Neat story about Bill Hicks and marketing. When he was sick but still working, he appeared on the David Letterman show. At that point, he was something of a regular on David Letterman.
He did a routine with a joke that worried Letterman, so Letterman made sure the segment didn’t air. In response, Bill Hicks went on public access television - there’s a really good show from Austin on YouTube - and used that as part of his own pitch.
A number of years later, after Bill Hicks died, David Letterman had Bill Hicks’ mom on his show. They talked about Bill Hicks and aired the routine. Bill Hicks’ impression of his parents was remarkably good.
When I watch Bill Hicks on marketing, I take it as being about ethics. We don’t have to monetize every little thing. And we don’t have to do awful things for pay.
There's no doubt that Letterman has had a large ego at times and acted poorly towards people. But he does contrition and humbleness so well, it's a major reason I've watched more than a few My Next Guest...
He did a routine with a joke that worried Letterman, so Letterman made sure the segment didn’t air. In response, Bill Hicks went on public access television - there’s a really good show from Austin on YouTube - and used that as part of his own pitch.
A number of years later, after Bill Hicks died, David Letterman had Bill Hicks’ mom on his show. They talked about Bill Hicks and aired the routine. Bill Hicks’ impression of his parents was remarkably good.
I’ll share links then make my overwhelming point:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KHbHYqfYnhg
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=B1NTmnG0hmA
When I watch Bill Hicks on marketing, I take it as being about ethics. We don’t have to monetize every little thing. And we don’t have to do awful things for pay.