Remembering George Carlin ... Rest In Peace

(this is the same blog post I posted on MySpace earlier today)

When I logged into my computer this morning, the top headline on Yahoo! hit me like a fist:

Comedian George Carlin dead at 71

It's just one of those things you think will never happen, like a favorite relative that you know is getting older, that maybe they'll kick-off someday, or maybe, just maybe they're so stubborn and crotchety that they'll hang around forever just to piss the powers-that-be off. That was Carlin: defying convention, following in the footsteps of Lenny Bruce in the '60s and bring acerbic yet goofy comedy to a whole new generation from the late '70s to today. How else can you describe the irreverence of a man who could title a book, "When is Jesus Bringing the Pork Chops?" In fact, he once said, during his 1982 HBO Special "Carlin at Carnegie", "That's my job, thinking up goofy shit."

Now I'm the first to admit that in recent years Carlin's work was a bit too bitter and cantankerous for me. It seemed as though he'd spent half his life screaming to anyone who would listen that it was, in fact, okay to be comfortable with ourselves, our bodies, and our sexuality and to talk about them in a frank manner, as opposed to allowing our government and our supposed authority figures dictate to us what was "decent' and "indecent" to say in public forums, and his routines began to feel like he was venting frustration rather than trying to entertain. But the man's conviction (not to mention the fact that he was RIGHT) was undeniable, and we always remember him not only because he made us laugh, but like all the truly great comedians of our time, he made us THINK. Think about our social phobias, our use of language, of euphemisms, of the things we take as a given when we really shouldn't--Carlin asked us to question all these things through his goofiness, his irreverence, his refusal to accept the decrees of so-called authority. His was an unforgettable voice--at least, it was to me. Rest in peace, you cranky old bastard. You will be missed.

Here are a few of my favorite Carlin bits. I was in middle school when I first saw some of these, and they're still hilarious to me today. Enjoy!


Carlin at Carnegie, 1982



Carlin on Campus, 1984



George Carlin: Playin' with Your Head, 1986


George Carlin: Doin' it Again (1990)