IamA Steve Hicks, brother of comedian Bill Hicks and spokesperson for the Bill Hicks Estate. AMA!

Will you consider doing this again? It sucks this post got completely overshadowed by Chris Pratt's ama. There are thousands of Bill Hicks fans here on reddit.

Sure, I'd love to if there are enough people interested. Thanks for asking.

Yes please do

thanks for the interest.

Otherwise, there's always the option of hosting an AMA in several other subreddits, such as:
/r/StandUpComedy;
/r/Drugs;
/r/Psychonaut (I have a feeling this one in particular would appreciate the chance to ask you some questions, and I for one would love to see you there).

We'll just have to see where/if any interest lies. Thanks for the suggestions.

Very interested. On the off chance that you are still reading these, I just want to say your brother was an unmatched comedian and social critic, and responsible for some of the best laughs of my life.

Thank you. Bill was a good guy. I appreciate that he is still impacting so many people. Take care.

I agree, I'm pissed that I didn't see this was going on.

Thanks, see below.

A close friend of my family was just diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and was given around 9 months to a year to live. How did you cope with the news when Bill told you his diagnosis, and what advice could you give for friends and family of terminal patients? Did Bill want to give up right away, or did he just keep charging on without hesitation?

Sorry to hear of your friend. Respectfully, I have no business giving out any kind of advice about how to handle it. I will answer your question about Bill-he was determined to beat it, so he set up chemo treatments in the towns he was performing in. He kept it all very quiet, only telling his family and a couple of close friends. He did not want it to become a distraction to his work as he was traveling around. He thought people would focus on that-you know-do this, do that, I heard this treatment is very good, have you tried doing this.....That kind of stuff. He did not want that at all. He wanted to keep doing his work without distractions. Bill never gave up until he was just no longer physically able to do it.

Thank you for your response, and your brother is my favorite comedian by far. I'm sorry you lost him so early.

Thank you. Hope things go well for your friend.

Given the great expanse of the modern internet; the myriad of multimedia content, availability and constant evolution - my question is this... What kind of porn do you think old Billy would have pulled it to?

Girl on girl:)

Bill had talked about the branch Davidians and them being attacked by the U.S. Government, later on... What was it that made Bill so out spoken on this subject? Also other than relentless, is there any unreleased material we might be able to see/hear any time soon?

I think Bill always championed the underdog and the Branch Davidian situation happened not far from Austin, Texas-in Waco- where Bill was spending a lot of time then. It just matched up, his passion and the closeness of that particular event. There are hours and hours of both audio and video of Bill that has never been released. We are going through it now to determine what to release. Stay tuned!! Something new coming out at least by October of this year, more to follow. There's some exciting stuff.

Why not release all of it? As a Bill fan, I'd be interested in seeing all of it. He had interesting perspectives.

We're considering anything that is of worthwhile quality.

I agree, I'd consume all of it given enough time. I think though for a posthumous release the estate of the deceased feels a responsibility to preserve the artist's image and make sure not to tarnish anything. Which means they should release every known recording of the "Goat Boy" act on a 2 disc set and that's it.

Nice suggestion:)

What is the best way to "stay tuned" and watch out for this stuff?

On my Facebook page I post a lot about Bill stuff. Or, Billhicksdotcom on Twitter, Billhicks.com website.

Watch this if you haven't done so already. Bill grabbed a buddy and a camera and drove to the spot of the siege (as close as they'd let him).

They talked their way past the police checkpoints and got in there!

Jedi mind tricks

Ha- something like that.

If you could say one thing to your brother today what would it be?

On the personal side, that I miss him. On the public, that his hope that his comedy and his message would be heard and appreciated is certainly happening now, even these 20+ years after his death.

It is mate, it is.

Thanks.

Your brother's message was the first of its kind that I heard and it started me on a path I continue to travel. His passing is a great loss but we are fortunate his work prevails.

Thank you for the support. We'll continue to share Bill's work as long as people are interested.

Came here to say one thing to you: Everybody misses him.

Appreciate it.

Hey Steve thanks for doing this, I have a few questions.

Are you an actual certified genius? I thought I remembered hearing Bill say something like that.

What was Bill like offstage? How did he deal with life when things got heavy or just weren't going right for him? Would he confide in you a lot?

How does feel to see Bill's comedy and messages continuing to influence many people around the world? And do you have a favorite bit or bits of Bill's standup?

Thanks again, and it's really great to see a year full of Bill Hicks releases and events. The man deserves to be heard.

About being a genius, until it can be proven otherwise, I'm going with a yes-hahahahah!! Offstage Bill was very humble and quiet believe it or not. When things were heavy for him he meditated, read, wrote music and communicated tirelessly with his family and friends. Unbelievable, humbling, proud and very cool that his work his appreciated by so many people around the world. I am honored to be a part of it on Bill's behalf. My two faves of Bill were, 1) about Christians, then forgive me, and 2), for its absurdity, Put 'em in the Movies!! Thanks for your questions.

... Or do you want grandma to meet Chuck Norris?

Quick, true story. Shortly after Bill died I had to fly to Las Vegas for work. At the airport there, you take a train-like thing from the plane into the main terminal. It was late at night, I got on the train and there was one other person on it-Chuck Norris. Haha.

Hey Steve not sure if you'll see this but I wanted to say I just got back from the Bill Hicks special tonight and thought it was fantastic. That will be closest I'll get to seeing Bill. I loved your intro as well, learned some new stuff about Bill.

I'm proud to say Bill is a hero of mine, not just for the things he said but his determination to do so and to be heard, and his ability to not forget to make you laugh instead of getting wrapped up too deeply in an idea. I feel like he would always be the one to speak up in a silent room of people and that's what I admire most.

Alright looking forward to seeing more releases of Bill's, and if there are anymore stories you can share about you and Bill I'd love to hear them, thanks.

Thank you for letting me know. Glad you enjoyed it. We'll keep everyone posted as new Bill things come up later this year.

Hi Steve! I think it's quite the tragedy that we will never hear what Bill would've said about all the major political events in the USA after his death. What do you think he would have said about things like 9/11 (and the subsequent war, started by ANOTHER Bush), the whole NSA/Snowden affair or the recent wave of Marihuana legalization?

Thank you for your time and what you are doing with his legacy, your brother really gave a lot of people a new outlook on life - It's just a ride!

Hey thanks. I really try to avoid speaking about what Bill might be saying these days, with all due respect. The one thing, though, i am fairly confident in saying is that I believe he still would be kicking ass about the things he cared about. That was part of his nature so would not have faded away.

I understand, thanks for the reply! And passionately kicking ass really seems like the natural thing for him. I also really dig his music, is there anymore unreleased material?

Thank you. Yes there are 13 other songs Bill wrote and recorded that we haven't released yet. Also, Marblehead Johnson, the group he had with his friends may eventually get re-released. And there are hours and hours of him playing around on the guitar with bits and pieces of song lyrics, that type of thing. So yep, probably will put out some more music. I always thought it might be a cool idea to have other musicians cover Bill's songs and put out as an album. So many singers and bands are fans of Bill.

That is amazing to hear! Both that there are more songs by him and your ideas about releasing them. Please keep us updated!

Yep, we'll keep everyone posted. Thanks for your interest.

This. So much this.

Thanks.

It might even get Tool to release something...as they were big fans of Bill.

Lots of people waiting for that next Tool album.

Of all the comedians who have been accused (some would say proven) of ripping off Bill, are there any that you feel have successfully carried the torch for his style of humor? I like Denis Leary, but he always seems like a pale imitation...

You know I'm very biased of course, so take that with a grain of salt, but my opinion only, no, no one matches Bill. Plenty have tried, and many are successful on their own terms but Bill stood alone, says his proud brother:) It's one of the reasons there are struggles any time a conversation about a movie about Bill comes up-Who could actually pull off playing him?

http://imgur.com/TFNm8tC

I know Russell Crowe has been touted around a biopic, but personally, I think Kevin Smith is perfect for the role.

That guy who played Eugene in walking dead man. He looks just like bill

People say he looks like Bill some.

:D omg.

Seriously tho man. There's not a day that goes by I don't think of your bro in some respects.

He's made a huge difference in my life

Same here.

We'll see what happens. There is still interest and conversation about doing a Bill movie.

This would force Kevin Smith to lose weight. Which would ruin a bit of his public persona

He's not involved so he can stay large:)

What was Bill's reaction to his last Letterman performance getting bumped for airtime? Did you watch it when Letterman ended up airing it all those years later?

He was extremely hurt and confused by it. He had been on 11 times before that and Letterman really liked him, so it hurt Bill when that happened especially because he was so sick at that time. But, he had only told his family and a couple of friends. Yes, my sister and I flew to NYC with my mother when Letterman had her on as a guest when he showed that clip. If you haven't ever seen that on Youtube, type in Mary Hicks David Letterman and you will see our mother on the show. She did great. and it was nice for Letterman to do that.

I love Bill Hicks, had the balls to say what others would have been afraid of, that in itself is truly a great thing.

Where there any influences in early years of Bill's life that made him use anti-establishmentarianism in his comedy?

Bill always did not like authority of any kind. It was just something from a very early age that took shape as he got older and wiser in his art form, his style of comedy, that he used to try to get those messages across. I always have felt,too, that the unconditional love and support of his family gave him confidence that he could say whatever he wanted to and it didn't really change anything about the way we felt about him. He made us all a little more tolerant about things, in that regard.

Well, Bill fans, I think I need to shut it down. I'm well over my hour. Thanks for your time and questions. I hope you'll be able to make it the screening of Relentless Monday night. There is a 30 minute special before it where I tell a few Bill stories I bet you haven't heard and you'll see some pictures and video you haven't seen as well. Here's the link:http://www.fathomevents.com/ I may check back here a little later and see if there are any lingering questions. Thanks again.

My favorite joke is his dad joke - "I never got along with my dad. Kids used to come up to me and say, 'My dad can beat up your dad.' I'd say 'Yeah? When?'"

What is it like being the brother of a late legend?

Would you consider sharing my kickstarter for a charity book with people? http://kck.st/1yNLn7y

I'm honored to be Bill's brother and I love getting to be involved in his legacy. To me he never seemed like a "legend", just a good brother.

Glad you took up continuing his legacy and chose to keep his legacy in front of people and not let it fade!

Thank you. It is something i feel privileged to get to do and i enjoy it very much.

Was there ever a joke of Bill's you really didn't like or agree with?

Yes, there was one. It was in Austin, Texas, Bill told the joke and completely lost the crowd, they just groaned and didn't like it. I don't remember exactly the wording of the joke but it had to do with the Virgin Mary and a Milky Way candy bar. I'm sure you can imagine where that went. I told him about it afterwards, that he'd just lost the crowd and I didn't care for it either. He never did it again that I am aware of.

Thanks for your response! I can definitely imagine where that joke went.

Bill is by far one of my favorite comedians and I'm so happy you're preserving his legacy. My entire worldview was shaped in part by your brother's comedy and I am so thankful for that.

Thank you for that.

Users, please be wary of proof. You are welcome to ask for more proof if you find it insufficient.

OP, if you need any help, please message the mods here.

Thank you!

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

I am really Steve. Most Bill fans will know that as I am pretty active in supporting Bill's legacy. I "see" many of you over on Facebook and Twitter.

That's a bot, it's programmed to say that.

I don't have clue what I'm doing:) Just trying to keep up with the questions.

No worries, just letting you know. It posts that comment to every submission.

Oh, artificial intelligence is taking over the world, one RedditAMA at a time:)

I see you two apples didn't fall too far apart.

HAH:)

https://ymarksthespot.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/bill-hicks-family.jpg

There you go.

Hi Steve, thanks for the AMA!

I'm curious, I know bill always spoke about his psychedelic experiences and how they've made him see the world differently.

I was curious if you ever had a chance to trip with him and what it was like? Or if you didn't how do you think it changed the way he saw the world and did comedy?

I never did but he tried to get me to one time. We drove out to the middle of the desert in the middle of the night. I chickened out and never did them; he was cool with that. According to Bill it just sort of raised his awareness of the things that were really important in life-love, spirituality, compassion, etc.

I got into Bill around 10 years ago, had never done any drugs. The way he spoke convinced me to try them and I honestly haven't been the same since. The man completely changed my life and an enormous part of who I am is thanks to him. Would love to have experienced one of those desert trips with him and Kevin!

Thanks for that.

What has become of the infamous porno wing? #manny!!! LOVED your brother...kudos and hugs to you.

We never actually found that porno wing! I think when Bill got sick and moved all his stuff back to our parent's house, he probably pulled all those out and gave them to homeless people or something:) Thanks for the kind words. Bill was a really good guy.

Hey is probably a question you get a lot but what comedians would Bill admire today? CK, Burr, Stanhope?

I don't know for sure but Bill always thought the funniest people were his friends, the Outlaw Comics he started out with in Houston, Texas.

What's the best advice your brother has given you?

What do you feel was the best advice you gave your brother?

Best advice he gave me-Be true to yourself, love your family and friends. That I gave him? At a very early age, maybe 12 or 13, as he passed me jokes to read that he was writing-Man, keep doing what you're doing, you're really good at this. And it turned out to be so!!

Hey Steve, how's it going? (other than your cells dividing)

Do you have an exclusive youtube channel for Bill? If not I don't think it would be too late to start one, though I am unaware of the ownership/rights issues you face.

A lot of Bill's most popular videos on youtube have been removed for whatever reason. He should have a stable official channel with all his complete specials and underground material on there. A complete youtube archive for the millions of future fans out there.

I will always love Bill, you are part of a special family.

Getting ready to launch it!!! And yes, there will be his known stuff, some unreleased stuff, lots of good things. Stay tuned. I'm sure i'll be posting links once it's up. And our family owns all Bill's material so there are no issues with that for us. It's just a matter of what we choose to put out there. Thanks for the interest.

This is such a good point.

There's so many younger people getting into him. I think you should post this on his Facebook or Twitter.

Thanks, see above.

What's your favorite memory with your brother?

Wow, just hanging with him, either just me and him by ourselves or him with our whole family. You know i always tell people it is probably so boring to hear from me because I, and our family, always think about Bill as the brother, son, uncle..know what i mean, not the iconic comedian/philosopher. So, always my fondest memories are hanging out with him as a two brothers would. Once he tried to get me to take mushrooms with him but I chickened out-he didn't push it. He just said, If you're not ready, then you shouldn't do them. I traveled to see him perform a lot; those were always fun times. And watching him play with and spoil my kids, his only niece and nephew. They loved their Uncle Bill!! You know, he was just a good guy that was fun to hang with.

Thank you for your response! I can tell it's from the heart, it made me smile.

It's always from the heart about Bill, and I'm not trying to get too maudlin. It's just how it is:)

what do you recommend people do as far as estate planning goes? what's the simplest thing bill could have done from a documentation perspective that would have made your job easier?

Hah-the one thing I would have told Bill was learn how to use Excel Spreadsheets-hahahahah. To categorize and catalog all his stuff has taken quite a while.

How did the porn wing go? I know he worried about that.

Never found it.

Never mind. I met your brother in Leicester England in 93 I think. I saw him live twice when he toured. My friend and I were catching the train and bill was on the platform. We talked to him a while and he was cool with us geeky kids who were trying not to be gushing fanboys. He couldn't tell us why Kansas isn't pronounced 'Kinsaw' in respect to your home state. We apologised on behalf of the moron that spoiled the " drink coke" punchline to one of his jokes the night before and I think he was still a bit pissed about that it seemed to throw him a bit. I've never forgotten the occasion nor him. I dont think it was that long before he died so its been a very fond memory of mine.

Great story. Thanks. Bill was very down to earth and approachable as you experienced that day. Great question about 'Kinsaw', too. Nice one:)

I Appreciate your time sir. Thankyou to you and your family for overseeing an important estate. I'll watch a few videos tonight I think.

Thanks for joining in here.

Steve, did you ever try stand-up comedy yourself? Did Bill ever try to get you to do it?

I was going to once when i was 23. I have this great letter from Bill then, so he would have been 18, telling me what it was like to be on stage, what do to if something didn't get a laugh, just some advice like that-at the ripe old age of 18!! i never did get up on stage though. I'm funny around my friends, but that is nothing like going on a stage in front of drunk strangers:) so I copped out and went into the exciting field of inventory management-Yippee!!

Who do you think would be Bill Hick's favorite comedians?

I know growing up he really liked Woody Allen at first, then he really got to like and respect Richard Pryor. Throughout his professional life, his comedian friends, the Outlaw Comics he started out with were always the ones he said were the funniest. As far as current ones? I don't really know, but perhaps he'd gravitate towards those he considered to be innovative, cutting edge, that type, without naming any names.

Who was bills favorite comedians?

See some other answers to similar question below. Thank you.

When there are big, nasty, corrupt news hitting the internet- I often think WHAT WOULD BILL SAY? And then, of course, I imagine a world in which he would still be here covering topics like Charlie Hebdo. Which is in COMPLETE contrast to his bit about British crime with all the "hooligans" running loose. "The hooligans are loose! The hooligans are loose! Someone's knocked over a dustbin..." What do you think he might have to say about some of the biggest international news stories lately?? Or heck- childhood obesity even? Thanks Steve! Obvs a huge fan from 'Bama. :D

I don't know for sure exactly how Bill would be speaking to the issues out there today, but I do believe he would have remained passionate and been challenging the things that raised questions to him. It was in his nature. You know we used to live in Birmingham? Bill would have been about 4-5.

I did know that! Thanks for the reply, Steve. And am thrilled to see the new footage. Bill lives on!

Thanks, yes it is very cool that so many people still care so much about Bill and his work.

Hi there! Was curious if you ever get back to Austin? He was really loved here and I remember him being on ACTV often.

Yep, I've gotten back there a few times. Like many people I love Austin, and would love to move back and live there again.

Crap, I just saw this. I had no idea!!! Thanks for doing this and hopefully you see this question.

My question: What's your favorite joke of Bills? Thanks so much fr doing this, man. Huge huge fan.

I have two faves: 1) About Christians...well, then forgive me. and 2) Put 'Em in the Movies!! What about you?

Hahaha awesome. Right off the top of my head, I think my favorite has to be about the Beatles being so high that they even let Ringo sing.

Bill pointed out so much hypocrisy in society that it's almost sad that his jokes still hold up to this day since we still deal with the same issues that he had a problem with. Thanks for your answer!!!

I like the Beatles one, too. Don't know if you know this, but because of Bill's love of the Beatles(and mine, too), a few years ago we took Bill's music to Abbey Road Studios, where the Beatles did the majority of their recording, and remastered Bill's songs. Some were released as Lo Fi Troubadour; maybe some more in the future.

I definitely did, but I didn't know you guys actually went to Abbey Road Studios to do it. That's an awesome piece of trivia. Do you guys have any unreleased standup material yet to be shown?

Yes, quite a bit unreleased comedy material that we are discussing now as to what we may want to release later this year.

Will it be on DVD? I'm surprised he's not on Netflix like a ton of other comedians.

All his videos that are available start streaming (Like on Netflix, etc.) today, 04/28/15. I believe loom for the Comedy Dynamics Channel. There will be a box set of them that comes out in August.

When I was young I had a lot of issues, and it was your brother's body of work that was instrumental in guiding me into my live and let live philosophy on life. Also, it was his work on politics (along with other greats like Carlin) that encouraged me to pursue several degrees I currently hold. I do not know how much influence your brother had on my life, but I doubt I would be the person I am today without him.

I have often wondered W.W.B.S. (What Would Bill Say) about the current political climate in the United States,?

Also, how do you think he would feel about the current Pope (Francis I)?

First, thanks for telling about yourself. We hear things like that so often about Bill-never get tired of it-that he had such impacts on peoples lives, or their outlooks on life. It is very gratifying to hear that and we appreciate it when we do, so thanks. Again, i don't speculate on what Bill might be thinking about things these days, you know. I do feel confident he would still be railing against the types of things that bothered him. That was part of his nature so i feel that part of him would have continued. The rest, though, who knows?

Fair enough. I didn't see your other reply before I posted or I would have asked something else.

Ok, so something else I do wonder, what was his favorite television show?

The Simpsons, Northern Exposure are two I vividly recall.

I'm probably super late to this but I thought I would give it a shot anyway.

Could you elaborate on the relationship between Bill Hicks and Maynard James Keenan of Tool?

I think they met couple of times. Bill introduced Tool at Lollapalooza one year. I heard there was talk about them touring together but nothing ever came of that. Of course, Tool sampled Bill on their Aenima album. They have remained big fans and Maynard still speaks of Bill off and on over the years. I was lucky enough to meet them a couple of times. Very nice group of guys, I liked them a lot. Maynard invited me to his winery in Arizona once but never actually gave me the address:)

Thank you Steve for your time to reply to me today. :)

I really appreciate it and wish you the best!

Sure. Thanks for the question.

What was Bill's favorite James Bond movie?

I'm not sure about that particular one but will say he LOVED movies and was a very avid theater goer.

What were some of his favourite films?

The Godfather, Terminator, he loved westerns, mysteries...

How about a funny story about when you guys were young and before he became a comedian?

We both used to play baseball. I was a pitcher and 5 years older than Bill so I just knew if only he would listen to me I could help him become a great pitcher, too:) we were out in the front yard of our house in Houston practicing and I kept trying to tell him what to do that I thought would make him better. I kept on and on with it, finally he got sick of hearing me, so he threw his glove at my head, told me to go fuck myself, then went back inside. Haha- he hated ever being told what to do!

lol. Guess he was rebellious from day one! Thank you very much for sharing

Always, and I never tried to teach him anything about baseball again!!

How did you guys spend your childhood?

Typical stuff. Played sports, went on family vacations, went to school and hated it! Our grandparents had a farm so we spent some time in the summers there, playing in the haystacks, chasing the pigs, fishing......We had paper routes at one point. It was a very normal childhood. We did move a lot; our father was getting promoted so we wouldn't be in one place too long before we moved again. We did finally settle in Houston, Texas in the late 1960's. But, all in all, it was normal, nothing real exciting:)

What do you think of the Bill is Alex Jones conspiracy?

It's stupid. Unfortunately, it is very true that Bill really died Feb. 26, 1994. So, there's really nothing else to say about that.

There you have it folks, now shut up about it :-) By the way it was cool to see my question answered on the big screen!

Ha-it's just come up so much lately I felt it needed to be addressed.

I made TV happen!

You and Jerry Springer!

Thank you, Mr. Hicks, for doing the AMA. Your brother has always been a huge influence of mine (in general, I'm not a comedian, but I do give a lot of commentary on the world around us in writing, etc.), and, as we all agree, he was taken too soon.

My question is what do you think Bill would be doing today? Obviously still comedy, but what edge do you think his comedy would have today? How do you estimate that he would have evolved, etc.? Would he have broken into written work?

Thanks again for doing this, and I'm sorry it's been overshadowed by Chris Pratt's AMA.

I don't know for sure what direction Bill would have taken. The world's changed since then. I would believe he would still be challenging the things he saw going on that he was passionate about.

What Is it like being shadowed by Bill? Did you get overlooked by some people wanting to talk to Bill?

Don't feel overshadowed at all. It was never any kind of contest. I'm here, or wherever, so people CAN ask me about Bill. I love it and I'm totally cool with that.

What did you do in life? What kind of profession did you partake in ? What are your hobbies ? :)

Nothing worth mentioning. Thanks for asking though.