Classic Bits: "You Can't Get Bitter" by Bill Hicks

Bill Hicks is one of my favorite comedians ever. Not only was he incredibly honest, brave and unique, but he could write a great joke. That's not a backhanded compliment. Rather, it's easy to spout unconventional ideas, but it's difficult to always make it funny. Bill could do that no matter if he was talking about far-out politics, conspiracies or amazing drug trips. But he also had jokes about the beach and how moths were always attracted to light.

This bit is from the 2002 compilation Love, Laughter and Truth.



Love, Laughter and Truth is a collection from Hicks' personal tapes that weren't intended for public consumption. In most of them, like this one, he isn't killing and sometimes the crowd is yelling out at him. At the beginning of this bit he starts slow and seems to dig himself a hole. But as he sets the scene and it becomes more descriptive and grotesque, the laughs and moans come rolling in. These aren't just standard punchlines but incredibly dense turnings of phrase until the applause at the end.