For my entire life I have heard that George Carlin is a bad influence, that he swears and is irreverent about the church. I have heard that he is a dirty old man, that his jokes really aren’t that funny, and that he is misguided. All of that is true or false, depending upon who is asked.
A while ago I heard an interview with Carlin on NPR. He talked about his upbringing, what caused him to question the church, and what “polite” society deems right and wrong. It struck me that he and I aren’t all that different, that our thoughts come from the same place, that in actuality, we are both deviants – political, social, and religious – and I couldn’t be more proud of my company. Mr. Carlin was a brilliant writer and philosopher whose musings were so dead-on that they took on the guise of comedy. He will be missed.
Technically, “motherfucker” is one word… Ever since I heard Class Clown (my dad’s vinyl copy that I got autographed at a book signing a few years back), I was hooked. Carlin is funny, but best of all – smart. I love the way he plays with language and makes people think about things from profanity, to religion, to weird little sayings like “takes the cake”…
I thought that was the way he’s most want to be honored.
I was so sad to read this last night.
I adored him.
Bright. Funny. Thought-provoking.
I hope I can leave a fraction of his legacy to those I love.
We could all do worse than to look to him as a role model.
Just a night or two ago I was watching “George Carlin, Again”, and then my wife tells me he’s dead. None like him, he’ll be missed.
If the people who spoke out about political corruption and the Iraq war had an ounce of the courage he had, we’s all be beter off. We need to stop talking about these “free speech gurus” and follow their example.
I didn’t always agree with his points but I sure loved to listen to his stuff. He will be missed.