Eulogy by Uncle Dave:
I saw George Carlin’s show here in Vegas a few years ago. He had clearly slowed down and a lot of his act seemed so down pat that it didn’t feel as intense as those TV concerts I had seen in decades past. But that only meant he had dropped to being better than 95% of the comics out there. His ability to demonstrate how the English language is used and abused and can become magically hilarious from the mouth of a verbal magician such as himself was not diminished.
I grew up in Milwaukee and remember when Carlin was arrested there for uttering the ‘seven dirty words’ in a concert in 1972. My mother, who had walked out of the movie Patton because of the “naughty language,” was glad he was arrested. But given that the Vietnam war was still raging, one of his points afterwards was that many people more interested in words than the bullets that were killing their young men.
Many hated his politics, his style, his intelligence. And many more, like me, loved him for all that. We need someone like him to point out how we are manipulated by words more than ever. And his humor. He will be missed.
🙁
Best book he ever wrote… When Will Jesus Bring The Pork Chops. He will be missed.
Let’s hope he has those seven words on his grave as a final finger to those who try to censor us all. Goodbye George, may you rest in mother-f*cking peace.
I can’t think of anything witty to say, since Carlin was always my favorite comedian. I can’t remember the last time I was so saddened by the death of a man I never met.
Shit, Piss, Fuck, Cunt, Cocksucker, Motherfucker and Tits
First Kurt Vonnegut, now George. Two of the best who never lost their game.
One very funny guy, currently arguing with God over the latter’s existence.
There aren’t many people that I would miss when they are gone. George Carlin is one of them. Sorry to see you go dude.
George said in one of his stand ups that language is important because we think in language. as funny as the man was, the funniest i have ever seen, to me that fact that he got me thinking about how i was manipulated by language.
“If crime fighters fight crime, and fire fighters fight fires, then what do freedom fighters fight?”- George Calin
“Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity.” – George Carlin
he made me laugh
Standby for a fresh wave of those schmaltzy, feel-good musings that are falsely attributed to George.
I saw George at the Magestic Theatre in San Antonio in the mid 80’s.
One of my favorites, he will be missed.
Some people can’t be replaced.
Thanks for all the memories.
You will be missed.
I saw him once live, laughed my ass off. I still remember his schtick about – “What if boogers were fluorescent”
i WONDER WHAT WE WILL DO,
WHEN ALL OUR HEROES ARE LOST AND GONE.
Can/will we, find new ones? NEVER.
We are our parents, when J. Wayne died.
We are our grand parents when Roosevelt died.
A minute of silence for a true Harold of Speech.
16,
I doubt it, that movie was fucking funny.
#17 – Can/will we, find new ones? NEVER.
I understand the sentiment, but one of the great things about George Carlin, a man who was in the audience when Lenny Bruce was arrested and rode with him in the squad car to the station, was that he had unwavering support for new comics.
Bill Hicks would have carried his torch if he himself hadn’t been struck down.
If there is a household name catering to Carlin’s core today, it’s Lewis Black, who Carlin himself praised often.
If there is a punk ass comic on the edge who’s doing Carlin’s job, it’s Patton Oswald, who’s own irreverence rivals the master’s.
If there is an unknown vying for the throne, we don’t know him or her yet… but there is remarkable talent trying to climb the ladder. If you want to know who is the best, look at who climbs the ladder the slowest because they are the ones who aren’t changing the material to fit the formula, but rather trying to change the formula to fit the material.
Carlin was a father to generations of comics… and in the best of them, it shows.
Only George could do his own eulogy. Check out the last couple of minutes: http://tinyurl.com/26agkf
Carlin had a fascination with words, those things we thing with, the very stuff of thought. His successor in spirit will focus on the same.
I thought of Colbert last week when he commented on Tim Russerts passing: “He could take your words and twist them in a way that held you accountable for the things you said.”
Lovers of truth, haters of hypocrisy and inconsistency will always be with us, in a minority, but always with us. Many ex-catholics for some reason.
Tonight’s forecast—-dark.
I’m going to be depressed for week after this. I think I’ll buy his book(s) and pacify my self.
Good words, Dave.
The three great wise men of comedy. Groucho Marx, Lenny Bruce, and George Carlin. Without the paths made by these men, can anyone imagine where comedy would be today? Can you picture all the Henny Youngmen and Jackie Mason clones?
The best thing is that Carlin made enough recordings that we can always revisit.
fulanoche,
With intermittent lightness in morning…
http://youtube.com/results?search_query=george+carlin&search_type=&aq=f
George Carlin was full of shit; and as he was keen to point out, so are we all.
#28 – Sea Lawyer
And most of all is religion. George Carlin will be dearly missed.
He didn’t convince me. I still believe that cursing is for the lazy and crude.
I can’t say that I never curse but I don’t claim any virtue in it.
I respected George Carlin so much because he never stopped questioning. Politics, authority, religion, society, all of it. He’s a role model for me. Thankfully so far, I haven’t fallen into the pet-like obediance of 99% of Americans today. Shit, I would love to piss on those fucking cunts, cocksuckers, and motherfuckers who think tits is a bad word. RIP George.