Alan Grayson: “Today is a sad anniversary. Twenty years ago today, the brilliant comedian, Bill Hicks, died of cancer at the age of 32.…”

“Today is a sad anniversary. Twenty years ago today, the brilliant comedian, Bill Hicks, died of cancer at the age of 32. Hicks' comedy has been an inspiration to me and millions of others. He has been voted the fourth greatest stand-up comedian of all time. And if Hicks were alive to hear that, he would complain bitterly about losing out to Gandhi, Einstein, and Stalin. In honor of Bill Hicks, I would like to try to yield this platform to him. This is how Bill Hicks ended his own performances. He would say to the audience: You have been fantastic. I hope you have enjoyed the show. There is a point to my act. Is there a point to my act? Let's find a point. I would say the point of my act--and I have to--but the point is this: The world is a ride like an amusement park. And when you choose to go on it, you think it is real because that is how powerful our minds are. And the ride goes up and down, and it goes round and round. It has thrills and chills, and it is very brightly colored, and it is very loud and it is fun. For a while. Some people have been on the ride for a long time, and they begin to question: ``Is it real or is it a ride?'' And other people, they have remembered, and they come back to us, and they say: ``Hey, don't worry. Don't be afraid, ever. Because it is just a ride.'' And we kill those people. We kill those people. We tell them: ``Shut him up. We have a lot invested in this ride. Shut him up. Look at the furrows of worry.…”