No Cure for Cancer
| No Cure for Cancer | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 12, 1993[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1992 | |||
| Genre | Stand up comedy / Comedy rock | |||
| Length | 45 minutes | |||
| Label | A&M | |||
| Producer | Joe Blaney, Chris Phillips, Bill Hicks (Material source) | |||
| Denis Leary chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | StarStarStarStarFile:Star empty.svg[2] |
| The Independent | positive[3] |
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 recorded album, all with the same title.[4][5] Leary's routine focuses on vegetarians, cigarette smoking, drug use, and political correctness.[6]
Album
[edit | edit source]This performance was recorded live at Irving Plaza, New York City on October 10, 1992, and at Sorcerer Studios, New York City.
Track listing
[edit | edit source]- "Asshole" – 4:26
- "Drugs" – 8:24
- "Rehab" – 4:03
- "More Drugs" – 7:06
- "Smoke" – 5:28
- "Meat" – 4:01
- "Death" – 5:01
- "The Downtrodden Song" – 1:22
- "Traditional Irish Folk Song" – 2:00
- "Voices in My Head" – 3:37
Personnel
[edit | edit source]- Denis Leary – vocals
- Adam Roth – guitar, mandolin, bass, vocals
- Chris Phillips – vocals, bass, acoustic and 12-string guitar
- Breda Mayock – violin
- Ger Mayock – pennywhistle
- C.P. Roth – keyboards
- Don Castagno – drums, percussion
- Pete Mark – congas
- Steve Remote – chief engineer
- Ted Jensen – mastering engineer[7]
Television special
[edit | edit source]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
[edit | edit source]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
[edit | edit source]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's 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's 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
[edit | edit source]| Chart (1993–1994) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[15] | 46 |
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[16] | 63 |
| US Billboard 200[17] | 85 |
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ AllMusic review
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Denis Leary: No Cure for Cancer, review, Todd Everett, Variety, February 19, 1993.
- ^ Beware The Mild Man! MTV's Outrageous Denis Leary, Eerily Calm Off Camera, Laura Blumenfeld, Washington Post, December 1, 1992.
- ^ No Cure for Cancer, review at Allmusic
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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- ^ "Australiancharts.com – Denis Leary – No Cure for Cancer". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ "Denis Leary Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
External links
[edit | edit source]- No Cure for Cancer at IMDbLua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 31: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).