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thatcrazycajunOne of entertainment's funniest, angriest and most pungent voices on society, language and current events is gone. Comedian, author and actor George Carlin passed away at 71 of heart failure in a Santa Monica, CA hospital last night. CNN.com has his obituary here.
The man who made "The Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television" quite literally a federal case (FCC v. Pacifica Foundation, to be precise), Carlin could also talk just as intelligently to children as to adults. Whether appearing in a prime-time sitcom, one of his many premium-cable specials, or a PBS children's show, he was always worth listening to. His most famous comedy routines, such as "A Place for My Stuff," "Baseball vs. Football," or "Icebox Man." are still recited by millions from memory. His whimsical toying with language ("Why do we drive on parkways and park in driveways?") and observations about everyday life ("Who is it that always leaves the half-gallon container of milk in the fridge with about a half an inch of milk left in it?") as well as his willingness to flout taboos made him, like his contemporaries Richard Pryor, Bill Hicks and Lenny Bruce, one of a generation of groundbreaking, boundary-pushing comedians to whom every comic working today owes an unpayable debt.
He always seemed too cantankerous to die; sadly, it was not so. If you've somehow managed never to be exposed to the genius that was Carlin, get yourself one of his albums on CD, his shows on DVD or his books right frakkin' now and find out what you missed. It may say something about my own temperament that he was one of a number of blunt, offensive, pissed-off comedians who were and are favorites of mine: Denis Leary, the late Sam Kinison, Gilbert Gottfried, Judy Tenuta, and Pryor when he got on a roll.
Goodbye, sir, and thank you. Say hi to Lenny, Richard and Bill for us; chances are you'll end up where they are, either above or below.
The man who made "The Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television" quite literally a federal case (FCC v. Pacifica Foundation, to be precise), Carlin could also talk just as intelligently to children as to adults. Whether appearing in a prime-time sitcom, one of his many premium-cable specials, or a PBS children's show, he was always worth listening to. His most famous comedy routines, such as "A Place for My Stuff," "Baseball vs. Football," or "Icebox Man." are still recited by millions from memory. His whimsical toying with language ("Why do we drive on parkways and park in driveways?") and observations about everyday life ("Who is it that always leaves the half-gallon container of milk in the fridge with about a half an inch of milk left in it?") as well as his willingness to flout taboos made him, like his contemporaries Richard Pryor, Bill Hicks and Lenny Bruce, one of a generation of groundbreaking, boundary-pushing comedians to whom every comic working today owes an unpayable debt.
He always seemed too cantankerous to die; sadly, it was not so. If you've somehow managed never to be exposed to the genius that was Carlin, get yourself one of his albums on CD, his shows on DVD or his books right frakkin' now and find out what you missed. It may say something about my own temperament that he was one of a number of blunt, offensive, pissed-off comedians who were and are favorites of mine: Denis Leary, the late Sam Kinison, Gilbert Gottfried, Judy Tenuta, and Pryor when he got on a roll.
Goodbye, sir, and thank you. Say hi to Lenny, Richard and Bill for us; chances are you'll end up where they are, either above or below.
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Date: 2008-06-24 10:03 am (UTC)