Customer Reviews

No Cure for Cancer

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(23)

 

 

When this CD first surfaced in the mid 90's people were falling over themselves with laughter, I remember hearing "That Leary guy is HYSTERICAL!" I too agree, he did a good set on this cd, and it's a great first appearance on disc. Shortly after, I found out where that talent was coming from...Bill Hicks. Do yourself a big favor: get a Hicks CD. Leary is a puppet, mimicking only the finer parts of Bill Hicks career by cutting-and-pasting good material into his average shtick. If you don't know who Bill Hicks is, I don't blame you for being uninformed, I only ask that you go find out.

I bought this album because of the track, A*#%ole, which still raises a smile, but only just. A couple of years after buying it, I discovered a comedian called Bill Hicks, and I am here to tell you, Hicks is the MAN! He is the greatest standup, funnier because his material is deeper than 95% of other comics (Woody Allen, Lenny Bruce and Richard Pryor probably the exceptions). I don't want this to sound like an advertisement for Hicks, but if you're reading this and think Leary is great, Hicks will blow your mind; besides, the Gospel of Hicks needs to be spread. If you listen to No Cure For Cancer then listen to Hicks' 1989 album, Dangerous, you'll find many similarites. Even Bill knew that Leary had pillaged his material, and Bill had this to say of Leary: "I stole his act. I camouflaged it with punchlines, and to really throw people off, I did it before he did." ...

Anyone who has listened to the great comedian Bill Hicks will recognize where Denis Leary gets all his best stuff. Leary was a ho-hum Boston journeyman until Hicks died & Leary appropriated all his stuff. Considering the title of this CD, it's ironic that Hicks died of Cancer. If there was a cure for cancer, Leary wouldn't have a career. A pox on this plagiarist. Point your Browser to the Bill Hicks section and get the real thing. I recommend "Rant in E-Minor."

Is Denis Leary listenable? Probably-- But when you can listen to the real thing, why would you settle for second best? Check out Bill Hicks' comedy albums-- or check out the book AMERICAN SCREAM (recent bio of Bill Hicks) which details the bits Leary stole from Hicks.

Wow... That's all I can say after listening to this CD. This CD has so much stolen material on it, that I doubt that Leary even bought the clothes that he was wearing on the cover photo. Almost everything that you hear on this was done by Bill Hicks -a much smarter, more inventive, way funnier comedian. It isn't just that Leary stole the bits - he virtually lifts them word for word. He also stole from several comedians in the Boston area that were of that time (mid 1980s). Even his ending bit - about how we only kill the cute animals was stolen... I know - I was around then. In buying this CD, I just had to hear for myself. Sure enough, it was a tremendous disapointment to hear several comedian's routines being paraded before me. Honestly, save your money and buy any of Bill Hick's CD's. They are MUCH MUCH FUNNIER, and worth far more.

I used to think this CD was funny until I heard the original material done by the guy Dennis stole it from, Bill Hicks. Some of the material on this is taken nearly word-for-word from Hicks' performances. I hope that Dennis is happy that he is a recognized icon of comedy and all he had to do was rip off a dead man and a true iconoclast. The Flying Saucers are coming for you Dennis, and they ain't happy...

It is true that quite a bit of the material from this album resembles Bill Hicks's material from "Dangerous" and "Relentless". Leary even does a routine on Jim Fixx, a fixture of early Bill Hicks's routines. Most of his rants on music artists also sound very similar or almost exactly the same as Bill Hicks's routines.

However, Denis Leary does have original material. Some of it is quite funny. And his song "A-hole" is pretty good too. Unfortunately, too much of this CD sounds like Bill Hicks to ignore. This would be a pretty good comedy CD if there was more original material. I would recommend to get any Bill Hick's CD instead of "No Cure for Cancer".

Yes, Denis Leary is funny. Yes, this CD is funny. But, the reason it's funny is because it's completely stolen from the late, great Bill Hicks. With Bill no longer around, Denis gets all the adulation. But, even with Bill gone, one thing still remains true: Bill did it better. For evidence, listen to any of Bill's CDs (they're ALL in print now). Bill had much more wit and intelligence than Leary, who takes Hicks' material and simply amps it up to meth-addict level. And it doesn't make it funnier. And it makes it less deep. Honestly, people, you will be astonished when you compare Leary to Hicks and will most likely not think the same way about Denis ever again. You may even lose all respect for him. Why, you may ask, do so many people take pains to point this out in their reviews on this site? Because Bill Hicks, having died young and having never become "mainstream," may very well fade into obscurity if no one keeps his memory (and work) alive. And this would be a crime as Bill was, along with Sam Kinison & George Carlin, one of the most cutting edge and hilarious comics of the '80s and '90s. If Leary's act was not such a blatant act of plagarism, this CD would rate 4-5 stars. But is is. And it doesn't.

This album has a lot of funny material. Unfortunately, it was originally written & performed by the late, great Bill Hicks. For proof, pick up Hicks' CDs - you'll find some jokes lifted word for word. And, Bill died (far too young) from cancer. Is Denis trying to confess his sins through the title of his show/CD? So, even though there are laughs to be had, I cannot support a comic who stole everything lock, stock, and barrel from a superior, deceased comedian.

Ok, first off, I'm not writing a bad review about Leary because he isn't funny, it's because he uses stolen material. I was a Leary fan since I heard No Cure for Cancer 3 years ago, and this summer I was buying Lock n Load, and this guy working there told me if I wanted real comedy, get a Bill Hicks CD. The only one they had was Rant in E Minor. The guy told me Denis had stolen Bill's material, some word for word, and some disguised. Since then I feel sick listening to Leary do Bill's material. I have to admit Leary is funny, but if you want the real deal, start listening to Hicks. If you are smart and take my advice DO NOT get the Best of Bill Hicks, because there is no best of Bill Hicks. Everything he says is genius.

"You have to admit beliefs are odd. A lot of Christians wear crosses around there neck to represent Jesus; do you think when Jesus comes back he's ever going to want to see a that [cross] agian?" - Bill on Christianity.