Ten years ago, Bill Hicks, a Texan ''comic's comic,'' died of cancer at age 32, and since then his legend as a biliously sharp truth teller has only grown. In three stand-up concerts from the early '90s collected here, he profanely attacks his favorite topics — religion, sex, drugs, and politics — with an angry skeptic's wrath. (Though sometimes his heartfelt indignation makes him cross the line from relentless probing to self-indulgent ax grinding.) But it's remarkable how relevant his material remains as seen in Bill Hicks Live, especially his rants against Bush Sr. and the first Iraq war; a few updated names and you'd think he was still alive, writing comedy.
EXTRAS An insightful 40-minute documentary on Hicks' life has a quote from Brett Butler that sums him up beautifully: The preaching comedian, who fervently railed against fundamentalism, actually ''wanted to be Christ at his angriest.''
