Geoge Carlin, who had a history of heart trouble, went into St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica on Sunday afternoon complaining of chest pain. A few hours later he was dead at the age of 71. His last concert was this past weekend, at the Orleans casino in Las Vegas. It would be hard to understate how much George Carlin meant to stand up comedy. He, Lenny Bruce and Richard Pryor pretty much defined what it could be. When they started, comedy basically consisted of one person bonking the other one with something, then fiddling with their bowtie. Carlin helped change all that. The AP says…
Acerbic standup comedian and satirist George Carlin, whose staunch defense of free speech in his most famous routine "Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television" led to a key Supreme Court ruling on obscenity, has died.
He produced 23 comedy albums, 14 HBO specials, three books, a couple of TV shows and appeared in several movies, from his own comedy specials to "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" in 1989 — a testament to his range from cerebral satire and cultural commentary to downright silliness (and sometimes hitting all points in one stroke).
"Why do they lock gas station bathrooms?" he once mused. "Are they afraid someone will clean them?"
I don’t know what my deal is lately, but 71 seems young to die. Although I guess it makes sense in this case because Carlin famously and unapologetically did tons of drugs and abused his body. 71 in Carlin years would be like 198 in normal years, so when you put it in context he had a pretty good run. The lesson here? Everyone should do tons of drugs. I’m gonna go get some right now!
QAPLAH! Rest in Honourable Peace!
At least those pesky Reaganites can't get to him now.
Bummer of a way to start my Monday.
quite a loss for the comedy community.
I saw him live on stage in Passaic N.J. at the Capitol theatre. 1970's What a show!! He used the 7 words :)
As a little kid I'd watch his specials with my father. To me too, 71 seems way too young to die. This hurt me more than I would have imagined it would.
Damn this is by far the most depressing thing I've ever come in to see on a Monday morning, since I've been coming to this site at least.
Not to put him above Carlin, Bruce, OR Pryor, all geniuses in their own right, but Bill Hicks might deserve a spot up in that pantheon as well.
I just can't believe it! He was one of the very few comics that actually made me laugh so hard that I was tearing up. He was very intelligent and stood up for the "little man". Rest in peace, George Carlin! You will most definitely be missed!
this is pretty shitty news. It's crazy to think my dad and I grew up watching the same comedian. One of my favorite Carlin skits is a little cheer he wrote:
"Rat shit, Bat shit, dirty old twat. 69 assholes tied in a knot. Hooray, lizard shit, FUCK"
Not sure why this stuck with me, but at 9 years old I felt it was genius:
Wow–it's like having your favorite Uncle who was so much fun at parties die. George, you will be missed!
Fucking legend. Carlin made more sense than Jesus (which isn't difficult to accomplish, IMHO). I still absolutely agree with his philosophy on golf courses and cemetaries. Seriously, fuck cemetaries. In the light of everyone going green, let's do what Carlin suggested and recycle… humans for fuel. Then we could come up with really cool names for our vehicles, like the Zombie ZX5000 or something. Or the Cadavalier.
The Man is gone…..FUCK - SHIT - TIT - COCK…….
Whe I was 13 and in Boarding school, we wore out the album - 7 words you can't say on TV
Actually pepper, c,p were before cs and mf. t was last.
This post censored in honor of George, who would have wanted it that way. How you doing down there pal? /stamps foot on floor
Carlin did not suffer pricks, hypocrites, assholes, dumbfucks, creationists, racists, politicians, theologians, intellectuals, or prudes.
Although he didn't believe in heaven, I hope God cut him a little slack and let him in anyway.
pure genius
"Why do they lock gas station bathrooms? Are they afraid someone will clean them?"
Go easy, funny man. I have a bunch of his comedy albums on vinyl. Maybe I'll go buy a turntable.
Who was this guy?
ham sandwich
I've heard that thing thousands of times, I don't know the order, nor do I remember all the 7 words!…….
I would post that he can now say Hi to the Buddy Christ, but we all fucking know he is not going that way.
Eville says:
At least those pesky Reaganites can't get to him now. Bummer of a way to start my Monday.
As a Reaganaut and Reaganite…..I will say……he could be pretty fucking funny………
I saw a Biography Channel biopic about him…..he was making $12,000 per WEEK in the 1960's.
Measured in 21st century Euros…..that's like 150 bucks.
Also…..Mr. Eville:
The famed or infamous 7 words pre-date Reaganism by almost 20 years.