George Carlin, 1937-2008
It seems almost like a crime not to mention the death of one of comedy’s most important comedians. The morose, tongue-in-cheek irony of George Carlin passing away was all too noticeable (one of his last comedy specials was, after all, titled Life is Worth Losing) , but no one ever really thought it likely, or at least anytime soon. Last night, at age seventy-one, George Carlin passed away.
His comedy wasn’t of the typical affair. Moreover a commentator than a comedian, Carlin found success in chastising society for both its stupidity and wrongdoings. His humor lifted the very dark material, but it was that edgy “fuck you” to society that made his shows (and his bits) all the more satisfying. From accepting death to neglecting religion, he made it his mark to touch upon things that most like to leave unsaid.
One of the appealing aspects of what was generally a crude stand up act, Carlin seemed always a step ahead of the game. If the world were to shake, he’d be calling it hours beforehand. In one of his closing monologues entitled “Coast to Coast Emergency”, from 2005’s Life is Worth Losing, he goes on to paint the very bleak picture of an America crumbling to destruction and chaos. It’s apocalyptic yet vivid, as most of his tirades were, especially as he grew older.
When I open the RedEye in the morning (which should be a sin in itself) and see a summary, or a “deluge of bad news”, that explains how America is falling to gas prices, food shortages, lousy television, etc, etc… I think of Carlin’s words and I just have to smile, perhaps laugh a little… because after all, what else can you do?
George, we’ll miss ya!
Check Out:
Life is Worth Losing
Thanks Micheal. This is a great tribute to a great man. I rarely look up to celebrities of any kind but Mr. Carlin was different. He made you think about his comedy. And how many comedians can say that there joke transcends decades, ie: Seven things you can’t say on television. I had the pleasure of seeing George Carlin about 2002-2003 and can actually state that his show was the most I’ve ever laughed in my life. How many people out there can actually pinpoint that moment. How do I know this. I actually had to go to the doctors the next day for a perscribed minor muscle relaxant as I had pulled a back muscle laughing so hard. You will be missed by many.
Oh yeah one more thing, “You know what people don’t talk about in public very much anymore?…………. PUSSY FARTS!”
I’ve been listening and watching Carlin all day with my girl, and it’s been one of the more enjoyable afternoons I’ve had in a while. I saw him twice in concert a few years ago, and I was amazed at his energy and enthusiasm for calling out the absurdities in American culture that we’ve come to accept for some inexplicable reason.
The interesting thing about Carlin was that you’d listen to him talk about the stupid things people do, and all the time you’d be trying to convince yourself that he was talking about someone else, that he wasn’t talking about you. But, in fact, he was talking about you, and he was talking about himself as well. And sometimes it was for laughs. Sometimes I think it was just a chance to say “fuck you.” But anyone who listened to Carlin over the years knew that the insane misanthrope with the mic cared a great deal about people and also attempted to set the record straight on elitism and who in our great but problematic nation was getting the short end of the stick.
Carlin definitely deserves a spot here on COS. He’s one of the great recording artists of our time, and there are people from every walk of life who will testify to the fact that they spent hours upon hours at a time spinning George Carlin records and cds and are richer for having done so.
Jun 27th, 2008 at 10:06 am
[...] I give credit where credit’s due. This piece came to mind a couple of hours ago, when the death of George Carlin really hit me. He was without a doubt my favorite stand up comic of all time. I, along with fellow [...]