Sam Kinison Essentials

One the most contentious standups of the '80s, Sam Kinison was lewd, crude and proud of it. Combining a Southern preacher's fire-and-brimstone mania with heavy metal's high-volume brashness, he lived to provoke audiences and scream in their faces. Rage and bad taste are central to bits like “Jesus”, during which he tears into the resurrection like a pit bull, and “Relationships”, an unsettling dive into sex, drugs and divorce. Adding fuel to the fire are Kinison's comedy rockers: his hair-metal remake of “Wild Thing” is so toxic, you'll need a Silkwood shower after cranking it.