While the title of this book is indeed a curious question, this collection of short essays, assembled from the contributions of Hicks’ faithful to Ben Mack’s web site WhatWouldBillHicksSay.com, does not properly do Hicks justice. The essays, which were limited to 250 words or less, cover the familiar topics ad nauseum – Bush is the devil, the Iraq war is a farce – and while Hicks would probably be killing Republicans onstage as part of his routine were he alive today, his followers do not possess the wit, the timing or the restraint that made Hicks the brilliant comedian that he was. In fact, the one truly Hicksian moment comes from Shawn Macomber when he says, speaking as Hicks, “I used to make fun of these What Would Jesus Do bracelets, and now I’ve got What Would Bill Hicks Say? Remind me to buy Jesus a beer, ‘cause now I know what it’s like to be misinterpreted.” The exploration of independent thought: now, that is something that Hicks would say.
2/5 Stars
Authors: Ben Mack and Kristin Pulkkinen
