No Cure for Cancer

Last updated
No Cure for Cancer
Denisleary nocureforcancer.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedJanuary 12, 1993 [1]
Recorded1992
Genre Stand up comedy / Comedy rock
Length45 minutes
Label A&M
Producer Joe Blaney, Chris Phillips, Bill Hicks(Material source)
Denis Leary chronology
No Cure for Cancer
(1993)
Lock 'n Load
(1997)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]
The Independent positive [3]
The script for No Cure for Cancer was published as a book. NoCureForCancer.jpg
The script for No Cure for Cancer was published as a book.

No Cure for Cancer is a Denis Leary standup routine from the early 1990s. It was made into a television special, a book, and a compact disc, all with the same title. [4] [5] Leary's routine focuses on vegetarians, cigarette smoking, drug use, and political correctness. [6]

Contents

Compact disc

The album was recorded live at Irving Plaza, New York City on October 10, 1992, and at Sorcerer Studios, New York City.

Track listing

  1. "Asshole" – 4:26
  2. "Drugs" – 8:24
  3. "Rehab" – 4:03
  4. "More Drugs" – 7:06
  5. "Smoke" – 5:28
  6. "Meat" – 4:01
  7. "Death" – 5:01
  8. "The Downtrodden Song" – 1:22
  9. "Traditional Irish Folk Song" – 2:00
  10. "Voices in My Head" – 3:37

Personnel

Television special

The television version of No Cure for Cancer was first broadcast by Channel 4 in the United Kingdom on February 3, 1993, followed by Showtime in the United States on February 20, then in Australia on the Nine Network on April 6, 1994. [8]

DVD

In 2005, the DVD Complete Denis Leary was released. A collection of his most famous stand-up performances including: No Cure for Cancer and Lock 'n Load . Special features include: the music videos for "Asshole" and "Love Barge", and the Making of No Cure for Cancer, a documentary with Leary and others.

Accusations of plagiarism of Bill Hicks

Although Leary had been friends with fellow comedian Bill Hicks for many years, when Hicks heard No Cure for Cancer, he felt that Leary had stolen his act. The friendship ended abruptly as a result, [9] and was still unsettled when Hicks died of pancreatic cancer 13 months later, at the age of 32. Over the years, several comedians have publicly stated they believe Leary stole Hicks' persona and attitude, in addition to his material. [9] [10] [11] [12] Jokes on the album about Keith Richards, Judas Priest, smoking and "good men dying young" are frequently cited as bearing similarities to Hicks' routines.

According to Cynthia True's biography American Scream: The Bill Hicks Story, after listening to No Cure for Cancer, Hicks was furious. "All these years, aside from the occasional jibe, he had pretty much shrugged off Leary's lifting. Comedians borrowed, stole stuff and even bought bits from one another. Milton Berle and Robin Williams were famous for it. This was different. Leary had, practically line for line, taken huge chunks of Bill's act and recorded it." [13]

In the August 2006 Playboy , an interviewer told Leary, "Much has been written about you and comedian Bill Hicks...People have accused you of appropriating his persona and material." Leary replied:

That's a great story that people like to latch onto...Very quickly we got New York club owners saying, 'You guys are too alike,' while I was saying, 'What are they fucking talking about?' It's the same approach to the subject maybe, but it's not the same act...But as I've said many times, a fable is sometimes better than the truth." [14]

Charts

Chart performance for No Cure for Cancer
Chart (1993–1994)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [15] 46
Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [16] 63
US Billboard 200 [17] 85

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Denis Leary</span> American actor and comedian

Denis Colin Leary is an American actor and comedian. Born in Massachusetts, Leary first came to prominence as a stand-up comedian, especially through appearances on MTV and through the stand-up specials No Cure for Cancer (1993) and Lock 'n Load (1997). Leary began taking roles in film and television starting in the 1990s, including substantial roles in the films Judgment Night (1993), Gunmen (1994), Operation Dumbo Drop (1995) and Wag the Dog (1997).

Edward Kern Demme was an American director, producer, and actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Hicks</span> American comedian (1961–1994)

William Melvin Hicks was an American stand-up comedian and satirist. His material—encompassing a wide range of social issues including religion, politics, and philosophy—was controversial and often steeped in dark comedy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Carlin</span> American stand-up comedian (1937–2008)

George Denis Patrick Carlin was an American stand-up comedian, actor, author, and social critic. Regarded as one of the most important and influential stand-up comedians of all time, he was dubbed "the dean of counterculture comedians". He was known for his black comedy and reflections on politics, the English language, psychology, religion, and taboo subjects. His "seven dirty words" routine was central to the 1978 United States Supreme Court case F.C.C. v. Pacifica Foundation, in which a 5–4 decision affirmed the government's power to censor indecent material on public airwaves.

James Fuller Fixx was an American who wrote the 1977 best-selling book The Complete Book of Running. He is credited with helping start America's fitness revolution by popularizing the sport of running and demonstrating the health benefits of regular jogging. He died of a heart attack while jogging at 52 years of age; his genetic predisposition for heart problems and other previous lifestyle factors may have caused his heart attack.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Rogan</span> American broadcaster (born 1967)

Joseph James Rogan is an American UFC color commentator, podcaster, comedian, actor, and former television host. He hosts The Joe Rogan Experience, a podcast in which he discusses current events, comedy, politics, philosophy, science, martial arts, and hobbies with a variety of guests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Savannah (actress)</span> American pornographic actress (1970–1994)

Shannon Michelle Wilsey, better known by her stage name Savannah, was an American pornographic film actress who starred in over 100 videos during her career. One of the most prominent adult industry models of her time, she achieved notoriety within her short (1990–1994) career due to her onscreen presence and personal life. In January 2002, AVN ranked her at #19 on its list of the top 50 porn stars of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tommy Chong</span> Canadian comedian and actor (born 1938)

Thomas B. Kin Chong is a Canadian-American comedian, actor, musician and activist. He is known for his role/inspiration in the marijuana industry, and his marijuana-themed Cheech & Chong comedy albums and movies with Cheech Marin, as well as playing the character Leo on Fox's That '70s Show. He became a naturalized United States citizen in the late 1980s.

<i>The Ref</i> 1994 film by Ted Demme

The Ref is a 1994 American black comedy film directed by Ted Demme, starring Denis Leary, Judy Davis, Kevin Spacey and Glynis Johns.

<i>Arizona Bay</i> 1997 live album by Bill Hicks

Arizona Bay is an album by American stand-up comedian and satirist Bill Hicks, posthumously released in 1997. Both this album and a similar album of new material, Rant in E-Minor, were released posthumously by Rykodisc on February 25, 1997, marking three years since Hicks' death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carlos Mencia</span> American stand-up comedian

Ned Arnel "Carlos" Mencía is a Honduran-American comedian, writer, and actor. His style of comedy is often political and involves issues of race relations, Latin American culture, criminal justice, and social class. He is best known as the host of the Comedy Central show Mind of Mencia (2005–2008). Around the time of the show's cancellation, several comedians accused Mencía of plagiarism and stealing jokes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Del Fuegos</span> American band

The Del Fuegos were an American 1980s garage-style rock band. Formed in 1980, the Boston, Massachusetts, United States-based band gained success in 1986 with their songs "Don't Run Wild" and "I Still Want You" and appearing in a widely seen television commercial for Miller Beer. The band's fans included Tom Petty, who appeared on one of the band's songs and featured them as an opening act on one of his tours.

<i>Relentless</i> (Bill Hicks album) 1992 live album by Bill Hicks

Relentless is the second live album by American stand-up comedian and satirist Bill Hicks, released in 1992 by Invasion Records. It was Hicks' final release before his death from pancreatic cancer in February 1994. The album contains a song, "Chicks Dig Jerks", written and performed by Marblehead Johnson, a band Hicks had formed with friends.

Kevin Booth is an American film director, producer, lecturer and musician. He was known for his documentary film series American Drug War. Booth worked with comedian Bill Hicks, until the time of his death on February 26, 1994 and posthumously produced Hicks' records Rant in E Minor and Arizona Bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asshole (song)</span> 1993 single by Denis Leary

"Asshole" is a song by American comedian Denis Leary, released as the only single from his album No Cure for Cancer in 1993.

Hack is a term used primarily in stand-up comedy, but also sketch comedy, improv comedy, and comedy writing to refer to a joke or premise for a joke that is considered obvious, has been frequently used by comedians in the past and/or is blatantly copied from its original author. Alternatively, it may refer to a comedian or performance group that uses hack material or similarly unoriginal devices in their act. Since comedians and people who work with comedians are typically exposed to many more jokes than the general public, they may recognize a topic, joke or performer as hack before the general public does; as a result, even performers who do well on stage may be considered hacks by their peers.

Kyle Dunnigan is an American comedian, actor and writer, best known as a writer for Inside Amy Schumer, and for his role as Craig in Reno 911!

Joke theft is the act of performing and taking credit for comic material written or performed by another person without their consent and without acknowledging the other person's authorship. This may be a form of plagiarism and can, in some cases, be copyright infringement. A comic who is known to steal jokes may be labelled with the epithet "hack" by other comics. A "hack comic" uses material that is unoriginal or which is blatantly copied from its original author.

"Better by You, Better than Me" is a 1969 song by the English rock band Spooky Tooth. The song appeared on the album Spooky Two and was composed by American keyboardist Gary Wright.

<i>The Joe Rogan Experience</i> American podcast

The Joe Rogan Experience is a podcast hosted by American comedian, presenter, and UFC color commentator Joe Rogan. It launched on December 24, 2009, on YouTube by Rogan and comedian Brian Redban, who was its sole co-host and producer until 2012 when Jamie Vernon, who would eventually take over production, was hired to co-produce. By 2015, it was one of the world's most popular podcasts, regularly receiving millions of views per episode, also including a wide array of guests, including business magnate Elon Musk, whistleblower Edward Snowden, Senator Bernie Sanders, and astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. Since December 2020, the podcast has been exclusively available on Spotify, with highlights uploaded onto the main Joe Rogan Experience YouTube channel. The podcast was originally recorded at Rogan's home in California, before moving to a private studio in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles. Production was relocated to Austin, Texas after the podcast was exclusively licensed on Spotify in 2020.

References

  1. "No Cure for Cancer". Spotify . January 1993.
  2. AllMusic review
  3. Gill, Andy (January 7, 1993). "RECORDS / No ifs, diggity-do, no butts, diggity-dah: Andy Gill, exploring this week's releases, uncovers the latest addition to the long and distinguished line of buttock anthems" . The Independent . Archived from the original on 2022-06-21. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
  4. Denis Leary: No Cure for Cancer, review, Todd Everett, Variety , February 19, 1993.
  5. Beware The Mild Man! MTV's Outrageous Denis Leary, Eerily Calm Off Camera, Laura Blumenfeld, Washington Post, December 1, 1992.
  6. No Cure for Cancer, review at Allmusic
  7. "Allmusic Credits". AllMusic .
  8. "BFI | Film & TV Database | DENIS LEARY: NO CURE FOR CANCER (1993)". ftvdb.bfi.org.uk. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  9. 1 2 Kevin Booth and Michael Bertin (2005). Bill Hicks: Agent of Evolution. Harper Collins. ISBN   0-00-719829-9.
  10. Joe Rogan (2005). "Carlos Mencia is a weak minded joke thief". JoeRogan.net. Archived from the original on 2007-06-07. Retrieved 2006-10-28.
  11. Rogan, Joe (October 2003). Playboy Magazine (Interview).{{cite interview}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  12. Tim McIntire (1998). "Dark Times: Bill Hicks: Frequently Asked Questions". BillHicks.com. Archived from the original on 2006-03-20. Retrieved 2006-10-28.
  13. True, Cynthia (2002). American Scream: The Bill Hicks Story . Harper Paperbacks. ISBN   0-380-80377-1.
  14. Leary, Denis (August 2006). Playboy Magazine (Interview).{{cite interview}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  15. "Australiancharts.com – Denis Leary – No Cure for Cancer". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  16. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 6885". RPM . Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  17. "Denis Leary Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 19, 2022.