“Rest in peace” seems a ridiculous thing to say in regards to someone who seemed so resolutely unpeaceful.
I never got a chance to see him in concert live, and will always regret that now.
PAD
“Rest in peace” seems a ridiculous thing to say in regards to someone who seemed so resolutely unpeaceful.
I never got a chance to see him in concert live, and will always regret that now.
PAD
• 
One of the very few comedians I enjoy watching.
and find funny.
He will be missed.
Considering his views on religion, I think that he’d also have some cutting comments on people saying things like “rest in peace.” I wouldn’t put it past him to have put some sort of ironic comments regarding that in his will.
Still, R.I.P. George. I’ll miss you. Best wishes to his family and friends.
He came to Oklahoma City, of all places, back in 96 or 97. I was working at a newspaper then, and I got a free ticket to go. Fourth row.
When he opened up with the classic, “You know those cowboys with the huge belt buckles, their trying to hide their little dìçkš…” half the people left. (Those that were wearing the huge cowboy hats and belt buckles)
One of the most needed revolutionaries of our time. He was poignant and far ahead of his time.
See ya on the other side George.
He came to Oklahoma City, of all places, back in 96 or 97. I was working at a newspaper then, and I got a free ticket to go. Fourth row.
When he opened up with the classic, “You know those cowboys with the huge belt buckles, their trying to hide their little dìçkš…” half the people left. (Those that were wearing the huge cowboy hats and belt buckles)
One of the most needed revolutionaries of our time. He was poignant and far ahead of his time.
See ya on the other side George.
RIP George Carlin. Thanks for all the laughs and wise words. Hope you don’t mind I have your books on the same shelf as Hunter S. Thompson’s.
PAD: You ought to work a Carlin-quote into a script to honor the guy.
“Thou shall keep thy religion to thyself!” should easily fit into just about any Marvel Universe comic these days. And Fallen Angel too, of course.
Though that’s probably a bit too easy and I’m sure you can come up with something better.
Will go watch Complaints And Grievances now.
Where ever he is, I’m sure he’s raising hëll.
“I never got a chance to see him in concert live, and will always regret that now.
PAD”
Makes two of us.
And don’t forget, you can prìçk your finger, but you can’t finger your prìçk.
God only knows why, but that line has stayed in my head ever since I first heard it, and it still makes me snicker.
I feel the need to recite seven particular words over and over right now…
I get the feeling Carlin would give us all a personal Harlan-style upbraiding were we to get too maudlin over him – too bad, George, ’cause it’s gonna happen regardless… he changed a lot of people’s lives, and how many can say that their *jokes* made history?
May we always laugh at your stories, you funny sonufa…
I never got a chance to see him in concert live, and will always regret that now.
Make that three of us.
“Get on the plane, get on the plane.”
“Fûçk you, I’m getting IN the plane. Let Evel Knievel get on the plane. I’ll follow you gentlemen in uniform — you seem to know where to sit.”
I felt like he got somewhat less funny and more angry during his last few years, but dámņ, when he was on he was incomparable.
Good night, you cantankerous ol’ bášŧárd.
TWL
1He most definitely got angrier after his wife died but his last special still had me laughing my butt off. I was surprised to find we lost him already.
Brilliant man. I saw him do his show years ago at the MGM. As for his classic bits, my favorite is his baseball vs. football.
I was lucky enough to see him last year, down here in Florida, he was still irrascible and dámņ funny. One thing with him was you never knew what to expect, Thank you for the fond memories, George.
I saw him a few years back when he was trying out new material he had just written, and he was still working from the cards. And yet, miraculously, he managed to make even that funny, trying out different punchlines to the same joke, riffing off the cuff based on our reactions, etc. It was pretty dámņ cool, and was obvious what a complete and total genius he was.
Oh yeah, baseball vs football. Classic stuff.
I remember listening to Occupation: Foole and some of his other early albums in college with friends and just falling on the floor. Unlike a lot of the great modern comics his stuff still holds up–clever is clever. People focus on the shock of the vulgarity but forget the cleverness of the wordplay. It wasn’t that he used word you can’t say, it’s what he did with them.
I agree he seemed to get angrier as time went on but I still found it funny. I did manage to see him in concert a while back and I think I had a better time than did the big fan who convinced me to go–he spent the trip out talking about how Carlin spoke The Truth By Which One Should Live Our Lives and we got him on a particularly angry night. Were one to live ones life by the words we heard that time one might well be a serial killer. But it was funny, dámņëd funny. And he could get away with it. Who else could make an OJ Simpson joke that more or less took the position that “And hey–maybe they had it coming.”? It was the way he said it, maliciousness without any malice. One of a kind.
wanted to let my friedns and family know of his passing… I labeled the emailed as “That P*ssy George Carlin, the M*th*rf*ck*r, had a sh*tty day, then he died.” Not sure if they’ll get it or not…
Oh, well.. Hope he’s having a great time with Hunter Thompson and Mark Twain wherever he is.
I got the news via text at 1am (CST) last night, right as I was punching out for my first break. Called my dad, who is a huge fan of Carlin’s, to see if he’d heard about it, and he hadn’t. Seemed to be quite surprised, but said he’d been expecting it for some years now. Still a big shock to actually hear about it happening, though; Carlin always seemed like one of those guys who’d be around forever.
My dad got to see him live, during the infamous 1973 Summerfest show in Milwaukee where Carlin was arrested for the Seven Words bit. I think he got to see him a second time too, the lucky punk…
My first reaction when I read the text informing me of his death at one am?
Naturally, it was seven words long… and that, to me, seemed like the most appropriate thing to say.
It’s been a sad month. Tim Russert, Stan Winston and now George Carlin. Rest well Gentlemen.
Oh yeah, baseball vs football. Classic stuff.
“Baseball has a seventh inning stretch.”
“Football has a two minute WARNING.”
TWL
Got to see him live in Vegas at Bally’s about 9 or so years ago, he did a mix of stuff I’d heard before and some new, all of it hilarious.
He got angrier, but it worked for him, and he was still dead on most of the time.
Hopefully Joe Pesci has room at the mansion for George now… 🙂
When I heard the news, I had seven choice words to say, though it’s not much of a tribute to such a mastermind. I was 12 when a cousin had me listen to one of Carlin’s albums, and I nearly choked to death on the bit about the differences between men and women pi**ing.
I was fortunate enough to see him twice, and am now thoroughly kicking myself for not going bankrupt a few months sooner and seeing him last summer when he came around.
Run out and buy his 14-disk set of every television special he ever had. It’s worth every penny.
My mom got to see him several times early in his career, and was without a doubt her favorite comedian. Back when I was younger, and she would watch him on HBO…she was always a little uncomfortable when I would come in the room and watch it with her. But regardless, I did, and he grew to become my favorite comedian also. I always agreed with alot of what he said. Everything he said always made alot of logical sense to me…It was just typically things left unsaid, because they weren’t appropriate. Needless to say, I was fairly upset over this, and my mom was VERY upset.
I hope there is a heaven, and if George is there, he is giving God a swift kick in the ᚚ 🙂
“While you’re looking at the quiet one, a noisy one is going to F–KING KILL YOU!!!
“Gymnastics isn’t a sport because Romanians are good at it.”
My favorite lines from my favorite comedian.
I’d say, “Ðámņ it”, but he’d say something much stronger.
He came here to Pittsburgh about 15 years ago and a friend and I went on a whim. Yes, he was more preachy than what I had remembered when I was young but he was hilarious and I am glad I got to see him. Even it was only once.
I wonder if he ever got to Pittsburgh. 🙂
Carlin was one of my favorite comics for over thirty years. Knowing his long history of heart trouble (he had a heart attack when he was younger than I am now), I wondered how long he’d be with us.
I agree that his material did seem to become angrier in his later years (his October 2001 HBO special was originally going to be titled I Kind of Like It When A Lot of People Die, but was retitled before airing for obvious reasons, and a later special was titled You Are All Diseased), but he was still one of the funniest guys out there.
One of the stack of books I’ve bought in recent years and haven’t had a chance to read yet was Carlin’s When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops. I guess that’ll be his final performance for me.
Hope the roof is nice, George.
I was lucky and got to see him perform live just a couple of months ago. He’ll be missed.
One of my favorite Carlin bits:
“Some people think of the glass as half full.
Some people think of the glass as half empty.
I think of the glass as too big.”
George Carlin filmed his 1988 HBO special George Carlin: What Am I Doing in New Jersey? here in my hometown of Union City, at the Park Performing Arts Center. (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8522695233374950514&hl=en) I’ve done a portraiture/caricature workshop every year at the PPAC during Union City’s annual Multi-Arts Festival since 1989, and even though I’ve seen every one of his HBO specials, I remember how shocked I was when I discovered long after the fact that he filmed that special right here. I was sixteen in 1988, and I can’t quite remember if I was into Carlin yet, but I’m pretty sure that I was, and had I known that he would be here, I’d have saved up whatever I’d have needed to to attend it. I’m sure ditto goes for my parents, especially my Dad, who was also a huge fan of Carlin’s. One Christmas I got a boxed set of all of Carlin’s HBO specials to date for that reason.
I’m in complete shock that he’s gone. When I found out hours ago at nitcentral.com, I literally, audibly said, “No!” It’s not that he was young, but it’s just that he’s one of those celebrities that I not only loved listening to, but liked for so long, as far back as I can remember, that there was just this built-in feeling that he would always be there for me to enjoy, as if his genius almost imparted the perception of immortality upon him. But obviously that’s not the case. He’s not an inanimate trinket on a shelf; he was a flesh-and-blood mortal, and to be reminded of this upon his death is just so jarring.
It just won’t be the same without him.
Rest in Peace, George. You’ll be missed.
I was fortunate enough to see him live in 1999 with my dad. One of my favorite memories.
“Y’know why they put a çøçk on top of the weather vane? Because if it was a çûņŧ, the wind would blow right through it!”
May the forces of evil become confused on the way to your afterlife, George.
I’m particularly ticked off with myself since he’s been playing Vegas fairly regularly since I’ve moved here, and I kept meaning to go to a show and didn’t manage to do so.
While baseball and football’s a classic, I always liked the Dr. Demento favorite Icebox Man routine even more; from memory “Close the door! If you can’t decide, take a Polaroid picture and come back later after you’ve looked at it. You’ve got it easy; in my day, we had to do an oil painting!”
Four days before Christmas in ’98 I found out at the last second that George was going to be at the LA Comedy Store — performing a trial run of his soon to shoot HBO Special. My friends and I were seated up front– less than five feet from this genius.
I was laughing so hard (until I was literally crying) that George stepped up to the microphone, looked at me and said, “Geez, kid! Can I take you home with me… Better yet, will you come to the taping of my special?” “I screamed, while laughing, “George, I’d follow you anywhere!”
After his set, I was sitting at my table having a beer with my friends when George walked up and said he wasn’t kidding about the invite… He really wanted me at the show. He handed me his card. I wrote down my contact info on another one… and 2 months later my telephone rang. “Hey Kid, You want to go to a comedy concert?!” The start of something special.
My favorite bit of prophecy? When George warned everybody in a routine that guns in schools would lead to guns in CHURCH… Everybody gasped and he said, “It’s coming! Oh, it’s coming!” and sure enough– some wacko walked into a church about four months later and opened fire.
I cried when I heard probably as long as I laughed that night at the Comedy Store. Bye, George. Since you were almost always right… We probably won’t see each other again… Ðámņ!
With any luck, he’s finally getting useful answers to his questions…
The refrigerator stuff is fantastic, I agree. I like the later piece of that same bit —
“Leftovers are wonderful. They make you feel good about yourself twice. When you first put them away, you feel really intelligent — ‘I’m saving food!’ And three weeks later, when hair is growing out of it and you throw it away, you feel really intelligent — ‘I’m saving my life!'”
To this day, when we occasionally have to toss out a leftover, it is termed “doing a Carlin on it.”
TWL
I’ve loved George sence my early teens and as I’ve gotten older he became more and more my philosophical hero.
My wife got me tickets for an Atlantic City concert he did a few years back – half material from a previous HBO concert and half new stuff – most of which I couldn’t remember after for laughing so hard during.
Question – what do you all think he did with his two minute warning?
Personally I’d like to think he was trying to get a bløwjøb from a candy striper.
Joe bless him.
I’ve loved George sence my early teens and as I’ve gotten older he became more and more my philosophical hero.
My wife got me tickets for an Atlantic City concert he did a few years back – half material from a previous HBO concert and half new stuff – most of which I couldn’t remember after for laughing so hard during.
Question – what do you all think he did with his two minute warning?
Personally I’d like to think he was trying to get a bløwjøb from a candy striper.
Joe bless him.
I’ve loved George sence my early teens and as I’ve gotten older he became more and more my philosophical hero.
My wife got me tickets for an Atlantic City concert he did a few years back – half material from a previous HBO concert and half new stuff – most of which I couldn’t remember after for laughing so hard during.
Question – what do you all think he did with his two minute warning?
Personally I’d like to think he was trying to get a bløwjøb from a candy striper.
Joe bless him.
I’ve loved George sence my early teens and as I’ve gotten older he became more and more my philosophical hero.
My wife got me tickets for an Atlantic City concert he did a few years back – half material from a previous HBO concert and half new stuff – most of which I couldn’t remember after for laughing so hard during.
Question – what do you all think he did with his two minute warning?
Personally I’d like to think he was trying to get a bløwjøb from a candy striper.
Joe bless him.
I’ve loved George sence my early teens and as I’ve gotten older he became more and more my philosophical hero.
My wife got me tickets for an Atlantic City concert he did a few years back – half material from a previous HBO concert and half new stuff – most of which I couldn’t remember after for laughing so hard during.
Question – what do you all think he did with his two minute warning?
Personally I’d like to think he was trying to get a bløwjøb from a candy striper.
Joe bless him.
I’ve loved George sence my early teens and as I’ve gotten older he became more and more my philosophical hero.
My wife got me tickets for an Atlantic City concert he did a few years back – half material from a previous HBO concert and half new stuff – most of which I couldn’t remember after for laughing so hard during.
Question – what do you all think he did with his two minute warning?
Personally I’d like to think he was trying to get a bløwjøb from a candy striper.
Joe bless him.
I was so shocked heard the news. I loved the joke about: “Why is Santa so jolly? Because he knows where all the bad girls live!”
His political satire was bitting and often dead on. To loose both Russert and Carlin, two important political observers in the same year as a Presidental election is just sadder than sad!
Russert would have kept McCain and Obama in perspective and Carlin would have kept it funny.
The football/baseball routine is pretty good, but for my money, you can’t beat his rant on euphemisms, particularly those he encounters when traveling by plane:
“In the unlikely event of sudden loss of cabin pressure…”
Carlin’s translation: “Roof flies off plane!”
“In the event of a water landing…”
Carlin’s translation: “Plane CRASHES INTO THE OCEAN!”
“…Welcome to Chicago…”
Carlin’s translation: “She’s just arriving there herself, and she’s in here with us. Who does she think she is, the fûçkìņg mayor’s wife?”
“…Please observe the NO SMOKING sign until you are inside the terminal…”
Carlin’s translation: “It’s physically impossible to do that, unless you’re a contortionist!”
His reaction to a weatherman talking about a “rain event” (“Wow, we gotta get tickets to that one, honey!”) also had me in stitches. This bit is so funny the way he tells it, that my parents and I occasionally repeat it amongst ourselves when we hear something that reminds us of it, and hëll, I started laughing out loud just now when I started typing it.
Pure genius.
Saw him every time he came through central Florida on an album tour. Hilarious man, even when he was angry enough to make you a bit uncomfortable…
I first discovered George Carlin in 1982 at the age of twelve when the HBO special Carlin at Carnegie debuted. It may have even been the first time I really watched stand up comedy. I remember laughing my ášš off and tears streaming down my face. I saw it again many times because back then I would watch everything I liked on HBO every single time it was on. I remember rehashing the routines over and over again with friends at school. Matter of fact I think Carlin was, in part, responsible for the beginning of this foul mouth I’ve developed, and y’know what? I thank him for it.
“Leftovers are wonderful. They make you feel good about yourself twice. When you first put them away, you feel really intelligent — ‘I’m saving food!’ And three weeks later, when hair is growing out of it and you throw it away, you feel really intelligent — ‘I’m saving my life!'”
“It’s a leftover. What a sad word that is – ‘leftover’. How would you like to be ‘a leftover’? Well, it wouldn’t be so bad if they were taking people out to be shot. Hëll, I’d probably volunteer!”
My favorite bit of his, also about airplanes, talks about The Safety Lecture, and how the flight attendants give a long dissertation to the passengers, some of whom are well educated, on the intricacies of fastening A BELT BUCKLE.
Way back when, in the dark ages, my best friend had HBO but VCR’s were still a couple of years away. We’d set up a cassette player next to the tv speaker, and record the audio to Carlin’s shows. When he did get a VCR, we taped the latest special so that we could freeze-frame the burst of 100 or more other “dirty words” you couldn’t say, many of which left us scratching our heads (like Mongolian Cluster F***). We wrote them all down and passed them around the neighborhood.
If I dig through my pile, I think I still have some of those cassette tapes, at very least the Ice Box Man routine, which I taped off of Dr. Demento back in the early 80’s (I have a place for my stuff. I just wish it was organized).
I’m still bummed. What a way to start a Monday.
I will miss him dearly. Back when I taught Critical Thinking, I used his 10-minute routine on euphemisms (showing the (de)evolution of “shell shock” to “post-traumatic stress disorder”) to demonstrate the dangers of softer language.
One of my favorite bits was his “Book club” which was simply a long, insanely funny list of book titles he came up with (“How to Spot Truly Vicious People in Church,” “The Food Coloring Diet,” “Why Hawaii and Norway Are Not Near Each Other”).
I managed to see Carlin twice in my life. Once here in Seattle and once the last time I was in Vegas. I got called at midnight last night by a friend. We both put on “You Are All Diseased” and stayed up for a bit listening to it.
Today at work, I broke the news to a coworker. We went out at lunch and listened to some Carlin in my car.
RIP, Mr. Conductor.
Mark Evanier writes about him on http://www.newsfromme.com/
My husband has said for many years that George Carlin is his favorite philosopher. We were lucky enough to see him once and he had me rolling on the floor, but never failed to make me think. I hope someone somewhere will take up his mantle, because we need a George Carlin.