Bill Hicks Agent of Evolution

by Kevin Booth

Written by Bill Hick's lifelong friend, producer, and co-creator, Kevin Booth offers the inside story into the man who was only along for the ride for a tragically short time, yet left an indelible mark on comedy enthusiasts and freethinkers everywhere. Bill Agent of Evolution offers a rare fly-on-the-wall insight into the life of one of Britain's most loved US comedians. Adored in the UK for his unique style of savage, hilarious comedy, the one person who knew him inside and out tells of a man whose life was just as impassioned and off-the-wall as his comedy. Even back at High School, in Houston, Texas, Kevin was Bill's co-conspirator, as they sneaked out of Bill's strict Baptist home at night, and headed for the Comedy Workshop, where at the age of fourteen, Bill was going down a storm. They virtually shared every experience -- from magic mushrooms to girls, but it was their music and their vision of comedy, which bound them so closely together. Kevin produced, engineered and performed on many of Bill's recordings, and it is largely due to him, that so much of Bill's comedy is readily available on CD and video. Michael Bertin, a hugely talented author from Austin, Texas, is co-writing Kevin's fly-on-the-wall biography of Bill Hicks.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Comedy, Humor, Biography Memoir, The United States Of America, Memoir

448 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Jinsie]

The story of an uncompromisingly human soul... Kevin Booth was Hicks' best friend and collaborator throughout his life, so this is the most authoritative, personal and insightful biography you could hope to read. Some of the anecdotes and awakening philosophies relayed here resonated with me at a particularly tumultuous and stimulant-addled stage of my life; it was as if I had found my first soulmate.

[Valarie]

It shouldn't be much of a shock that the late comedian Bill Hicks--who died of pancreatic cancer--was kind of a jerk, but he was a brilliant jerk and the people who were closest to him loved him dearly. This book is a wonderful homage to a man who made us laugh and think.

[H]

This book was really special. Despite the repetition and spelling errors.

"It's just a ride". I'm not making fun, that's what it is. I really appreciated the tone of the book. It was all so sincere, unflinching and poignant.

It'll stay with me for a long time.

[Erin]

Got the UK version. Flipping through and reading bits at random. Not done, yet.

[Steve Mitchell]

This is an excellent biography of one of the greatest stand up comedians of the twentieth century. This book is a must read for any fan of Bill Hicks.

[rob]

The best Bill book, by far. Talk about how biased it is, talk about how harsh Kevin is, but it's the real story, and not just reprinted jokes from the past that are already on the CDs you own anyway. The color pictures were kept intact for the MMP. Come to the ranch, friends.

[Jason]

Even though my favorite comedian has passed away and lesser comedians try to imitate. His material is as relevant today as it was 14 years ago. He will "squeegee your third eye."

[Neil]

A more concise bio of BH than American Scream. Both books are, in their own way pretty much invaluable.

[Paul]

I bought this book years ago, excitedly so but have putting off reading it as a long time Hicks fan, I just find it so sad.

I first heard Hicks, In a film called Human Traffic. I didnt think much at the time, but later heard him on a Tool album. My best friend at the time bonded over Hicks material and just thought the guy was so good.

The book is written by his best friend, so it's quite honest. I liked the American Scream book but this one felt more intimate. It was a hard read only because I really mourn for the guy even though we had never met. It made me think about the big questions, as Hicks was such a deep thinker.

My friend passed a couple of years ago so I could feel even more sympathy.

Read this is you are a Bill Hicks fan. If not, watch/listen to his stand up to have a point of reference. Well recommend, just such a shame he had to go so early.

[J.C.]

I read this book hoping to learn a little more about the best comic not named Pryor or Carlin that the documentary about his life didn't tell me. Unfortunately, this book was a bit all over the place and felt really rushed to production and not at all flushed out like a proper biography should be. Because of that I have to say that I can't really recommend this book to people who know nothing or almost nothing about Bill Hicks. If you are a fan and have the money to order an out of print copy of the book from United Kingdom (this book is not published in the United States, yet, but good old Rusty might be able to change that ) then go ahead cause I am not one to tell you how to spend your money. If you want to learn about the Greatest comic you never heard of and don't want to get an out of print book or wait for Rusty's biopic check this out.

and this.

and this.

and this.

and definitely this.

[Stephen]

This one was interesting - kind of an oral history of Hicks' life. As you might expect for a patchwork of so many contributors, the writing is pretty uneven, but it does give a fascinating account of life of life in and around Austin during the stand-up comedy boom of the 80s. Although the different witnesses frequently paint contradictory, and quite possibly unreliable, pictures, you end up with a compelling portrait of Hicks - flawed and restless, but endearingly ingenuous even when being intolerably obnoxious. Probably overlong for all but the most ardent of Hicks followers - there are better introductions out there - I really enjoyed it, and feel I have a better sense of Hicks for having read it. Which was really the point.

[Juhana Karlsson]

A must read for any Bill Hicks fan. Stories from different people overlap a bit, but it’s not annoying. It’s good to get different perspectives on certain things (e.g. how high the alcohol consumption in Bill’s drinking days actually was). The significant role of spirituality (especially the Course In Miracles book) in Bill’s life is very interesting, as well as his apparent conforming to certain norms in his last days.

[Ed]

This isn't really a biography, but rather a series of interviews of Bill Hicks' friends. There are a number of downsides to this format:
1. Many of these friends were semi-famous comedians, who were only known due to being part of a comedy scene made famous by Bill. The friends usually try to subtly make it all about themselves, and hint that they were Bill's best friend, the only one he truly confided in, and the only one who really understood him
2. There's no clarity of timelines or what people are talking about. Person X will recount event Y, which sounds familiar. You have no idea if it's the same event Y that person Z has just recounted 10 pages before, or just something similar.
3. The book does no interpreting of the (often very tedious) facts presented in the interviews. It's basically just a list of things that happened in his life. Hicks was clearly an interesting and complicated person, and I would have loved to have gotten some insights into his true self and what made him him, but the book didn't even attempt to do that.

I read this from a starting point of knowing only the rudimentary elements of Bill Hicks, and having enjoyed a few standups of his I'd seen/heard online, and thinking he seemed like a decent bloke. But as the book progressed I realised that actually he and his friends were very unpleasant people. The way they boast about visiting prostitutes, even when they had girlfriends, is quite astounding. Their life of sex drink and drugs, which they try and portray as the wild and fast living of free and creative mavericks, actually just comes across as sordid and pathetic.

[Bab]

A bit chunkily edited, a bit confusing sometimes in terms of timeline, with all that jumping to and fro and all the different snippets of contributions by friends and acquaintances – but a great profile nevertheless.

You get to see the other side and the very side you knew of this multifaceted and extraordinary human being that so many of us feel as if we were closest friends with. This actually strengthens that feeling, and makes us grow fond of all that people that knew him and loved him, as if we were all just part of some really large network of folks whose lives are intertwined and were made better by the mere touch of this one guy.

Which we probably are, anyway.

More for die hard fans than for people who just found out about him, definitely, but if your case is the latter just watch a couple of his shows and you'll come over to the fan side, you'll see :)

-

Thinking of you and missing you, Bill, as usual, and as you already know. Always on my mind. Always with us in spirit.
Sending love – One Love <3

[Arlene]

This is a really great insight into Bill Hicks' life, told by those who knew him best. It's brutally honest - it's not exactly a surprise to learn that a bunch of male comics who drank too much and took too much coke were often horrible to be around, and there's a fine line between 'free thinker' and 'self indulgent irresponsible dickhead'. The accounts from lots of people who knew him paint a picture of a complex man, difficult but also generous and loyal. The discussion of his spiritual side is quite eye-opening.

[CJ Wood]

First hand take from a long term friend & collaborator. Really moving & vividly brings a developing genius to mind. Great stuff, but it's a long time since I read it. I know I really enjoyed parts of it, when you can see formative experiences that lead to legendary routines.

[Steve Vetter]

Such fascinatingly, complex individual that Mr. Hicks. I enjoyed reading and empathizing with so many of those that actually lived and shared these intimate experiences with him. Nice pace to this book and well delivered.

[James McCallister]

In depth oral history of one our best comedic minds. Hicks was a true intellectual, and gone much too soon.

[brian annan]

this book fills in many of the blanks in Bill’s life/mission, showing you his progress off the stage along with many of the highlights on it.
told through recollections by the people who knew him best, the book manages to both ground Bill’s character and add depth of truth to his most important messages.
the book does not work well structurally and the anecdotes are overly filled with the speaker’s opinions but it is still a valuable tool in attempting to fully reckon with Bill’s life and its meaning.

[Lauren]

A fantastic book giving a real insight into the life of Bill Hicks. Much better than previously read American Scream as this is written by his best friend so you really get a feel for Bill Hicks the person not just Bill Hicks the comedian. Really interesting read whilst also showing some interesting pictures! A definate for anyone!

[David Hewitt]

Bill Hicks is one of my favorite comedians, lets see if the book on his life and times is up to snuff shall we?

[Rand]

Bill Hicks - Enough said!

[schadenfreudian]

I wish Bill were still alive. This book reminded me why.

[Harman Bhamra]

its bill hicks.

[Don]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljVG31...

[Lucy Aughney]

Fawning and dull.

[Richard]

Flawed and too many self absorbed views but fascinating also

[Robert D.]

An amazing book about an even more amazing individual. Can't put into words how awesome Bill Hicks is and this book gives you a good viewpoint on his life and career.

[Ross Chambers]

It was an interesting insight into Bills life and I really enjoyed some of the amusing stories but in parts I got a bit disinterested.

[Xenothon Stelnicki]

Great biography by insider and best friend; a unique angle on this insightful motherfucker. Read it in Costa Rica while staying at Luz en el Cielo, paradise.