Sam Kinison

• Genre: Stand-Up Comedy

About

Sam Kinison may have worn a beret all the time, but that doesn't mean he wasn't funny. Certainly not for every taste, his tonsil-eroding rage-comedy will forever be associated with three things: decibel-crushing rants, the very last days of hair metal, and Jessica Hahn's breasts. As a stand-up comedian, Kinison drew upon his early experiences as a stage-stalking preacher -- his level-topping delivery was peppered with the rising and falling pitch of an anointed minister (or charlatan) exhorting his parishioners. His comedy was as loud as the Metal he loved, and often misfired into similarly questionable territory as far as long-held religious beliefs and male/female relationships were concerned. However confrontational his act was, Kinison's own personal life was always close to the surface and an integral part of the show. Watching him, you often had the feeling you were watching a man work out his demons onstage. Killed in a car accident in 1992, Kinison nevertheless left behind a solid body of work that well illustrates his particular genius.

- Mike McGuirk