Last night on his show, David Letterman aired the "lost" stand-up spot by comedian Bill Hicks…the one that was censored from the program on October 1, 1993. And by the way, that's the correct date. I had it wrong in this posting. Letterman took full responsibility/blame for the decision to edit Hicks from the tape that night and apologized excessively to the late comedian's mother, who was a guest on last night's broadcast. They ran the deleted routine and I have to say: Though I'm glad they did, and I think it was a mistake to cut it in the first place, it wasn't much of a spot. Many folks I respect think Hicks was one of the most brilliant comics to ever grace a stage…and while I've seen a lot of him and liked some of it, I've never really seen whatever it is they see in him.
I should also add that Dave probably gladdened the hearts of a lot of people in network jobs, particularly Broadcast Standards departments, with his admission that he, not the show's censor people, was responsible for the decision. It is very (emphasize: very) common for the network to take the heat when a show's star or producers make possibly-unpopular choices. I worked once with a star-producer who was always doing that kind of thing, blaming "the idiots at the network" for his decrees and demands, and it's not fair. The folks who work at TV networks make enough stupid, pernicious decisions without taking the heat for those made by others.