Oh Ooooh!!! The Sam Kinison Edition

The newest member of the Hater Hall of Fame had a short, yet brilliant career as a comedian, and continues to gain new fans even after his untimely death:

Samuel “Sam” Burl Kinison,  Born December 8, 1953  Died April 10, 1992

Samuel Kinison was born in Yakima, Washington and was the third son of four boys, his father was a Penecostal preacher (couldn’t find the name of his dad or mom).  Before becoming one of the most controversial comedians of his time, Kinison was set to follow in his father’s footsteps. He attended Pinecrest Bible Training Center in Salisbury, New York, and then went on to perform tent based revivals across the southern U.S.  When he and his first wife divorced, Kinison was forced to leave the ministry.  After this life-changing event, Sam embarked on an unprobable career in stand-up.  Although Kinison was now preaching to a different choir, he was right at home when he first took the stage at the Annex Club in Houston, Texas (1979).  His comedy act was raw, and definitely a stark contrast from his strict religous upbringing. 

Sam would do anything for a laugh and didn’t care who he offended along the way; it was this attitude that caught the eye of veteran comedian Rodney Dangerfield one night.  Five years later, he booked a time slot for Kinison on HBO’s Rodney Dangerfield’s Ninth Annual Young Comedians Special.  Sam put on a great performance, and his reputation as a must-see (or hear) comic grew throughout the eighties.  In addition to touring, he would go on to record four comedy albums, appear on Carson and Letterman’s late shows, headline rock n’ roll concerts, & try his hand at acting.  Sadly, Sam Kinison died in a car accident outside of Needles, California at the age of thirty-eight.  

Kinison on Rodney Dangerfield’s comedy specials (in case you hadn’t figured it out, language is NSFW)

“Folks, I’ve been straight (sober) for seventeen days…not all in a row.”

“I don’t worry about terrorism.  I was married for two years.”

Unattributed quote inscribed on Kinison’s grave: “In another time and place he would have been called a prophet.”