It was with great sadness this morning that I heard the news of comedic icon George Carlin's passing at age 71. George was one of my Comedy Mt. Rushmore, and he has weaved his way into my life in so many ways, from the first HBO special I saw of him as a teenager; to watching the rerun of the very first "Saturday Night Live" in 1975, with him as the host (the picture above is the promo pic from the show); to hearing his comedy on Dr. Dimento's radio show; to the current time, where I just recently saw his new 14th HBO special and thought, this guy still has it. Carlin was crass, he used too much "bad" language, according to some, but he used it in a way that made you think, that made the words lose their shock, which is all he ever wanted from his audience. He tackled religion, politics, death, and normal everyday life, and no one was safe.
I had the honor of seeing Carlin in Atlanta a few weeks after 9/11, and it was the first time I really laughed during that sad time. I am even happier today that I did have that opportunity to see this wonderful genius who broke barriers, helped you laugh even when you didn't want to, and led the way to a more open and less Puritanical society. You will be missed old friend, but we can take solace in the fact that you are probably telling St Peter a dirty joke as we speak. And we always have 40 years worth of comedy to keep us laughing. Here are some of his best routines, please enjoy, and laugh. That's what George would want.
His most famous, The Seven Words You Can't Say on Television. Audio only, explicit language:
One of my favorites, comparing Baseball and Football:
And finally, a part of his last special from just 3 months ago, "It's Bad For Ya." Mostly, ironically, about death and the afterlife. Explicit language:
1 comment:
He will be missed. I overlooked him for VP material. :(
Post a Comment