Monday, June 23, 2008

R.I.P., George Carlin

George Carlin died at the age of 71, and the world has lost one of the greatest standup comedians ever to get on stage.

I can't say I was a fan of his later stuff, because he tended to get way too cynical, and came off like a crotchety old fart, but most of his bits like the seven words you can't say on television, a place for your stuff, what is a sport and what isn't a sport, and his dissecting of euphemisms and idioms like "The best thing since sliced bread" and "have a nice day" are absolutely priceless. He brought a new level of intelligence to comedy that had never been seen before, but was still profane and shocking.

His routines have had a profound effect on pop culture. Also, just about everyone has received a forwarded e-mail with some witty commentary that is falsely attributed to George Carlin.

Does anyone remember this one?
Or how about this one?

Also, take a look at Kevin Smith's article paying tribute to him.

Finally, In the words of Carlin, "Why should I be afraid of dying if I'm just going to pass away?"

1 comment:

Maqam said...

Watched Dogma today just so I could get my fill of George. Man, what a bummer.