuana consumption and making the case that drugs have produced positive cultural and creative contributions.

  5. Pornography, sexual thought, and Penthouse letters

    Dissecting the mechanics of adult videos and letters sent to Penthouse Forum, asserting that real men would proudly attach their names to such stories.

  6. The closer (spoiler). Show it

    Closing remark on Pittsburgh closer

    Signing off with the acerbic parting shot: 'I always do long shows in Pittsburgh, 'cause I know for a fact . . . there's nothing else going on here.'

How it plays

Tone
Acerbic, angry, confrontational, cynical, and sarcastic.
On stage
Acerbic, philosophical, confrontational, and fiercely uncompromising; speaking with an honest Texas drawl, refusing to back down or soften his material for an unappreciative audience.
Pace
Fiery, relentless, and angst-ridden; transitioning from blistering social commentary into vindictive, direct audience confrontation when met with silence.
About
Smoking and anti-smoking sentiments, The Persian Gulf War and American foreign policy, Recreational drugs and marijuana legalization, Audience indifference and pop culture laziness, Pornography and sexual attitudes

What the critics said

Critically acclaimed as a fascinating, virtuoso document of Hicks' uncompromising comedic philosophy, illustrating how he responded to a completely indifferent and unprepared crowd by doubling down on challenging material.

In the room: Extremely indifferent, quiet, and apathetic, with Hicks explicitly calling them 'the worst fuckin' audience I've ever faced.'

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: en.wikipedia.org, allmusic.com, pitchfork.com, popmatters.com, orlandoweekly.com.

Backstory

Recorded live on June 20, 1991, at a non-smoking comedy club in Pittsburgh. The title stems from Hicks' routine describing his touring schedule as the 'flying saucer tour'—appearing in small towns in front of handfuls of hillbillies and doubting his own existence.

Details

Released
Taped
1991, The Funny Bone, Pittsburgh
Runtime
75 min
Where
Rykodisc (album)
Honors
Pitchfork Media: 7.9/10PopMatters: Favorable
Topics
Before
Arizona Bay (1997)
After
Love, Laughter And Truth (2015)

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