Iconoclast comedian George Carlin died last night from heart failure at 71. That's a shock to me -- he always seemed so youthful -- his razor wit, those huge eyes, his long hair, hip demeanor and black garb.
I had a few favorite Carlinisms, including this one cited on his own Web site: "Why do they lock gas station bathrooms? Are they afraid someone will clean them?"
He was the eternal hippy, constantly bucking the status quo. Lines drawn in the sand served one purpose only for Carlin -- to be stepped over. He thought that was what made America a bit healthier -- the constant skepticism, the push against conformity.
Unfortunately, it was perhaps that push that drove him away from religion. The acerbic stand-up comedian saw only society's little -- and big -- hypocrisies, and he equated religion with them.
Despite his witty take on things and his keen observation, he is most widely remembered for "Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television," the routine that got him arrested and led to a key Supreme Court ruling on obscenity.
His deeply philosophical view of obscenity -- or his shallow justification, depending on how you look at it -- had him blaming societal taboos on superstition."The whole problem with this idea of obscenity and indecency, and all of these things - bad language and whatever - it's all caused by one basic thing, and that is: religious superstition," Carlin told the AP in a 2004 interview. "There's an idea that the human body is somehow evil and bad and there are parts of it that are especially evil and bad, and we should be ashamed. Fear, guilt and shame are built into the attitude toward sex and the body. ... It's reflected in these prohibitions and these taboos that we have."
While George and I were polar opposites on religion, I greatly admired his God-given wit (although he never acknowledged it as such) as well as his willingness to take on some of the stupid trappings that detract from life's meaningful issues.
I had a few favorite Carlinisms, including this one cited on his own Web site: "Why do they lock gas station bathrooms? Are they afraid someone will clean them?"
He was the eternal hippy, constantly bucking the status quo. Lines drawn in the sand served one purpose only for Carlin -- to be stepped over. He thought that was what made America a bit healthier -- the constant skepticism, the push against conformity.
Unfortunately, it was perhaps that push that drove him away from religion. The acerbic stand-up comedian saw only society's little -- and big -- hypocrisies, and he equated religion with them.
Despite his witty take on things and his keen observation, he is most widely remembered for "Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television," the routine that got him arrested and led to a key Supreme Court ruling on obscenity.
His deeply philosophical view of obscenity -- or his shallow justification, depending on how you look at it -- had him blaming societal taboos on superstition."The whole problem with this idea of obscenity and indecency, and all of these things - bad language and whatever - it's all caused by one basic thing, and that is: religious superstition," Carlin told the AP in a 2004 interview. "There's an idea that the human body is somehow evil and bad and there are parts of it that are especially evil and bad, and we should be ashamed. Fear, guilt and shame are built into the attitude toward sex and the body. ... It's reflected in these prohibitions and these taboos that we have."
While George and I were polar opposites on religion, I greatly admired his God-given wit (although he never acknowledged it as such) as well as his willingness to take on some of the stupid trappings that detract from life's meaningful issues.
And I do respect that for a man who, though he was raised by a single mother and never got past grade 9 and whose checkered history included military court martials no doubt caused by his perennial failure to conform, didn't underachieve.
He hosted the first "Saturday Night Live" in 1975, despite being loaded up on cocaine all that week, the AP reported. Much later, he would tell NPR's Fresh Air host Terry Gross that he regretted the effect his drug use had on his own daughter.
Over the course of his career, he made 23 comedy albums, a number of TV specials, three books. His appearances ranged from "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" to Thomas the Tank Engine.
Honors he racked up included Emmy Awards, Grammy Awards, the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, which will presumably be presented posthumously Nov. 10 in Washington and broadcast on PBS.
And if imitation is truly a sincere form of flattery, Carlin should have been bowled over. His own website tracked rounds of emails falsely attributed to him. http://www.georgecarlin.com/home/home.html
It might be appropriate to offer up 10 seconds of silence in memory of his blazing talent. Of course, it might also be appropriate to fill it with bleeps, equally in his memory.
He hosted the first "Saturday Night Live" in 1975, despite being loaded up on cocaine all that week, the AP reported. Much later, he would tell NPR's Fresh Air host Terry Gross that he regretted the effect his drug use had on his own daughter.
Over the course of his career, he made 23 comedy albums, a number of TV specials, three books. His appearances ranged from "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" to Thomas the Tank Engine.
Honors he racked up included Emmy Awards, Grammy Awards, the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, which will presumably be presented posthumously Nov. 10 in Washington and broadcast on PBS.
And if imitation is truly a sincere form of flattery, Carlin should have been bowled over. His own website tracked rounds of emails falsely attributed to him. http://www.georgecarlin.com/home/home.html
It might be appropriate to offer up 10 seconds of silence in memory of his blazing talent. Of course, it might also be appropriate to fill it with bleeps, equally in his memory.
J. Louise Larson is a writer and editor whose work has appeared in Entrepreneur Magazine, the Dallas Morning News and a number of other publications. She is the editor of the Ennis Journal and a contributor to the Waxahachie Daily Light.
1 comment:
Wow, a dignified, enlightened, respectful insight. Throughout, I imagined the spirit of George Carlin considering and then sharing your conclusion with a twinkle in his eyes. A pithy homage to the great idea that was George Carlin. Thanks for sharing, Susan Baker, Fredericton
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