On Jan 31, 2009, at 8:55 PM, David Hobby wrote: > Rceeberger wrote: >> http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/01/28/this-friday-on-letterman-bill- >> hicks/ >> >> 15 years after Bill Hicks' death, the famous segment cut from >> Letterman's >> show will be shown. >> Hicks was quite bitter that this monologue was cut and he died 5 >> months >> later of cancer at 32 years of age. >> If you remember Hicks, this will be well worth watching. > ... > > Xponent-- > > So it's up on UTube, of course: > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBC1dKGO2_A > > Good, but I don't understand why it was censored > in the first place. > > Thanks! > ---David
I wouldn't be surprised if it had at least something to do with him implying during the segment that most Americans are somewhere between completely illiterate and barely functionally literate. However edgy an idea that was at the time, I'm sure that didn't go over well with the NBC network execs -- openly insulting a majority of their audience isn't good for ad revenue, at least not the way Bill tended to do it. (Although I myself have had a few experiences almost exactly like what he described. Reading a book in a remote rural Waffle House can attract almost exactly that kind of unpleasant attention, in some cases, and there are parts of the USA where people do take a certain degree of pride in not being "too smart" or "too bookish". I'm sure one large part of why that segment was pulled was because it was *true*, in large part..) _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
