Ritch Shydner Recalls How Bill Hicks Handled Denis Leary’s Joke Thievery
Joke plagiarism has long been the plague of the stand-up comedy industry, and even the greatest comedians of all time have had to accept that the only cure is more jokes.
In January 1993, a slick, smoking, streetwise comedian from Worcester, Massachusetts named Denis Leary released his first comedy special, No Cure for Cancer. The up-and-comer was well-known in comedy circles, but, with his new routine, Leary was able to break into the mainstream entertainment industry, and he quickly became a mainstay of film and television throughout the 1990s. While No Cure for Cancer would prove to be a watershed moment in Leary’s career, the special was controversial in the comedy business and in Leary’s personal life, as both comics and critics wondered of the set, “Wait, isn’t this Bill Hicks’ whole thing?”
Leary and Hicks were friends for years leading up to the release of No Cure for Cancer, but the latter comedian cut ties with Leary over what he perceived to be a friend and fellow comic stealing his persona, attitude and, most importantly, his material. Today, however, the late Hicks is still considered to be one of the all-time titans of stand-up comedy, and, if you asked the average comedy fan what they think about Leary, they’re likely to say something like, “Isn’t that the bearded guy with the talk show?”
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As Hicks’ fellow comic and close friend Ritch Shydner recently explained in an Instagram video, that’s because Hicks handled the joke thievery by following some words of wisdom that Shydner attributes to Larry David: “Keep writing.”
Sadly for the world of comedy, Hicks didn’t have long to keep writing after Leary allegedly stole his jokes. In February 1994, barely over a year after the release of Leary’s special, Hicks died from pancreatic cancer at the age of 32. Leary and Hicks never buried the hatchet over the alleged joke theft in morbidly fitting No Cure for Cancer, but, today, Hicks’ original material still stands out as some of the finest work in the history of stand-up while Leary’s entire comedy career lies about 15 years in the rearview mirror.
While plagiarism in the comedy community continues to be a problem today, David’s advice still holds up in every high-profile case of joke-jacking since Leary lit a cigarette and decided to do his best Hicks impression. Out-writing joke thieves leads to a lasting legacy that the copycats can never achieve — Hicks is still more respected than Leary, George Lopez will always be bigger than Carlos Mencia and Louis C.K. is selling out stadiums while Dane Cook settles for somehow being the least creepy comic in the former feud.
Additionally, whoever stole David’s material during his early comedy career had to sit at home and stew as David put together the two greatest sitcoms of his era — though it’s not like David is exactly above reproach on this issue. Stealing a joke from a fellow comic is still less shameful than stealing some shoes from the Holocaust museum.
