George Carlin died tonight, in LA, at the age of 71. I don’t even know what to say: he is probably Betty’s all time favorite comedian & one of mine as well. There are so many of us who grew up influenced by his worldview, but more than that, by his observations on the ridiculousness of human behavior. In a good way.
My favorite bit of his, which I refer to more often than I would have ever expected, is from a routine he did not too long ago, where he’s talking about the whole “save the planet” activism, & then points out, “The planet will be fine. We’re the ones who are going somewhere. The planet’s going to shake us off like a bad case of fleas.”
Indeed. Thanks for a lifetime of laughing so hard my sides hurt, Mr. Carlin. Maybe they’ll give you that ass, at long last, in the heaven you never believed in.
it’s one of my favorites as well. 🙁
The funniest – and most thought provoking comedian who ever lived. I’ve seen Carlin a number of times, can’t remember how many, but enough to where i probably enabled his cocaine and wine habits. May her rest, if not in peace, then in a position where he can make somebody laugh while he gripes about the human condition.
This makes me so sad. A real loss. He made me laugh, and he made me feel sane. RIP
From the NY Times today, a perfect example of why he made me feel sane (not by comparison, of course, by identification):
“I don’t have pet peeves,†he said, correcting the interviewer. And with a mischievous glint in his eyes, he added, “I have major, psychotic hatreds.â€
What can I say? — the man was my idol. I can only hope his last wishes, as he wrote in one of his books, are fulfilled: “When I die I don’t want to be buried, or cremated. I want to be blown up. Either that, or dropped from a helicopter. The only stipulation there is, wherever I land, I stay.”
R.I.P., Mr. Carlin. You will be missed.
oh no george carlin! oh, man. he was hilarious. he will definitely be missed.
Get ON the plane? Fuck you, I’m getting IN the plane!
I’m so heartbroken over this. I love George Carlin.
What a HUGE loss!!! =*(
It’s hard for me to talk about this. I think that stand-up is the purest form of artistic expression there is and it’s also one of the hardest things to do.
I’m infamous for doing comedy routines and I’ve been doing it since I was a kid and no one – NO ONE – has lodged more zingers, killer routines and genius though in my head than George Carlin.
Truly, I think we’ve lost a genius.
This routine kind of encapsulates why I love him so deeply:
Ballsy, acerbic, smart.
Genius.
This may work better. It’s code starts starts the same and is my favorite.
Hugs,
Vickie