More on George Carlin

Lydia · Post by **Lydia** » Wed Oct 13, 2004 1:06 pm

The George Carlin Show:

The much touted George Carlin came to town, and played here to a full house. The audience was generally a much younger crowd than we usually get in this town, and was very responsive and enthusiastic.

The show got underway a bit late, and began with a stand-up comic whose name I did not get and who was not listed in the program. He proceeded to scream into the microphone for 45 minutes. His one-liners were scatological, genital, or urinary, and a couple were actually funny. This was followed by a 20 minute intermission, during which the audience was exhorted to go to the lobby and buy CDs. I suppose this was to warm up the crowd.

Finally, Carlin came out and delivered a single sentence for about 10 minutes, consisting of all the possible cliches and catch phrases one could think of - and some one couldn't think of. That was a tour de force. If you laughed or even just chuckled, you would miss at least a dozen. This was to be the opening on his latest HBO show. It could have been the closing as far as I was concerned. It was downhill from then on.

Carlin used to be funny, and clever. Now I can characterize his act as sick and depressing. Every second word was either s**t or f**k, and the corresponding verbs, often included not for emphasis but for lack of anything else to say. The audience loved it. All he had to do, at odd moments, for no apparent reason, was to shout: "F**k you!" - and the crowd would convulse into peals of laughter and screams of delight. The main subjects of his dissertation were death and misery. All this occupied the better part of an hour.

I guess I must be showing my generation gap.

Willy

Kerri · Post by **Kerri** » Wed Oct 13, 2004 2:47 pm

Who is he again, Ive never heard of him. Must be a two-bit comedian who never made the big time.
Seems very much like our Billy Connolly or Chubby Brown.
Only those with one brain cell in their head find it funny or those who dont have enough confidence to walk out in disgust.
I recall an artist in a Cabaret show at Wyton who got the message after just 15 minutes of silence and backs turned to the stage, he had enough savvy to pack up and leave. Maybe you should do that next time, just leave.

Been There! Done That!

TTFN

Kerri

Virginia · Post by **Virginia** » Wed Oct 13, 2004 9:44 pm

George's preceived genius is or has been on the wan for the past several years. I had a teacher in junior high who said that people who constantly use "foul language" simply show their inability to communicate on an intelligent level.
I use to enjoy Carlin as a comedic philosopher, but he has left that title far behind, such a pity!
Virginia

Calina_Leigh · Post by **Calina_Leigh** » Wed Oct 13, 2004 10:52 pm

Kerry wrote:
Who is he again, Ive never heard of him.

Ok this is going to date me because I saw it in the theater. He was Rufus in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure and Bill and Ted's Bougus Journey. He was Cardinal Ignatius Glick that introduced the Buddy Christ in Dogma. And he was the hitchhiker in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.

Eloise Goth · Post by **Eloise Goth** » Thu Oct 14, 2004 2:52 pm

I thought his 'winnie the pooh goes ape-sh*t' thing was prettty funny. not heard much else of his.

Lydia · Post by **Lydia** » Thu Oct 14, 2004 3:22 pm

I well remember his"Seven Words You Can't Say on TV." That used to double me up. That's why we sat through the whole show - hoping for something better.

Now when Lenny Bruce used foul language, he made it an integral part of the story - almost poetic, at times. They don't hardly make 'em like that no more.

Willy

Lorna · Post by **Lorna** » Thu Oct 14, 2004 6:13 pm

George Carlin is a genius!

One of my favorites was the bit he did about breaking down the 10 commandments into two... My favorite quotes from that segment:

"Coveting thy neighbors goods is what keeps the economy going!"

"Thau shalt always be honest & good, and keep thy relgion to thyself!"

Virginia · Post by **Virginia** » Thu Oct 21, 2004 9:33 pm

One of my favorties was his "Hippy Dippy Weatherman" When he is describing the line of thunderstorms and then says "the radar is also picking up a squadron of Russian ICBM"S so I would not sweat the thunderstorms!"
Virginia