George Carlin (1937-2008) -- wow, who the hell thought he'd make 71 in the first place???
George was my first comedian. My brothers had the "Class Clown" album and the "Take-offs and Put-ons" album, and I ate them up. Yes, at 6 and 7 years old, I had them memorized (which explains a lot). There are still entire Carlin routines floating around my head, ready to spew forth at the drop of a hat.
There were three titans of stand-up from that era (not to slight anyone else, but these three stood a little higher than the rest); George Carlin, Bill Cosby, and Richard Pryor. It's a gross oversimplification, but I think that George's comedy came from the brain, Cosby's from the heart, and Richard's from the gut. They were all incredibly funny, and all had elements of the others, but that's my take on it.
Yes, George got a little less funny, and a lot more pissed off later on, especially in the early 80's. But anyone who used their brain was pissed off in the early 80's.
George Carlin was the first to get me into thinking about words, and how they're used. Even the "Seven words you can't say on television" bit was about the words themselves, not the shock value of just saying them. George was the funniest pedant I've ever heard, and put me well on my way.
So farewell, George. Well done. You made a lot of people laugh, and a lot of people think, and that's not a bad combination.
Or a bad epitaph.
2 comments:
I grew up listening to Carlin, Richard Pryor (on 8-track, no less!) and Cheech and Chong.
It it any wonder I turned out so twisted?
I'm just glad he didn't die of an overdose. Seems to be the way to go for comedians.
I'm reminded of George's bit about the "Comedian tragedy contest"
"Richard Pryor had a heart attack. I had a heart attack. Richard caught himself on fire. I said, fuck that, I'm having another heart attack!"
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