So, um, before he died I had never ever heard of George Carlin. You know, just like you yanquis had never heard of all those song from yesterday. Sorry!
So it is only retroactively that I have decided that George Carlin is wonderful. It was his piece on stuff that totally charmed me:
Makes me want to throw all my stuff away. Well, you know, except for the really good stuff. Got to keep that stuff . . .
If you watch more George Carlin, you’ll find more to appreciate from the perspective of one who loves words. He specialized in pointing out oxymorons such as “jumbo shrimp.” Even though his most famous routine might be “The seven words you can’t use on television” I liked his clean routines from the early days of TV, like “The hippy dippy weatherman” He was literate, brilliant, witty, and wonderful. Rob Paravonian, a cool comedian (search for the Pachelbel Rant on YouTube if you haven’t seen his work) wrote on his blog about what it was like opening for Carlin for the last few months. (paravonia.blogspot.com) Glad you found Carlin later rather than not at all. Also on YouTube, one of the top videos for a simple George Carlin search brings up a routine on soft language that illustrates his facility with words.
I have seen the Pachelbel Rant. It’s brilliant.
Have been going through and watching much Carlin on YouTube I thought the seven words rants was fabulous.
Also, he played Rufus in Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure and Mr. Conductor on Shining Time Station, which was this children’s show on public television.
One of my favourite George bits has him examining various phrases, “down the tubes” being my favourite.
I have a very hip Dad and he took my brother and I to see George Carlin when we were in our early teens. Carlin’s humour, even from the seventies still holds up today he was a true genius.
Gods, yes, we listened to his tapes in my brother’s big old Impala driving around town, when I was a teenager. I’ll miss his acts. I don’t *always* agree with him entirely, but I have the utmost respect for him.