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Here’s an old clip of Bill Hicks ripping Oklahoma on David Letterman…

12:07 PM EDT on May 29, 2015

bill hicks oklahoma

Earlier this week, I was up late watching old David Letterman shows from the 1980s on YouTube. I hadn't really watched Letterman in last 20-years or so, and with him now being off the air I figured I should probably get caught up and see what all the fuss was about.

While I was surfing around, I noticed a show from 1985 that included the late, great comedian Bill Hicks. This caught my attention because...

A. I'm a big fan of Hick's work, which I guess makes me a comedy snob or member of Tool. His abrasive style, combined with his Carlin'esque observations on society, capitalism and freedom, makes for some of the smartest comedy out there. It makes you think and it makes you laugh.

B. Back in the early 1990s, David Letterman infamously cut Bill Hick's final stand up performance on the show because it was too "controversial". Letterman finally aired the routine in 2009, which oddly enough is the last time I watched David Letterman before his farewell episode.

Anyway, so I'm on my couch, munching on Cheetos, putting off real work to watch a 30-year-old clip of a dead comedian, and the guy suddenly goes on a heavy riff about Oklahoma. It was awesome. Check it out:

Hey, if you can't laugh at yourself, what can you laugh at?

I think my favorite part is that after 30 years, the material is still relevant. Oklahoma does have a timeless, stuck-in-the-past feel to it. If only Bill Hicks were alive today, imagine all the material we'd provide him. I doubt he'd make bombing jokes like Louis C.K.

I did some searching and here's another bit about Oklahoma from a standup performance. Good or bad, it's always nice to see our state getting publicity.

And here's a show that may or may not have been recorded at Jokers in the 1980s:

Anyway, outside of Bill Hicks and Louis C.K., what other stand ups have made fun of this state over the years? Know of any clips? Send them to us.

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