Arizona Bay
Encyclopedia
Arizona Bay is an album by comedian Bill Hicks
, posthumously released in 1997. It was released alongside Rant in E-Minor
, marking three years since his death. The album's title refers to the hope that Los Angeles
will one day fall into the ocean due to a major earthquake. Hicks contends that the world will be better off in L.A.'s absence:
According to Kevin Booth, in the BBC documentary Dark Poet, it was during the early recording sessions for Arizona Bay, around Christmas 1992, that Hicks first started suffering from the pains in his side, which would later be diagnosed as cancer. Upon learning that he had developed cancer, Hicks used his time to mix music into Rant in E-Minor
and Arizona Bay, calling it his Dark Side of the Moon
.
released a song, "Ænema
", from their album Ænima
, which repeats the theme of Los Angeles being drowned in the Arizona Bay. The song includes the lyrics "Learn to swim, see you down in Arizona Bay." Along with this, there is artwork inside the album cover showing a map of California before and after the earthquake. Other album artwork features Hicks himself cited as "another dead hero". Bill Hicks has always been a heavy influence on Tool's albums:
The computer game Deus Ex
, set in the mid-21st century, features a reference to an earthquake destroying Los Angeles in 2030 and creating Arizona Bay.
Bill Hicks
William Melvin "Bill" Hicks was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, satirist, and musician. His material largely consisted of general discussions about society, religion, politics, philosophy, and personal issues. Hicks' material was often controversial and steeped in dark comedy...
, posthumously released in 1997. It was released alongside Rant in E-Minor
Rant in E-Minor
Rant in E-Minor is an album by comedian Bill Hicks, posthumously released in 1997 through Rykodisc. It was released alongside the sister album Arizona Bay on February 25, 1997, marking three years since his death....
, marking three years since his death. The album's title refers to the hope that Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
will one day fall into the ocean due to a major earthquake. Hicks contends that the world will be better off in L.A.'s absence:
The music
Several of Hicks's albums are unique in that they feature background music, meant to enhance the album's mood. Such additions were made well after the initial recordings and are the product of Hicks's own musicianship.According to Kevin Booth, in the BBC documentary Dark Poet, it was during the early recording sessions for Arizona Bay, around Christmas 1992, that Hicks first started suffering from the pains in his side, which would later be diagnosed as cancer. Upon learning that he had developed cancer, Hicks used his time to mix music into Rant in E-Minor
Rant in E-Minor
Rant in E-Minor is an album by comedian Bill Hicks, posthumously released in 1997 through Rykodisc. It was released alongside the sister album Arizona Bay on February 25, 1997, marking three years since his death....
and Arizona Bay, calling it his Dark Side of the Moon
The Dark Side of the Moon
The Dark Side of the Moon is the eighth studio album by English progressive rock band Pink Floyd, released in March 1973. It built on ideas explored in the band's earlier recordings and live shows, but lacks the extended instrumental excursions that characterised their work following the departure...
.
Track listing
All music composed by Bill HicksBill Hicks
William Melvin "Bill" Hicks was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, satirist, and musician. His material largely consisted of general discussions about society, religion, politics, philosophy, and personal issues. Hicks' material was often controversial and steeped in dark comedy...
- "Goodbye You Lizard Scum" – 3:52
- "Step on the Gas (L.A. Riots1992 Los Angeles riotsThe 1992 Los Angeles Riots or South Central Riots, also known as the 1992 Los Angeles Civil Unrest were sparked on April 29, 1992, when a jury acquitted three white and one hispanic Los Angeles Police Department officers accused in the videotaped beating of black motorist Rodney King following a...
)" – 4:50 - "Hooligans" – 4:20
- "Officer Nigger Hater" – 5:27
- "As Long as We're Talking Shelf Life (KennedyJohn F. KennedyJohn Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
)" – 5:00 - "The Elephant is Dead (BushGeorge H. W. BushGeorge Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
)" – 1:57 - "Me & SaddamSaddam HusseinSaddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
" – 3:10 - "Bullies of the World" – 1:22
- "Shane's Song" – 2:03
- "Dinosaurs in the Bible" – 5:45
- "Living God" – 1:05
- "Marketing & Advertising" – 4:38
- "Don't Talk for Me" – 1:40
- "Clam Lappers & Sonic the Hedgehog" – 3:02
- "She's Got a Broken Heart" – 1:09
- "Pussywhipped SatanSatanSatan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
" – 4:40 - "L.A. Falls" – 3:54
- "Elvis" – 8:05
Personnel
- Bill Hicks - Guitar, Vocals
- Kevin BoothKevin BoothKevin Booth is an American film and video director, producer, and musician. He is best known for his work with comedian Bill Hicks, who was the subject of his book Agent of Evolution, published by Harper Collins UK. Hicks and Booth knew each other since their time together at Stratford High School...
- Bass, Keyboards, Percussion, Producer
Pop Culture References to Hicks
The band ToolTool (band)
Tool is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1990, the group's line-up has included drummer Danny Carey, guitarist Adam Jones, and vocalist Maynard James Keenan. Since 1995, Justin Chancellor has been the band's bassist, replacing their original bassist Paul D'Amour...
released a song, "Ænema
Ænema
"Ænema" is a Grammy Award-winning song by rock band Tool, released as the third single from their second album Ænima. Adam Jones made a video for the song using stop-motion animation that appears on Salival. The song reached number twenty-five on the U.S...
", from their album Ænima
Ænima
Ænima is the second studio album by American rock band Tool. The album was released on September 17, 1996 in vinyl format and on October 1, 1996 in Compact Disc format. The album was recorded and cut at Ocean Way, Hollywood, California and The Hook, North Hollywood, California from 1995 to 1996...
, which repeats the theme of Los Angeles being drowned in the Arizona Bay. The song includes the lyrics "Learn to swim, see you down in Arizona Bay." Along with this, there is artwork inside the album cover showing a map of California before and after the earthquake. Other album artwork features Hicks himself cited as "another dead hero". Bill Hicks has always been a heavy influence on Tool's albums:
- "Who's that talking at the start of "Third Eye"? - That would be the aforementioned Bill Hicks; those are snips of comedy routines of his, from "The War on Drugs" (off his CD Dangerous) and "Drugs Have Done Good Things" (off Relentless). In fact, on his CD Rant in E-Minor, he refers to the power that heavy doses of hallucinogens have to "squeegeed his third eye."
The computer game Deus Ex
Deus Ex
Deus Ex is an action role-playing game developed by Ion Storm Inc. and published by Eidos Interactive in 2000, which combines gameplay elements of first-person shooters with those of role-playing video games...
, set in the mid-21st century, features a reference to an earthquake destroying Los Angeles in 2030 and creating Arizona Bay.