Kevin Booth

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 show more 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. show less