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

[nexus1961]

George Carlin did more to make Americans THINK than a thousand teachers have..
that was always the hallmark of his shows/concerts/books.... yes, he made you laugh,
usually by SO accurately skewering the absurdities of life that you couldn't help BUT think.
His passing will leave a moon-crater sized hole in what passes for our culture.
If HBO has any smarts, at all... they will schedule this weekend the ENTIRE run
of George's 30+ years worth of specials.
It would be an appropriate memorial.

[MadxAsxHell]

Carlin just told us what we already knew, but didn't know we knew:
"Your house is just a lid for your stuff"
"Nail two things together nobody every nailed together and some schmuck will buy it: 'I'll give you a dollar and a half for that.' "
"Anyone driving slower than you is a moron and anyone driving faster than you is a maniac"
"The sixties were good to you, weren't they?"
"Buddy Jesus!"
"I grew up in White Harlem"
"You can't fool me: 'Shoot' is 'Shit' with two o's!"

Thanks for all the laughs, GC! Got 'Napalm and Silly Putty' and 'When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?' in the downstairs john so they are always ready to give anyone there a laugh!

[thebeerdoctor]

Rest In Peace George Carlin. His insights on fraudulent democracy, should always be remembered.

[Dansden]

Enjoyed Carlin LIVE in Lawton, OK years ago.......
He was a genius, even wading through his gratuitous vulgarity-a trademark of his humor (I get it!)- his political savvy and class commentary should be used in high schools to teach the insensibility of our American capitalistic cabal agendas that HERD Americans to Wal-Mart and Welfare and Off-shore....

[Cowboylove]

George Carlin was one of the most brilliant comedians of the twentieth century - possibly the most brilliant. He made us think on a higher plane by making us laugh at our own absurdities. He skewered political leaders better than anyone in any profession and made them feel shame for their duplicity.

We could not have lost a more important commentator than George in this our most absurd political year. I could not miss him more if I had known him personally. I loved the guy. He touched my life for all of my life. He made me laugh, he made me think, he made me rethink almost everything from politics to religion to materialism.

Goodnight sweet prince. May God bless you as He blessed us with your humor and insight.

[BlueBerryPickN]

George Carlin on the corporatism, consumption & the Ownership Class:

http://thiscanadian.typepad.com/this_canadian/2008/06/the-american-dr.html

"money you don't have, on things you don't need".
"the owners of this country don't want that, the Real Owners... forget the politicians... you have no choice... they *own* everything... they spend billions of dollars every year to get what they want. & we know what they want...
... what they don't want: a population of citizens capable of thinking... well informed people capable of critical thinking...
...they want *obedient workers*... "

There is no 'we' in corruption.
http://thiscanadian.typepad.com/this_canadian/2008/03/there-is-no-we.html
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BlueBerry Pick'n
can be found @
ThisCanadian com
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"We, two, form a Multitude" ~ Ovid.
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"Silent Freedom is Freedom Silenced"
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[keoman]

I first saw Carlin in college in 197o or 1971. He was performing in the Duke Univ. stadium for homecoming. We were stoned out of our gourds for the show, and I remember his routine on how the Japanese were planting explosive devices in all or the radios and electronic devices that they were shipping to the US and how one day they would all explode. Banzai! He played the routine like a master, starting slow, building the tension, and ending in a huge orgasm that brought the stadium to its feet screaming. Not bad in Durham, North Carolina, before a buttoned down crowd, in the 70's, on a fall afternoon. He lives on in my heart.

[LiberalBuzz]

I remember walking out of one of his concerts years and years ago and still laughing BUT thinking about everything that had been said.

I can't say the same for any comedian in my life.

One of the very very best. I had hoped we'd here his take on life, politics and everything else for at leat another 3 decades. We needed to hear it.

[BlueBerryPickN]

perhaps I could recommend Mark Thomas?

http://www.markthomasinfo.com/

Taking Liberties: http://thiscanadian.typepad.com/this_canadian/2008/05/taking-libertie.html

Secret Map Of Britain (2002): http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2130977739763182534

My Life In Serious Organised Crime: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7128747756478746701

After School Arms Club - Mark Thomas (2006) - 47 min : http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3030941781058325037

Arms Fair - Mark Thomas: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1436716492451429479

"To be a trade unionist (in Columbia) is to carry a tombstone on your back": Mark Thomas "on Coca-Cola" documentary - http://thiscanadian.typepad.com/this_canadian/2008/06/to-be-a-trade-u.html

===
BlueBerry Pick'n
can be found @
ThisCanadian com
=
"We, two, form a Multitude" ~ Ovid.
=
"Silent Freedom is Freedom Silenced"
===

[tulsey]

One less reason to laugh. I hope Chris Rock winds up in th Obama cabinet.

[SouthpawSass]

George Carlin made me laugh so hard, my sides hurt and tears streamed down my face. I laughed at what he said, I laughed at who is said it about and he made it possible, okay even, to laugh the most at myself.

[adzeman]

Thanks for your remembrance. And I agree as time when on he became more a social/political critic that happened to be very funny than a standup.

[floydSmoot]

Heaven could use a class clown.

I hope there is a place for his stuff up there.

[Casanova1978]

Remember that Carlin didn't believe in heaven, but if it did exist it could only improve with his being let in. After all, noone has been a better critic of God and his work than Carlin.

[floydSmoot]

What if Heaven believes in Carlin?

(I'm sure they can adjust to a two drink minimum...)

[MaineOwl]

Forecast for today, dark

[EvtheBev]

RIP George - you were as good as it gets. (And a constant and unwavering voice of sanity in today's madness of America Inc.)

[oldtree]

One of the best ever. The observation of stupidity never was so well put. Just take a piece a paper with you and write it down. I look forward to seeing the list!

[LutherBrixton]

"Along with Richard Pryor and Albert Brooks, Carlin helped revolutionize the genre."

George Carlin was a great comedic talent, no doubt about it, but if I can play devil's advocate for a moment, neither Carlin nor Pryor (and definitely not Albert Brooks), revolutionized the genre more than Lenny Bruce. Carlin would have to admit he followed very much in Lenny's footsteps, even using many of his vocal mannerisms and poking holes in the same societal hypocrisies that Lenny first tore apart.

George Carlin was great, but Lenny Bruce was the revolutionary.

[GolfingDevil05]

No offense, but does EVERYTHING on Huffington Post need someone to be devil's advocate?

[JTyroler]

Satan says, "Not really." I wonder what Satan will say when Bush and Cheney meet him...

[AnotherMike]

Mort Sahl, Dick Gregory, Redd Foxx... All parts of the revolution of comedy in the 50's.

The difference with Carlin, Pryor and Brooks in the late 60's and 70's is they became visitors of our homes through the television. No longer did the audience need to take a chance on someone they had never heard of by going to small, smokey rooms to see traditional comedy shows. Viewers could enjoy a bit of the show first at home, then fill giant theaters when they were on the road.

I think this is the revolution Harry Shearer was talking about and there was no one better than George Carlin to help introduce us to it.

Tragedy + Time = Comedy ~Carol Burnett

[Dansden]

You forget the genius and humor of the BEST ONE:
Mort Saul!!!!!! Heads and shoulders above the rest......

[adzeman]

He was funny for years before Pryor or Brooks shaved.
Carlin always acknowledged Bruce, as well as others of that movement(Mike Nichols, Elaine May, etc..). There was a couple of differences, one he was a fairly good actor and his filmography is large. And two, he lived. He carried a counter-culture message for decades where Bruce killed himself.