Denis Leary

Denis Leary (born August 18, 1957 in Worcester, Massachusetts) is an actor/comedian/writer/director, whose father immigrated to Worcester from Ireland. He is a graduate of Emerson College in Boston, where he also taught comedy writing classes for five years after graduating. Leary is a distant cousin through marriage of Conan O'Brien; contrary to popular belief, they are not actually related through a recent common ancestor.

Material controversy

For many years, Leary had been friends with fellow comedian Bill Hicks. However, when Hicks heard Leary's 1993 release No Cure For Cancer, he was upset to find that Leary was stealing his material, due to the perceived similarity in topics covered and some punchlines of Hicks', particularly those on Hicks' releases of 1989 (Sane Man) and 1990 (Dangerous). The friendship ended as a result, though Leary has said he wanted to patch things up before Hicks died in 1994.

Related Topics:
Bill Hicks - 1994

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While it has never been proven that Leary took any of his jokes from other comedians (a claim he fiercely denies), some comedians (notably Joe Rogan and Greg Giraldo) and especially fans loyal to Hicks consider aspects of Leary's act and persona to be stolen. However, many other comedians - including Jon Stewart, Janeane Garofalo, Colin Quinn, and Lenny Clarke - have formed close personal and professional relationships with Leary, which suggests that the opinion of him as a material thief is not shared by everyone within the profession.

Related Topics:
Joe Rogan - Greg Giraldo - Jon Stewart - Janeane Garofalo - Colin Quinn - Lenny Clarke

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The controversy was addressed in The Bill Hicks Story by Cynthia True:

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:Leary was in Montreal to host the Nasty Show at Club Soda and Colleen was coordinating the talent so she was standing backstage when she heard Leary doing material that sounded incredibly similiar to old Hicks riffs, including his perennial Jim Fixx joke: ("Keith Richards outlived Jim Fixx, the runner and health nut, dude. The plot thickens.") When Leary came offstage, Colleen said, more stunned than angry, "Hey, you know that's Bill Hicks' material! Do you know that's his material?" Leary stood there, stared at her without saying a word, and briskly left the dressing room."

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The book cites several other examples of lines in No Cure for Cancer that Leary used from older Bill Hicks rants.

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