first winston, now carlin. what a month.

...I remember watching him on Ed Sullivan in the 60's as the 'Hippy Dippy Weatherman'...Well there's another hole blown straight through my childhood...rest in peace George...you always made me laugh:o
Mcdee

I first watched George Carlin and Richard Pryor as "straight" stand-up comics on The Ed Sullivan Show in the mid-Sixties. As the times changed, so did they - and each one ripped the comedy envelope wide open in the following decade. They made me laugh as a kid and they made me laugh even harder as an adult. I still miss Richard and I'm sorry to see you go too, George.

I recall George's reaction to Richard's freebasing accident: "In the celebrity health sweepstakes, I'm ahead of Richard Pryor two heart attacks to one. But Richard still leads in burning himself up!"

Poor George.

It's too bad there wasn't more blue food. It's the secret to eternal life.


I'll miss him. :(

Awww...(Insert any of the seven words you can't say on TV)

rest in peace George...you always made me laugh:o
Amen.



Damn. Too many good people are leaving this Earth. Tis a bit sadder & laughless today.

I can still remember as a kid covertly gathering with Catholic school chums in our basement, and listening to my Dad's ol' Carlin records like Occupation:Fool on my crappy turntable back in the seventies. Even though we just knew we were going straight to Hell for even listening to it, it was too funny to resist.

An amazing talent. And a brave one too, Carlin was never afraid to skewer those who deserved it.

A true comic genius he will be missed R I P

I don't use the term "genius" lightly, but Carlin certainly fit the bill. When a talent of that caliber passes the world becomes a slightly less interesting place. Aside from Woody Allen, and perhaps Bill Cosby, I can't think of a more influential comedian to have emerged during the 60's.

I'd say Rest in Peace, but that's probably the last thing Carlin would want to be doing. If there is a heaven, I hope Carlin up there rocking the boat as usual.

^ I can see him Moses-like, thrusting forth with his staff and glaring imposingly in his robes, trumpeting: "I AM F---! F--- OF THE MOUNTAIN!"

God bless you, icon of my middle and high school years.

I'd go home and put on "Class Clown" but it seems too nostalgic right now. I'll wait a few days and listen to it just to laugh at something f****n' funny!

We just bought tickets yesterday to see him here is the cover story

Counterculture comedian George Carlin dies (http://www.yahoo.com/s/904979)

Carlin can be called one of the greats without fear of contradiction. One of the first albums I ever bought was Carlin's Take Offs and Put Ons released by RCA. Laugh everytime I put it on.

Geez! Carlin, Tim Russert, Cyd Charisse and Stan Winston in one month!

That really bites!

Way too sad!

The man had insight. Rest in peace, George.

One of my Favs was his " Have a nice day " Routine! Got to see him twice in person.Indeed the world is a less funny place today

[Cyd Charisse dead! Didn't hear that!]

Saw a list of his albums. Every title brings a smile.

(1966) Take-Offs and Put-Ons
01. Wonderful WINO (Top-40 Disc Jockey).mp3 (5.36 megabyte)
02. Commercials.mp3 (7.64 megabyte)
03. Daytime Television.mp3 (8.8 megabyte)
04. The Newscast.mp3 (6.97 megabyte)
05. The Indian Sergeant.mp3 (4.79 megabyte)
(1972) Class Clown
01. Class Clown.mp3 (17.85 megabyte)
02. Wasting Time- Sharing a Swallow.mp3 (3.4 megabyte)
03. Values (How Much Is That Dog Crap in the Window_).mp3 (6.02 megabyte)
04. I Used to Be Irish Catholic.mp3 (2.59 megabyte)
05. The Confessional.mp3 (5.79 megabyte)
06. Special Dispensation- Heaven, Hell, Purgatory and Limbo.mp3 (5.08 megabyte)
07. Heavy Mysteries.mp3 (2.75 megabyte)
08. Muhammad Ali - America the Beautiful.mp3 (5.03 megabyte)
09. Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television.mp3 (9.27 megabyte)

(1972) FM & AM
01. Shoot.mp3 (8.13 megabyte)
02. The Hair Piece.mp3 (3.99 megabyte)
03. Sex in Commercials.mp3 (7.35 megabyte)
04. Drugs.mp3 (6.05 megabyte)
05. Birth Control.mp3 (7.11 megabyte)
06. Son of Wino.mp3 (8.96 megabyte)
07. Divorce Game.mp3 (6.18 megabyte)
08. Ed Sullivan Self Taught.mp3 (4.73 megabyte)
09. Let's Make a Deal.mp3 (6.61 megabyte)
10. The 11 o'clock News.mp3 (9.85 megabyte)

(1973) Occupation Foole
01. Welcome to My Job.mp3 (2.79 megabyte)
02. Occupation- Foole.mp3 (3.39 megabyte)
03. White Harlem.mp3 (4.36 megabyte)
04. The Hallway Groups.mp3 (1.94 megabyte)
05. Black Consciousness.mp3 (2.42 megabyte)
06. New York Voices.mp3 (6.51 megabyte)
07. Grass Swept the Neighborhood.mp3 (1.3 megabyte)
08. Childhood Cliches.mp3 (3.73 megabyte)
09. Cute Little Farts.mp3 (4.74 megabyte)
10. Raisin Rhetoric.mp3 (1.92 megabyte)
11. Filthy Words.mp3 (10.54 megabyte)

(1974) Toledo Window Box
01. Goofy Shit.mp3 (4.58 megabyte)
02. Toledo Window Box.mp3 (5.66 megabyte)
03. Nursery Rhymes.mp3 (4.87 megabyte)
04. Some Werds.mp3 (9.11 megabyte)
05. Water Sez.mp3 (1.25 megabyte)
06. The Metric System.mp3 (2.47 megabyte)
07. God.mp3 (7.7 megabyte)
08. Gay Lib.mp3 (2.42 megabyte)
09. Snot, the Original Rubber Cement.mp3 (3.33 megabyte)
10. Urinals are 50 Percent Universal.mp3 (2.81 megabyte)
11. A Few More Farts.mp3 (6.78 megabyte)

(1981) A Place for My Stuff
01. Acknowledgements.mp3 (518.74 kilobyte)
02. Opening.mp3 (1.41 megabyte)
03. A Place for My Stuff.mp3 (5.25 megabyte)
04. First Annoucenemnts.mp3 (1.81 megabyte)
05. Have a Nice Day.mp3 (3.71 megabyte)
06. Rice Krispies.mp3 (2.96 megabyte)
07. Second Announcements.mp3 (1.32 megabyte)
08. Interview with Jesus.mp3 (9.29 megabyte)
09. Join the Book Club.mp3 (3.01 megabyte)
10. Abortion.mp3 (556.21 kilobyte)
11. Third Announcements.mp3 (1.65 megabyte)
12. Ice Box Man.mp3 (7.18 megabyte)
13. Fourth Announcements.mp3 (1.02 megabyte)
14. Asshole, Jackoff, Scumbag.mp3 (7.42 megabyte)
15. Fifth Announcements.mp3 (505.19 kilobyte)
16. Fussy Eater (Part 1).mp3 (4.18 megabyte)
17. Sixth Announcements.mp3 (1.25 megabyte)
18. Fussy Eater (Part 2).mp3 (5.2 megabyte)
19. Seventh Announcements.mp3 (325.08 kilobyte)
GC_A_Place_For_My_Stuff.jpg (25.2 kilobyte)

I've been a huge fan of Carlin's material ever since buying Class Clown in 1972. Much like I did when Richard Pryor died (I'm a huge fan of his work as well), I feel like I've lost a member of the family.

We had the good fortune of seeing Carlin perform live in 2003 at The Comedy Store in Hollywood, CA. He was testing material for his (then) upcoming HBO special You Are All Diseased, so it was a very informal performance with an audience of less than 100 people. Between bits he would break character to chat with the audience and ask for our honest opinions of his material, which he was in the process of "polishing". IMO, the fact that so many people believed he was the person he pretended to be on stage is a true testament to his performance skills.

A nice piece on Carlin's death by Jerry Seinfeld:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/24/opinion/24seinfeld.html?_r=2&ref=opinion&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

Have to log in, just like the link says.

George was one of my heroes. I couldn't help laughing when he skewered society as a whole, but he was at his absolute best when he was politically pissed off. Imeasurably funny, immesely intelligent and someone I always looked forward to seeing perform. Truly one of a kind...

:cry:

Have to log in, just like the link says.

Worked fine for me with no login, but since it's short:

Op Ed
By JERRY SEINFELD
Published: June 24, 2008
THE honest truth is, for a comedian, even death is just a premise to make jokes about. I know this because I was on the phone with George Carlin nine days ago and we were making some death jokes. We were talking about Tim Russert and Bo Diddley and George said: “I feel safe for a while. There will probably be a break before they come after the next one. I always like to fly on an airline right after they’ve had a crash. It improves your odds.”

I called him to compliment him on his most recent special on HBO. Seventy years old and he cranks out another hour of great new stuff. He was in a hotel room in Las Vegas getting ready for his show. He was a monster.

You could certainly say that George downright invented modern American stand-up comedy in many ways. Every comedian does a little George. I couldn’t even count the number of times I’ve been standing around with some comedians and someone talks about some idea for a joke and another comedian would say, “Carlin does it.” I’ve heard it my whole career: “Carlin does it,” “Carlin already did it,” “Carlin did it eight years ago.”

And he didn’t just “do” it. He worked over an idea like a diamond cutter with facets and angles and refractions of light. He made you sorry you ever thought you wanted to be a comedian. He was like a train hobo with a chicken bone. When he was done there was nothing left for anybody.

But his brilliance fathered dozens of great comedians. I personally never cared about “Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television,” or “FM & AM.” To me, everything he did just had this gleaming wonderful precision and originality.

I became obsessed with him in the ’60s. As a kid it seemed like the whole world was funny because of George Carlin. His performing voice, even laced with profanity, always sounded as if he were trying to amuse a child. It was like the naughtiest, most fun grown-up you ever met was reading you a bedtime story.

I know George didn’t believe in heaven or hell. Like death, they were just more comedy premises. And it just makes me even sadder to think that when I reach my own end, whatever tumbling cataclysmic vortex of existence I’m spinning through, in that moment I will still have to think, “Carlin already did it.”

Jerry Seinfeld is a writer and a comedian.

Brilliant

We'll miss you George.

Worked fine for me with no login, but since it's short:

Op Ed
By JERRY SEINFELD
Published: June 24, 2008
THE honest truth is, for a comedian, even death is just a premise to make jokes about. I know this because I was on the phone with George Carlin nine days ago and we were making some death jokes. We were talking about Tim Russert and Bo Diddley and George said: “I feel safe for a while. There will probably be a break before they come after the next one. I always like to fly on an airline right after they’ve had a crash. It improves your odds.”

I called him to compliment him on his most recent special on HBO. Seventy years old and he cranks out another hour of great new stuff. He was in a hotel room in Las Vegas getting ready for his show. He was a monster.

You could certainly say that George downright invented modern American stand-up comedy in many ways. Every comedian does a little George. I couldn’t even count the number of times I’ve been standing around with some comedians and someone talks about some idea for a joke and another comedian would say, “Carlin does it.” I’ve heard it my whole career: “Carlin does it,” “Carlin already did it,” “Carlin did it eight years ago.”

And he didn’t just “do” it. He worked over an idea like a diamond cutter with facets and angles and refractions of light. He made you sorry you ever thought you wanted to be a comedian. He was like a train hobo with a chicken bone. When he was done there was nothing left for anybody.

But his brilliance fathered dozens of great comedians. I personally never cared about “Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television,” or “FM & AM.” To me, everything he did just had this gleaming wonderful precision and originality.

I became obsessed with him in the ’60s. As a kid it seemed like the whole world was funny because of George Carlin. His performing voice, even laced with profanity, always sounded as if he were trying to amuse a child. It was like the naughtiest, most fun grown-up you ever met was reading you a bedtime story.

I know George didn’t believe in heaven or hell. Like death, they were just more comedy premises. And it just makes me even sadder to think that when I reach my own end, whatever tumbling cataclysmic vortex of existence I’m spinning through, in that moment I will still have to think, “Carlin already did it.”

Jerry Seinfeld is a writer and a comedian.

Oh that last line was perfect, Jerry! :)

my fav pieces was comparing baseball to football and religion

I met George only once, after a show in Detroit. He was tired, but very friendly and I made a comment that actually made him laugh. The idea that I made George Carlin laugh is one of my happiest memories. I know he didn't believe in it, but if there IS a heaven, I like to think of George and Lenny Bruce doing a show together! That would be something almost worth dying just to see!

i wanted to see him when he came to boston, he was an icon. very sad to see him go. R.I.P. George


i met local comedian steve sweeney shopping. he remembered me from seeing him at a few shows. i told him that his act was awesome, my ribs still hurt from laughing . his portrayal of a phone co. guy was dead on . he evened named a bunch of guys i knew, it was like he had really worked there. you got to love when they can make a real connection to something you know and make it hilarious.

Really enjoyed George's performances and material. It forced so many people to start thinking. He will definitely be missed and we shall be the poorer for it. RIP. rr

Damn!! The very first comedy album I ever bought was Toledo Windowbox (still have it and listen to it) Managed to see him live 4 times over the years, definitely my favorite comedian.

HBO is running consecutive performances one after the other startting at 8 P.M> thru 200 A.M. about 5 HBO specials all playing 1 after the other. They did this wed. night and also tonite which I am watching. HBO will probably do it again soon.

Wish I had HBO.

Plus, apparently, a brand NEW (and final :() Carlin performance friday night!

And it just makes me even sadder to think that when I reach my own end, whatever tumbling cataclysmic vortex of existence I’m spinning through, in that moment I will still have to think, “Carlin already did it.”

Thanks for posting this, Scott. That last line is brilliant.

And I wonder if God would tolerate Carlin's brand new routine, "The seven words you can't say in heaven."

Plus, apparently, a brand NEW (and final :() Carlin performance friday night!The listing for HBO only shows It's Bad For Ya', which was his last HBO special, but it's not new. :confused:

For those who don't already know, on Saturday night NBC is going to re-run the first episode of Saturday Night Live from 1975, which Carlin hosted.

Got that on the DVD set. It was choppy - George was a little unsure of himself and so was the show in general. Still better than a current episode, though! :D

It was actually tighter is some ways. The skits seemed to know when to stop and just not go on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on......


Edit: Oh yeah, George Carlin had said he was coked out of his mind all week, so........

My favorite comedian of all time. I was about 9 years old when I saw the 7 words you can't say on TV. Watched it with Grandad on Saturday night HBO. Saw him a total of 4 times live. I had George Carlin FM & AM as a kid. He definately had an impact on my sense of humor. I will miss this guy's stuff.

I remember seeing george in Seattle at the Paramount in the lat 1980's. His "7 words you can't say on TV" went up to somthing like 700 words, at the time. The list was alot longer than 7 words and he read them from an actual list.

I remember seeing george in Seattle at the Paramount in the lat 1980's. His "7 words you can't say on TV" went up to somthing like 700 words, at the time. The list was alot longer than 7 words and he read them from an actual list.
I know there's the "7 Words" list, but I thought the list you're refering to was called "The Incomplete List of Impolite Words".

I know there's the "7 Words" list, but I thought the list you're refering to was called "The Incomplete List of Impolite Words".
You got it. I have the poster right here in front of me that I bought at his last show. An incomplete List of Impolite Words: 2,443 Filthy Words and Phrases complied by George Carlin. There was also the one stand-up act he did (I think it was Carlin on Campus) where he first added to the 7 words list. It was a long list!

^I recall falling down laughing when he got to the one that included the word "Mongolian..."

I'd never heard that one before.