George Carlin

One of the unalloyed joys (really) of being in show business is getting to meet and know people you've admired. I grew up listening to George Carlin, admiring the way he injected intelligence and daring into the world of standup comedy. Along with Richard Pryor and Albert Brooks, Carlin helped revolutionize the genre.

Then a few years ago, much too late, we met in professional circumstances: I was interviewing him on the occasion of a new book of his. We shared the stage for a couple of hours, and continued our chat backstage afterwards. We had a few more phone conversations since then, too few, and I marveled at the quality that I've come to admire more than most others in this business: his persistence. George seemed to love what he did, and so he kept doing it at a very high level. See his remarkable standup poem "Modern Man" for one of the most recent examples.

George grew tougher and sharper over the years, putting more of himself, and his intellect, at the service of his always nimble, always adventurous comedy mind. And, while his comedy was dark, his spirit with his peers was generous.

He was named recently as this year's recipient of the Mark Twain Award. Although the presentation was scheduled for November, the announcement came in time for George to know of the honor.

Comments

[reason2008]

You only love him because he was a liberal.

If he was a republican, the lovefest on this site wouldn't exist.

It's amazing how liberals only like someone like Carlin if their ideology matches.

Talent is talent. I liked him and I am on the right. Could you honestly say the same?

My point is you need to stop being so inclusive. It seems liberalism is now a club and there's a litmus test on being accepted. It's sad.

[Johnbo]

Hey, dimwit, just because Carlin railed against current political trends - who doesn't - as well as government intrusion or prohibition, you assume he's liberal? He was a big Ron Paul supporter and libertarian fits him well.

[reason2008]

Here's a test for you......

Tell me one "right leaning" person that you admire in pop culture.
Dennis Miller was mentioned above but it was a partial endorsement.

You see....I am on the right and proud to admit it. However, I love a lot of people with left beliefs. Like a religion, I respect their beliefs but disagree profoundly with their positions.

So again.....­.please enlighten me on who you admire on the right side of the fence.
If it's legit.....­.I will concede my point about Carlin. However, I will bet that I will be surprised if I even get a response to my challenge.

[zigzag1]

This from the "you're with us or against us" crowd. Whassamatter, afraid you are going to be out of power in Nov.?

[protagonia]

reason2008

Another "180 Opposite Named Troll".

"My point is you need to stop being so inclusive. It seems liberalism is now a club and there's a litmus test on being accepted. It's sad."

Did you mean exclusive instead of inclusive?

Well...

That's right kid. Liberals are better, nicer and smarter people and it's time to stop pussy-footing around about it. Liberals want taxes to not support a war but better schools, roads, safe water and air. Better police and fire departments. Not just in the pockets of the rich, who hate you, incidentally.

Your party had its turn and took us as close to Hell as I prefer to go. You say we're the ones in denial - proving people can be fed lies and go into denial. Somehow, you've excluded yourself from the possibility of such a prospect.

Being Liberal at all is indeed a test and so far you are not doing so well. Your IQ has to be THIS tall to get on the ride. There are fake liberals, and George let them have it in spades.

You just showed your entire hand with your attack. You displayed what is truly important to you. Who gives you permission to do what. The exact opposite of George's message.

Glad you liked his act, though I wonder which bits those would be.

PS:

I still like Dennis Miller, though in the 90's he was pure genius.

[S1m0n]

Absolutely; character counts.

[mswsocialwork]

These republican radical trolls who constantly read blogs like The Huffington Post, Kos, and Crooks and Liars amuse me. They must be gluttons for punishment.
Let me fill you in, pal. You're not going to change anybody's minds here.
Carlin skewered liberals as much as right wingnuts like yourself.
Get off the computer and get a life, instead of constantly vying to be the "first" poster on a left wing blog.
And at 28%, you're out of the mainstream. You and yours are on your way out.
You blew it.

[reason2008]

Thanks for the list of other places where I can laugh at you angry little liberals.
And the fact that you think Barry Obama will be LEFT enough for you is a stretch.
He will run to the center like Bill Clinton the minute he is elected (if it happens)..­..

The extreme right and extreme left will never sustain as a platform. The extreme right took over the republican party over the past 7 or so years and it did them in. Barry is smart enough to know this and if you think he will bow to your alter post Nov.....yo­u're smoking the same stuff that Carlin did for his entire career. Part of me wants to see him elected just to see the let down on the faces of the moveon.org crowd. Just like the extreme right miscalculated, this country is in the CENTER....­.not the extreme right or left. Be ready to be disappoint­ed....IF he is elected.

[mergina]

I am sure that Mr. Carlin was appreciated much more by his fans than anyone in show business. Why must you in show business always pat yourselves on the back when some great show business figure dies?

[Johnbo]

I wasn’t a great Carlin fan but I loved that "Modern Man" rap he did. Thanks for linking to it. I was inspired to try and use his same style of word play to eulogize him. I sent it to the local papers, one of which ran it.

You were a high-wire artist in a free-fall world,

Tuned in, turned on and cable-ready.

You surfed the geek-free zone.

You cut close to the bone,

You were a highflier and a lowrider,

A free-range spirit in a fenced-in world.

You had a love for the word

And an eye for the absurd.

You weren't straight-laced or straight-faced.

You were drug-friendly but reality-based.

You were down with the lingo but free of the spin.

And now you're over and out

Sorry it had to come to an end.

Thanks for the reality check and the laughs, George. Rest in peace

[protagonia]

He was properly disobedient, God rest his busy soul.

[djg55555]

I loved this line of his (paraphrased, since I can't remember the exact words): Why is it a baseball game announcer can say, "He has two balls on him", but he can't say "Looks like he hurt his balls on that play".

[lisakaz2]

I couldn't read your post for days. I was rather put out to hear of Carlin's passing. I surely hope there is an eternal reward for Carlin, who made ppl think and laugh at the same time.

[twofish]

When WILL Jesus bring the pork chops?

It's appropriate that Carlin was chosen for the Mark Twain humor award. Twain was a very dark man who has been sanitized for our protection -- they may still teach Huck Finn in high school, but I bet they don't teach "The God Damned Human Race," "Letters from the Earth" or "The War Poem."

It will be harder to sanitize George, unless they stick to the Hippy Dippy Weather Man and hide the Seven Dirty words. Both have been featured in the tv tributes.

However, I still have a question: What exactly are the seven words? I've never heard that routine uncensored.

[LiLSuzQ32]

Of course, I will have to censor them:

s**t
pi*s
f**k
c**t (

[twofish]

Thanks, I found them online. Hurrah for the internet.

The Brits are way ahead of us in this, by the way. I heard a character on a British drama use the phrase "shit a brick." I'm more impressed that the station didn't bleep it, as they usually do. This was a show made in the 80's, so maybe after a decade or so of Tony the Sacred Poodle Blair, they've regressed to our level.

[paixa3]

The hippy dippy weather man was a classic, as was the divorce game.

RIP George. There WILL NEVER be another you.

[danielmcvicar]

My wisdom I get from comedians, and real laughter comes from authorities. Thanks George, and thanks Harry.

[Centaur]

Comedy Heaven just got a hell of a lot funnier. Say hello to Rich for me, George.

[protagonia]

And give Hicks a hug for me.

[sco8d]

I just watched his last HBO special he looked way better than his previous one. Maybe it was his bloated look, or the tombstones on the stage, but I thought that would be his last. I thought he looked great and would live a few more years, what a punch in the gut! He was brilliant and on point 99% of the time and he never did get around to offending me as he promised.

I just hope my only other hero, Ray Davies lives another 30 years. Thank God! I am getting old!

[TruEngineHearing]

"...he never did get around to offending me as he promised."

What a wonderful thing to be able to say about someone.

His beauty was his hunch about life - that it was never too hot to touch, and that everything mattered.

[jackjava]

I bought AM/Fm Vinyl in 1972 at the age of 12. It was the best comedy I had ever heard with "swearing" at that age.

I still remember, "I got fired from the Freemont Hotel in Las Vegas for saying 'Shit", in a town where the big game is called crap. That's a some kind of double standard don't you think'?

He was so smart with his humor and vilified the politicians with their own words and he didi it fearlessly. He was the King of cutting, intellectual comedy.

George was the best.

[Rjchinook]

He helped us laugh at such very common things that we may have thought about on a subconscious level but never knew how to express. Like contradictiive word combinations such as JUMBO SHRIMP!

I love and miss you George!

[gardenbookie]

S,P,C.F,CS­,MF AND T.
We'll never forget 'em.

[SeaBlood]

It's funny how I've never seen anything by Carlin here on The Huffington Post. Maybe he never contributed anything. Or maybe he did, but had his contribution deleted because he got flagged as abusive or because he said something that was deemed politically incorrect by The Post coven.

[goodneighbor420]

Still mourning George...

[fogbreath]

"See my beard
it ain't weird
don't be skeered
its just a beard."
"Fidel Castro has a beard
Leon Trotsky had a beard
Lenin had a beard
Gabby Hayes had 'Whiskers'"
heard it once on tv remembered it ever since.
thanks George.