Written by: Samuel K. Sloan (FarPoint Media Executive News Director)
The name George Carlin should be known by just about everyone on this planet. Only the newly born and those living under a rock for the last six decades won’t know who Mr. Carlin is. Well, sadly George died last night of a massive heart attack in California at the age of 71.
The winner of the Mark Twain award, the highest honor that is bestowed on a humorist, and make no mistake about it, Carlin was much more than an actor or comedian, he was a humorist on the order of the man for whom that great award is named.
In the late 1950’s Carlin broke into the business doing standard stand-up shtick for his day and was making a name for himself, particularly with one of his characters, Al Sleet, your hippie-dippy weatherman. But, by the early 1960’s he broke out of that stand-up mode and became notorious for introducing into his routine those now famous “Seven Dirty Words” not allowed on television. In fact, his “dirty words” became the basis for a 1978 United States Supreme Court landmark case: U.S. Supreme Court case F.C.C. v. Pacifica Foundation, in which, by a slim 5-4 decision the justices affirmed the government’s right to regulate Carlin’s act on the public airwaves. Looking at those same “Seven Dirty Words” today, they look like child’s play.
In the history of comedy there is only one other who stands slightly taller than Carlin in originality, attendence draw and popularity…Richard Pryor. Like Pryor and another 60’s comedian – Lenny Bruce, Carlin’s act wasn’t about jokes or one-liners. No, like all the greats before him, Carlin was a story-teller and none could do it any better than George.
Carlin was what many like to call an “observational humorist.” Like Twain and Will Rogers before him, he simply looked at the world around him, took from it, made it funny, while at the same time digging out golden nuggets of elightening truth about that world and its myriad of strange and bizarre cultural foundations. Nothing but his family was sacred to George. He would verbally attack any institution, be it government, religion or societal custom, nothing escaped his keen eye, illuminating wit and sharp tongue.
George amassed quite a TV and movie acting career too over the last several years. He did loads of voice work for such hit animated fare as TV’s “The Simpsons,” on the big screen in “Cars,” “Tarzan II,” and “Happily N’Ever After,” as well as live-action genre-related features like “Scary Movie 3,” “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure” and “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.” However, the one film he will always be remembered in was the part of “Cardinal Ignatius Glick,” the priest who tried to spice up mass attendance by introducing a new image of Jesus called the Buddy Christ in Kevin Smith’s film “Dogma.”
George and I didn’t always see eye-to-eye on every issue he would spout out, but I never left one of his concerts without having learned something new and seeing the world with a slightly different perspective than when I walked into the hall.
George Carlin, truly one of the greats of our age – dead at 71.
The world has become a less happier place with his passing.
Truly a sad loss.
I remember being 14 and listening to my Dad’s Carlin cassettes with him and both of us laughing like psychopaths.
We didn’t connect on much. Its a real testament to Carlin’s talent that two people of such different age groups and life experience could enjoy his work so much.
Just last night I was debating buying tickets to his show in August. My decision is made now, of course, but in the saddest possible way.
Offensive? Quite often. Informative and thought provoking? Always. He will be missed.
He will be missed! A toast to George for all the great laughs he gave all of us! Hopefully he is somewhere having laughs with his Brenda!
It is a sad day for all the class clowns when there leader say good-bye. We will miss you Georgie.
A friend and I were just talking about seeing George the next time he came to Vegas. We’d just missed him last weekend.
I’m old enough to remember seeing Mr. Carlin during the end of his “suit and tie” period…and then when he came back from, ironically a heart attack, and he was transformed. Gone was the buzz cut and and suit and tie. He was still George Carlin with Hal Sleet and the gang…but he was deeper. There was more bite and passion.
It was as though he was not only here to make us laugh…but to make us think as well.
My friends and I drop Carlinisms when we talk about our “stuff”. We still laugh at “Hal Sleet, your hippy-dippy weatherman, with all your hippy-dippy weather…man.”
You’re so right, Sam. Another of the great Storytellers is gone from our company.
We won’t forget you, George.
This man shaped my world view, made me laugh ’til my belly couldn’t take anymore and inspired me. It’s like losing a surrogate father. Thanks for everything, George! I’ll miss you.