Spike TV Premieres New Documentary I AM SAM KINISON, Today

Sam Kinison, the audacious, charismatic, bawdy, fearless, raw and immense talent changed the face of comedy. The life of the legendary comedic pioneer will be celebrated in the original documentary I AM SAM KINISON, debuting on Spike TV on Tuesday, December 19 at 10:00pm ET/PT. Spike will air the uncensored version one time only directly following at 12:00am midnight, the earliest it could air due to the mature content.

The film is the latest from critically-acclaimed filmmaker Derik Murray of Network Entertainment who has previously brought to the screen the lives of such iconic figures as Heath Ledger, JFK Jr, Chris Farley, Steve McQueen, Johnny Cash, Bruce Lee and Evel Knievel.

Told by the people who knew him best including close friends and family, "I Am Sam Kinison" delves into the complicated life of a man whose life ranged from the restrained to the excessive, the comedic to the tragic, and from the sublime to the ridiculous.

With unforgettable and rarely-seen clips from Sam's most iconic performances, viewers will experience Kinison's meteoric rise featuring his signature barrage of shrieking and misanthropic riffing on some of his favorite topics including marriage, women, religion, and world hunger.

From his humble beginning as Pentecostal PREACHER to drawing 80,000 rabid fans in Giants Stadium, Kinison enjoyed a steep trajectory to fame, excess, drugs, despair, and an untimely death when his car was hit by a drunk driver in 1992.

Director Adrian Buitenhuis interviewed a stellar cast including Jay Leno, Corey Feldman, Bob Saget, Joe Rogan, Bill Burr, Tommy Chong, Rudy Sarzo, Ron Jeremy, Charlie Sheen, Argus Hamilton, Jimmy Shubert, Dan Barton, Felicia Michaels, Joey Gaynor, Judy Tenuta, Steve Epstein, Lue Deck, Bill Kinison, and Sherry Kinison.

Along with Murray, "I Am Sam Kinison" is Executive Produced by Paul Gertz, Kent Wingerak and Robert Pirooz and Spike's Jon Slusser and Jaimee Kosanke also serve as Executive Producers.

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