REMEMBERING GEORGE CARLIN

By R. A. Pearson

Standup comedian George Carlin, whose anti-establishment, profane brand of humor entertained audiences for 50 years, died in Los Angeles on June 22. Carlin, who was 71, had a history of heart problems and the cause of death was heart failure. Carlin died just months before he was to receive the 2008 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, given by the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Carlin is best remembered for his routine, “Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television.” The “Seven Dirty Words” monologue prompted a landmark indecency case after New York’s WBAI-FM radio aired it in 1973. The case was appealed to the Supreme Court, which ruled 5-4 that the sketch was “indecent but not obscene,” giving the Federal Communications Commission broad leeway to determine what constituted indecency on the airwaves. Carlin said, “So my name is a footnote in American legal history, which I’m perversely kind of proud of. In the context of that era, it was daring.” He went on to add about being called a ‘groundbreaker,’ “It just sounds like a very self-serving kind of word. I don't want to go around describing myself as a ‘groundbreaker’ or a ‘difference-maker’ because I’m not and I wasn’t. But I contributed to people who were saying things that weren’t supposed to be said.”

Carlin made 22 albums and won four Grammy Awards. He also authored several books, performed on scores of TV shows, including 14 HBO specials, and appeared in numerous movies. He hosted the first broadcast of “Saturday Night Live” in October 1975, and starred as a cabdriver in his own sitcom, “The George Carlin Show,” which ran from 1993 to 1995. His voice appeared on two episodes of “The Simpsons.” His movie credits include “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure” (1989), Kevin Smith’s “Dogma” (1999) and “Cars” (2006) where he was the voice of Fillmore, the Volkswagen bus. Carlin also authored several books including: “Brain Droppings” and “Napalm and Silly Putty.”

However, Carlin was best known as a standup comedian and many of his albums were recordings of his acts and routines. Anyone from the 1970s can remember sitting around a dorm room or some other setting listening to “Class Clown,” “FM & AM,” or “Occupation: Foole.” Moreover, Carlin’s shows were always unique. He made you think.

In the early 1990s I was back at my alma mater, Valdosta State University, taking a course from my mentor, Dr. Raymond Mensing, who was reading “Brain Droppings” at the time. A year or so later George Carlin came to Jacksonville, Florida, so I treated Dr. Mensing to a couple of tickets and met him and his wife at the show. We laughed a lot, but we had to admit we felt ‘uncomfortable’ at times. I remember Carlin at one time during the monologue talking about people and their bottled water. “Who walks around with bottled water?” he asked. To him it was people trying to be stylish. He mimicked their walk and actions; these gestures were also part of Carlin’s genius.

Dr. Mensing shared some of his thoughts on George Carlin for this article. One of his favorite Carlin quotes is, “Why do they lock the service station restrooms? Are they afraid that someone might go in and clean them?” Another one is, “I got fired from a hotel in Vegas for saying shit. Imagine that in a town where the big game is crap.” The professor wrote a great epitaph for the comedian, “It is always sad to see the passing of a guy who made people laugh.” I don’t think it has been said any better anywhere.

However, the “Clarion Issue” does wonder what Carlin would have to say about the pending lawsuit Naked Cowboy v. M&Ms. His comments on this lawsuit would be a gas. Maybe he would say something like, “Did we really need a blue M&M, or a ‘Naked Cowboy’ for that matter? Especially a ‘Naked Cowboy’ who really isn’t naked! Maybe he should call himself the ‘Diapered Cowboy’ or the ‘Tidy-Whitey Cowboy’!” He left us way too soon.

George Carlin will be missed by all. He influenced a generation of comedians and changed comedy forever. Our condolences go out to all his family, friends, and fans wherever they may be.