ON THIS DATE IN 1992, THE BRASH, CONTROVERSIAL, AND UNAPOLGETIC COMEDIAN WHO SPENT HIS FORMATIVE YEARS IN EAST PEORIA, THE ONE AND ONLY SAM KINISON WAS KILLED WHEN HE AND HIS WIFE OF LESS THAN A WEEK WERE DRIVING HIS PONTIAC TURBO TRANS AM ON NEEDLES HIGHWAY ON THE WAY TO PERFORM A SOLD OUT SHOW IN LAUGHLIN NEVADA WHEN A YOUNG MAN IN A PICK UP TRUCK CROSSED THE CENTER LINE AND HIT KINISON’S CAR HEAD ON. AFTER THE ACCIDENT, KINISON SEEMED FINE WITH JUST SOME FACIAL WOUNDS..HE PROCEEDED TO GET OUT OF HIS CAR AND SAT DOWN ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, WHERE HE REPORTEDLY SAID TO NO ONE IN PARTICULAR, “WHY NOW” THEN PAUSED AND ASKED “BUT WHY?” AND PAUSED AGAIN BEFORE SAYING “OKAY OKAY OKAY” AND THEN HE WAS GONE AT JUST 38 YEARS OLD…KINISON WASN’T EVERYONE’S CUP OF TEA WITH HIS PRIMAL SCREAM, DARING COMEDY AND A PERSONA THAT WAS OVER-THE-TOP, BUT HE SHOOK THINGS UP! HE WAS ALL IN WHEN IT CAME TO THE WORLD OF ROCK, APPEARING IN MULTIPLE MUSIC VIDEOS AND REPORTEDLY EVEN ATTACKED SLASH ONCE! IN 1988 KINISON RECORDED A VERSION OF “WILD THING” TO CLOSE OUT HIS STAND UP ALBUM, HAVE YOU SEEN ME LATELY ALONG WITH A RACY VIDEO FEATURING THE HEADLINE MAKING PLAYBOY MODEL JESSICA HAHN AND IT WENT ON TO BE NOMINATED FOR A GRAMMY FOR BEST COMEDY RECORDING…GONE WAY TOO SOON, EAST PEORIA’S OWN THE WORLD RENOWNED SAM KINISON, A DEFINITE WILD THING…TODAY’S ROXY’S ROCK REWIND ON 105.7 THE X…SCREAM IT OUT FOR SAM ~RoXy
