George Carlin
Born: May 12, 1937
Died: June 22, 2008 (age 71)
George Carlin was a Grammy-winning stand-up comedian, actor, and author noted for his political and dark humor. Carlin’s “Seven Dirty Words” comedy routine was central to the 1978 U.S. Supreme Court case F.C.C. v. Pacifica Foundation, in which the judges ruled in favor of the government, granting it the right to regulate Carlin’s act on the TV and radio.
From 1963 to 2008, George Carlin had thirteen HBO comedy specials, starred in his own sitcom The George Carlin Show, wrote five books, and released twenty-three albums. He appeared in sixteen movies, including Car Wash (1976), Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989), Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey (1991), Dogma (1999), and Jersey Girl (2004). He was also the first host of Saturday Night Live, which debuted in 1975.
On June 22, 2008, Carlin complained of chest pain and went to St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica, California. Carlin died of heart failure at the age of 71. He had a history of heart attacks, beginning in the late 1970s.
On a Paunch note, without George Carlin, there would probably not be a Paunch Stevenson Show. Our cynical wit we learned from the master.
discussed in episodes 48 and 106
Wow, I just opened up Yahoo.com and saw this, and am completely stunned and saddened. I mean, this is George Carlin!
Huge loss to culture, comedy, and the American narrative. Carlin was the best ever in my book. His HBO specials from 25 and 30 years ago are incredibly brilliant. I’ve never seen a comic relate to everyday life so well metaphorically, and no one used sarcasm the way he did. He did an HBO special though right after September 11th, which was one of his best ever, and really got people’s spirits up.
Sometime in the last 5 years or so, he kind of became a bit too bitter and wasn’t as funny anymore. Even so, the whole human race would greatly benefit from having a larger percentage of thinkers along Carlin’s wavelength.
In memory of George Carlin – Carlinisms…..
1. Don’t sweat the petty things and don’t pet the sweaty things.
2. One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor.
3. Atheism is a non-prophet organization.
4. If man evolved from monkeys and apes, why do we still have monkeys and apes?
5. The main reason Santa is so jolly is because he knows where all the bad girls live.
6. I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, “Where’s the self-help section?” She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.
7. Could it be that all those trick-or-treaters wearing sheets are not going as ghosts but as mattresses?
8. If a mute swears, does his mother wash his hands with soap?
9. If a man is standing in the middle of the forest speaking and there is no woman around to hear him…is he still wrong?
10. If someone with multiple personalities threatens to kill himself is it considered a hostage situation?
11. Is there another word for synonym?
12. Isn’t it a bit unnerving that doctors call what they do practice?
13. Where do forest rangers go to “get away from it all”?
14. If a parsley farmer is sued, can they garnish his wages?
15. Would a fly without wings be called a walk?
16. Why do they lock gas station bathrooms? Are they afraid someone will clean them?
17. If you spin an oriental man in a circle three times, does he become disoriented?
18. If a turtle doesn’t have a shell, is he homeless or naked?
19. Can vegetarians eat animal crackers?
20. If the police arrest a mime, do they tell him he has the right to remain silent?
21. How do blind people know when they are done wiping?
22. How do they get the deer to cross at that yellow road sign?
23. Why is it called tourist season if we can’t shoot at them?
24. What was the best thing before sliced bread?
25. One nice thing about egotists: they don’t talk about other people.
26. Why is there an expiration date on sour cream?
27. How is it possible to have a civil war?
28. If one synchronized swimmer drowns, do the rest drown too?
29. If you ate pasta and antipasta, would you still be hungry?
30. If you try to fail, and succeed, which have you done?
31. Whose cruel idea was it for the word “Lisp” to have an “s” in it?
32. Why are hemorrhoids called “hemorrhoids” instead of “assteroids”?
33. Why is the alphabet in that order? Is it because of that song?
Good Carlinisms. There are many classics in that list.
I wonder who the next great comedian will be.
I was extremely saddened by the death of George Carlin. I don’t normally care for foul language but Carlin was the only comedian that I ever saw that was funnier because of his use of it.