Bill Hicks - Sane Man

Before Bill Hicks became the patron saint of people arguing with televisions at 2 a.m., there was Sane Man. Filmed in 1989, this performance catches Hicks in full flight, tearing into religion, politics, advertising, drugs and just about every sacred cow wandering through American culture. His delivery is sharp, fearless and occasionally sounds like a man who has just discovered society is being run by the least qualified people imaginable.

What makes Sane Man so enjoyable is that Hicks never feels like he's lecturing from a stage. He feels more like the funniest, most exasperated guy at the end of the bar, connecting dots nobody else seems to notice. The jokes are dark, the observations are brutally honest and the targets are often as relevant now as they were decades ago. Part stand-up special, part philosophical rant, Sane Man is Bill Hicks before the legend fully solidified, already proving he was one of comedy's most original voices.