BILL HICKS from CHOOCHTOWN by HAMELL ON TRIAL

In 1993 I was living in Austin Texas with my wife. It was a bit of culture shock, being from Upstate New York. It was a career move, which in retrospect panned out very well, and I certainly grew to love Austin, and for that matter Texas, but my wife and I initially had our doubts. Particularly my wife.

I had been a major Lenny Bruce and Richard Pryor fan growing up. Not, oddly enough, a comedy fan per se. Those guys seemed VERY rock and roll to me, at least in my definition, certainly more so than 1000 Richie Samboras and their like. I was in a movie theater when I overheard a couple people talking about Richard Pryor, Lenny Bruce and another name that I didn't recognize. I interrupted them, my curiosity getting the better of my etiquette and they told me the third name...Bill Hicks. Never heard of him. Oh, they said, he's from Houston. Uh-huh, I thought, a local kid. These Texans are loyal to their own.

A month later he was playing at the local comedy club, the write up in the paper got my full attention and my wife and I went to the show. I hadn't witnessed anything so astonishing since I saw The Who with Keith Moon when I was 13 years old. My wife sobbed with cathartic laughter. It was amazing. And what I didn't know at the time was Bill was dying. He never mentioned it during the show, he was incredibly brave. A true genius and hysterically funny. Contrary to rumor, we never met, a huge regret of mine.

I wrote this song, obviously as a tribute but also because I was so incredibly frustrated that he wasn't more well known in this country. I still feel that way. I never would have predicted it but the inclusion of this song probably added to the albums success in Europe.

Tracklist

16.	BILL HICKS	3:41

Lyrics

I wish Bill Hicks was alive, I wish Bill Hicks had survived. But as Bill would be the first to answer, this is the real world and he had cancer. I wish Bill Hicks was alive.

I would bring my friends to see Bill do brilliant comedy. Watch him needle an aristocrat, I wouldn't resurrect him only for that, I wish Bill Hicks was alive.

The Devil calls up to heaven, he says, "Put me through to God." God gets on the phone and says, "What?" The Devil says, "You got Bill Hicks up there?" God says, "Yup. Two weeks. Sold out. Gabriel arena." The Devil says, "Sold Out?" God says , "Yup, we love him up here, we're busing them up from Purgatory." The devil says, "Can you get me tickets?" God says, "Huh!? What have you ever done for me!??" The Devil says, "Hey without me there would be no you!" God says, "Well I'll see what I can do." The Devil says, "You think you can get me some of those backstage passes?" God says, "You're pushing it, you're always pushing it!"

For all the reasons I just gave to bring Bill back from the grave, the world is crazy and you're on your own, I hear Bill's voice i feel I'm not alone. I wish Bill Hick's was alive.

Credits

from CHOOCHTOWN, released October 7, 2013
Hamell: Guitar and Vox, Jeneen Terrana: Background Vox. Recorded in Hamell's basement Brooklyn NY. Produced by Hamell

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