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| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| George Carlin dead |
| 2008-06-23 |
| $hit, pi$$, fuc&, . . . Comedian George Carlin, a counter-culture hero famed for his routines about drugs, dirty words and the demise of humanity, died of heart failure at a Los Angeles-area hospital on Sunday. He was 71. Carlin, who had a history of heart and drug-dependency problems, died at Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica about 6 p.m. PDT (9 p.m. EDT) after being admitted earlier in the afternoon for chest pains, spokesman Jeff Abraham told Reuters. Known for his edgy, provocative material developed over 50 years, the bald, bearded Carlin achieved status as an anti-Establishment icon in the 1970s with stand-up bits full of drug references and a routine called "Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television." A regulatory battle over a radio broadcast of the routine ultimately reached the U.S. Supreme Court. In the 1978 case, Federal Communications Commission vs. Pacifica Foundation, the top U.S. court ruled that the words cited in Carlin's routine were indecent, and that the government's broadcast regulator could ban them from being aired at times when children might be listening. The Grammy-winning Carlin remained an active presence on the comedy circuit. Carlin was scheduled to receive the John F. Kennedy Center's prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in November and his publicist said Carlin performed in Las Vegas this month. His comedic sensibility revolved around a central theme: humanity is a cursed, doomed species. "I don't have any beliefs or allegiances. I don't believe in this country, I don't believe in religion, or a god, and I don't believe in all these man-made institutional ideas," he told Reuters in a 2001 interview. Carlin told Playboy in 2005 that he looked forward to an afterlife where he could watch the decline of civilization on a "heavenly CNN." "The world is a big theater-in-the round as far as I'm concerned, and I'd love to watch it spin itself into oblivion," he said. "Tune in and watch the human adventure." Carlin wrote three best-selling books, won four Grammy Awards, recorded 22 comedy albums, headlined 14 HBO television specials, and hosted hundreds of variety shows. One was the first episode of "Saturday Night Live" in 1975, when he was high on cocaine. Drug addiction plagued him for much of his life, beginning with marijuana experimentation as a teen, graduating to cocaine in the 1970s, and then to prescription painkillers and wine. During the cocaine years, Carlin ignored his finances and ended up owing about $3 million in back taxes. In 2004, he entered a Los Angeles rehab clinic for his alcohol and Vicodin abuse. George Dennis Carlin was born on May 12, 1937, in New York City, where he was raised with an older brother by their single mother. He fondly recalled that the nuns at his school tolerated his early comedic inclinations. After a brief, troubled stint in the U.S. Air Force, he started honing his comic act, developing such characters as Al Sleet, a "hippie-dippie weatherman." Carlin told Playboy that his sensibilities developed in the 1950s, "when comedy stopped being safe ... (and) became about saying no to authority." He cited such influences as Lenny Bruce, Mort Sahl, Dick Gregory and Bob Newhart. He also dabbled in movies and television, recently voicing a hippie Volkswagen bus named Fillmore in the Pixar cartoon "Cars." Carlin is survived by his second wife Sally Wade; daughter Kelly Carlin McCall; and brother Patrick. His first wife, Brenda, died of cancer in 1997. News of his death was first reported by the television show "Entertainment Tonight." |
| Posted by:gorb |
| #16 I agree with Jack on this one. No sympathy here, glad he's gone. Carlin was just another foul-mouthed, culture-destroying lefty. At least now he can't do any more harm in person. Let's hope his crap disappears as quickly and thoroughly as Lenny Bruce's did. |
| Posted by: Thaimble Scourge of the Pixies4707 2008-06-23 19:01 |
| #15 Alec Baldwin (douchebag as a person but a damn funny actor) also narates for "thomas" - as I have 2 little ones - thomas is on occasionally. I thought Carlin had his funny moments - he had a skit back in the 80s w/his daughter IIRC - pretty funny. |
| Posted by: Groting Bucket6626 aka Broadhead6 2008-06-23 16:59 |
| #14 He was funny, but turned to be too bitter/angry-at-the-world for my tastes after his wife died. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2008-06-23 14:31 |
| #13 Not many men are willing to go the SCT just to prove a point. Carlin did. Say what you will about his humor. The man had balls, and in today's world that's distinction enough. Rest in peace. |
| Posted by: Iblis 2008-06-23 14:12 |
| #12 Comedy: Communication by other means. :-) |
| Posted by: gorb 2008-06-23 13:23 |
| #11 @#6, TW: And yet, didn't he play one of the main characters on a PBS children's show for many years? Carlin narrated "Thomas the Tank Engine". I can't tell my 4yo boy that he's dead now ... he'd cry. ;-) |
| Posted by: ExtremeModerate 2008-06-23 11:47 |
| #10 Yes, TW. He, along with Ringo Starr, were conductors on "Thomas the Tank" in the '80's. |
| Posted by: GORT 2008-06-23 11:43 |
| #9 In his prime, there was nobody better. But his prime was about 30 years ago. Just the same, so long George. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2008-06-23 11:11 |
| #8 I liked him. |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2008-06-23 10:22 |
| #7 He prematurely aged, and his humor took a nose dive thanks to his profound addiction to cocaine. To his credit I will note something said by Joan Rivers, that comedy can be 49% anger and 51% humor, but if it becomes more than 50% anger, it stops being funny. Lenny Bruce clearly crossed the line into bitter anger and meanness, but Carlin never did. I suppose that is the dividing line between a Democrat and a Libertarian, and why Democrats aren't funny. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2008-06-23 10:14 |
| #6 And yet, didn't he play one of the main characters on a PBS children's show for many years? |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2008-06-23 09:48 |
| #5 He was basically a classless jerk. He had no value system and what philosophy he did have was weak and aberrant to the point of nihilism. He will only be missed by the sophomoric Porky's among us. |
| Posted by: Jack is Back! 2008-06-23 08:50 |
| #4 Interesting that he was treated at Saint John's. He went through a several decade period where he was so angry at Catholicism that he couldn't be funny. |
| Posted by: mhw 2008-06-23 08:18 |
| #3 Interesting that he was treated at Saint John's. He went through a several decade period where he was so angry at Catholicism that he couldn't be funny. |
| Posted by: mhw 2008-06-23 08:17 |
| #2 He spoke the truth, in a funny, funny way. God bless him and comfort his family. Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2008-06-23 07:33 |
| #1 I recall his clean cut comedy period. Although he embraced the sixties counter-culture, he was closer to the libertarian position in his later years. His stuff was observational, rather than vulgar. Yah, he did the first Saturday Night Live. I saw that one. I recall that the Ford administration tried to use the show to get votes. The President's press secretary - Ron Nesson - was an early host, and the President did some recorded bits. Then again, Nixon uttered this line on "Laugh In": "Sock it to me!" Believe it or not. See yah, George. |
| Posted by: McZoid 2008-06-23 06:52 |