Published on Mar 22, 1998
Love him or hate him, the comedy world has yet to recover from
the death of Sam Kinison.
When Kinison was killed in a car crash in 1992, the scene lost
one of its most vocal satirists. His abrasive, caustic style often
called our attention to subjects other comics didn’t want to tread
on. (Ironically, Kinison ripped world hunger organizations on his
debut album
Louder Than Hell; over the past two weeks, the
Chicago Tribune has run investigative reports on these
agencies. Too bad Kinison scooped them by a decade.)
After his death,
Live From Hell was more than a scream beyond the grave – it
was a fitting memorial to the comedian. And it’s an album I
constantly find myself drawn back to, even though I’ve listened to
it over 50 times over the last five years.
Recorded in Houston, Kinison is captured in non-stop rare form.
If there were any golden calves left that Kinison hadn’t defrocked,
he found them on this album. No one – from Captain Kangaroo to
Jeffrey Dahmer – was safe from his often biting, often
obscenity-laden tirade. (Obviously, this one ain’t for the kids –
though the adults should find this incredibly funny.)
But there is a message behine the shock. Fresh off the incident
where Paul “Pee-Wee Herman” Reubens was arrested in an adult
theater, Kinison calls for “Pee-Wee Herman” to be executed: “Make
an example of him to other people involved in children’s
programming.” And in one sense, you find yourself agreeing with the
hidden message that those who do children’s television should be
more careful what they involve themselves in.
Offended? Lighten up, gang – it’s a joke. Kinison no doubt was
kidding when he called for executing the homeless in America, but
he did bring to light a more serious question: How can we allow
people to be homeless in a country like America, the land of
opportuinity? When you’re not laughing, Kinison has you
thinking.
Some of the comedy misses the mark – such as an alleged liaison
with Penny Marshall and some of the barbs against the gay community
(though it is a little tamer than earlier routines). But Kinison
manages to pull off a strong 50-minute routine with only a few
fluctuations – probably better than some of his detractors thought
he would be able to do.
If you’re looking for the traditional shouts that Kinison
peppered his act with, they’re not as sharp as they used to be –
possibly the only concession Kinison was making to age.
Live From Hell‘s most poignant moment comes at the end of
the album, after Kinison has left the stage… a fan yells
out,”Sam! Where are you?” How true, indeed…
Kinison’s style of comedy was definitely not for everyone, but
if you can get past the shock value of the material and enjoy it
for what it is – biting, hilarious social commentary – then
Live From Hell is an album worth searching out. (For that
matter, long-time fans of Kinison may wish to visit the
official home page and sign a
petition asking Warner Brothers to finally release
Louder Than Hell on compact disc.)