The reason I talk to myself is because I’m the only one whose answers I accept.

November 12, 2007 8:01 PM

Thirty years of George Carlin specials. (Yep, NSFW. Duh.)

Yeah, this is the post where people can listen to his stuff and debate whether he stopped being funny ages ago, wasn't funny in the first place, never stopped being funny, or was brilliant but then sucked but then did some funny stuff here and there. Blah blah blah. Knock yourselves out. | Previously.

On Location: George Carlin at USC 1977
Carlin at Carnegie 1982
Carlin on Campus 1984
Playin' With Your Head 1986
What Am I Doing In New Jersey 1988
Doin' It Again 1990
Jammin' In New York 1992
Back In Town 1996
You Are All Diseased 1999
Complaints & Greivances 2001
Life Is Worth Losing 2005

And in closing... here he is performing at the 2007 Narcotics Anonymous World Convention in San Antonio. His 14th HBO special (apparently taped at this show) will be shown on cable in March '08.

posted by miss lynnster (49 comments total)

And a merry Youtubesday Eve to you too, miss!
posted by carsonb at 8:10 PM on November 12, 2007

Well, not one of those links was youtube. So there.

Anyhooooo, at first I was just going to link to the Narcotics Anonymous bootleg, but I knew that people would start going on about how he used to be funny but isn't now. So when I saw his catalog was online I figured I'd just make it a fleshier post spanning across his career. What the heck, said I.
posted by miss lynnster at 8:23 PM on November 12, 2007

Those are good! I might even send those off to my mom, and I'm not the type of guy who sends stuff off to people.
posted by Balisong at 8:30 PM on November 12, 2007

Aw, I need <genuine> </genuine> tags. I was looking for something good to watch tonight, and you've provided it. Thank you! Anyway, Google owns YouTube so I get a pass.
posted by carsonb at 8:33 PM on November 12, 2007

Oh I know, it's a technicality... :)
posted by miss lynnster at 8:35 PM on November 12, 2007

"Don Ho can sign autographs 3.4 times faster than Efrem Zimbalist Jr."
HA!
posted by growabrain at 8:38 PM on November 12, 2007

Carlin gets all meta at around 15 minutes into the (awesome) Narcotics Anonymous bootleg, discussing the qualities of a great joke. No excess verbiage, get the audience in on the fun. Comic genius at work.
posted by anthill at 8:42 PM on November 12, 2007

(Also no. 84)
posted by growabrain at 8:44 PM on November 12, 2007

Don't forget about his books! My favorite being When Will Jesus Bring the Plo Chops.
posted by Tube at 8:44 PM on November 12, 2007

Yeah, this is the post where people can listen to his stuff and debate ...

I missed this part. Chalk one up for 'never stopped being funny'.
posted by carsonb at 8:46 PM on November 12, 2007

Don't forget about his books! My favorite being When Will Jesus Bring the Plo Chops...

Here ya go.
posted by miss lynnster at 8:58 PM on November 12, 2007

Oh, wow. Deja vu... I saw George the Old Fuck live in San Luis Obispo a month after this performance and blogged my own review (yes, it's a self-link). The first 18 minutes were almost word-for-word the same (except for a couple site-specific references), but he did make some improvements to the 'bumper stickers' bit (but it still wasn't his best stuff). Still listening...
posted by wendell at 9:03 PM on November 12, 2007

.
posted by ZachsMind at 9:06 PM on November 12, 2007

whaddaya mean he's not dead yet?
posted by ZachsMind at 9:06 PM on November 12, 2007

WHAT? No Shining Time Station? Fail.
posted by spec80 at 9:08 PM on November 12, 2007

I love the old bastard. He never stopped being funny. He was funny then. He's still funny now. He'll be funny long after you're dead. You can argue that point with me all you want, but long after you're through flapping your big mouth at me saying he's not funny, he'll still be funny, you'll still be wrong, and I'll still be an ex-smoker and I'm just now starting to really be pissed off about dat! So fuck allayah! and most especially, fuck Lance Armstrong!!!
posted by ZachsMind at 9:12 PM on November 12, 2007 [1 favorite]

He's not a comic, not funny at all, but he's a great monologuist (is that a word?) and a brilliant guy. He's like one of the smartest guys you know, except almost everybody gets to know him.

Since we're tossing out opinions.
posted by facetious at 9:20 PM on November 12, 2007

I had to restrain myself upon hearing someone in the same room as I state that they left a Carlin performance early because he was too profane. Putting aside the fascination that some people are still that offended by certain words...how do you NOT KNOW that George Carlin uses colorful language?

(As a suggestive and tributory side note, if I'm ever hitchhiking, I would hope George comes along and offers me a ride. Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back rules apply.)
posted by deusdiabolus at 9:23 PM on November 12, 2007

Thank you once again for a humdinger of a post, lynnster. Yet another post that I favorite and I'll never have time to get through.

Farts are funny. Farts are shit without the mess.
posted by not_on_display at 9:27 PM on November 12, 2007

I love the old bastard too, but I think he's gotten so angry in recent years that it's overwhelming the funny to a degree. I totally sympathize with that though, I admit.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 9:51 PM on November 12, 2007 [1 favorite]

Thanks Miss!

I had the experience to see Complaints and Grievances live in August of 2001 or so. But then it was tentatively titled "I Like It When a Lot of People Die" the title changed of course.
posted by mrzarquon at 9:52 PM on November 12, 2007

his finest hour
posted by drjimmy11 at 10:02 PM on November 12, 2007

You Are All Diseased (1999) has some good stuff to say about terrorism and airline security.
posted by salvia at 10:12 PM on November 12, 2007

stav, I agree that his anger was diminishing his humor, but it's a lot less recently. If you haven't, check out the new material in "Life Is Worth Losing" and the "2007 NA Convention" links. I think you'll notice him mellowing like a very strong wine.
posted by wendell at 10:12 PM on November 12, 2007

(Long before terrorism and airline security was all the rage, I might add.)
posted by salvia at 10:13 PM on November 12, 2007

I like him, but I caught about 40 minutes of the 1982 Carnegie show on HBO the other night. Simply not funny that time.
posted by obfusciatrist at 10:14 PM on November 12, 2007

If you haven't, check out the new material in "Life Is Worth Losing" and the "2007 NA Convention" links.

Heh. I'm totally spooling up that NA Convention video as we speak! Hoping it's good, because I didn't actually enjoy the Life Is Worth Losing show as much as I had the previous 8 or so.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 10:17 PM on November 12, 2007

Damn flaky work bandwidth.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 10:18 PM on November 12, 2007

Stavros wrote:
I love the old bastard too, but I think he's gotten so angry in recent years that it's overwhelming the funny to a degree. I totally sympathize with that though, I admit.

I bet he looks around and wonders why am I the only one angry.

I think this country lost it's innocence in the 60's and has never regained it. He's one of the very few artists still alive and relevant who remembers what it was like when we were a nation - not just a bunch of individuals ready to fuck over anyone if it meant another dollar in our pocket.
posted by any major dude at 12:47 AM on November 13, 2007 [1 favorite]

Now that it's the new century, nerds
Have replaced Carlin's seven bad words:
So it's frak and vajayjay,
You suck! and that's so gay.
Babytalk's the new cursing, I've heard.
posted by rob511 at 1:32 AM on November 13, 2007 [1 favorite]

Eddie Murphy is, or was a comic, George Carlin is a stand-up philosopher. I love this old motherfucking cocksucker (and shit, piss, fuck, cunt and tits... for the record)

Oustanding post, Miss Lynnster!
posted by psmealey at 3:15 AM on November 13, 2007

how do you NOT KNOW that George Carlin uses colorful language?

Part of what's so dumb about that is that while Carlin may have used profanity extensively, he only did it in a semiotic form. He never went "blue". He was too sharp, too acute to have to fall back on cheap laughs.
posted by psmealey at 3:18 AM on November 13, 2007

I just saw him perform a few weeks ago. He's got some good new material.

And I don't know what it is, but seening a 70 year-old man being so vulgar is hilarious...makes me wonder if my grandparents think like that.
posted by C17H19NO3 at 4:02 AM on November 13, 2007

seeing a 70 year-old man being so vulgar is hilarious...makes me wonder if my grandparents think like that

One day at my folks' place, after Dad -- 78 or so at the time -- had finished the lunch I'd fixed us, he belched loudly, then proclaimed with a roguish wink: "Saves wear and tear on the asshole, y'know."
posted by pax digita at 4:27 AM on November 13, 2007

I guess I am in a minority but I do not find Carlin very funny. I do not object to language etc but I find him dealing too often in cliches, the expected. But enjoy him if you like him.
posted by Postroad at 4:50 AM on November 13, 2007

One of my favorite bits from Carlin (quoted at my site). In response to Postroad's comment about not finding him funny (which is fine), I'd note that it isn't actually a funny haha bit at all, basically. Nonetheless, it is one of my favorites: Carlin, especially after his dope-y days, has been all about the language.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 5:17 AM on November 13, 2007 [1 favorite]

george carlin may be the only person left in this country who will tell you the truth.
posted by kitchenrat at 5:23 AM on November 13, 2007

Incidentally, I saw Carlin a couple weeks ago, after having seen him about three years before that. He had some funny material, but there was a glaring contrast between what I saw two weeks ago, and what I saw several years ago. Much of the material he used seemed old and tired, and not very original (as it really wasn't far from what any cynical person might rant off on). Three years ago, I was literally sore from laughing so hard. This time, I felt I'd wasted money.

He operated from notes (did this last time), but this time around he seemed his best when he drifted away from them, leading one to think his present spontaneity is better than his present prepared form.

One aspect is that when I saw him, he seemed very fired up, I think charged by the politics of the time. He barely touched on such this time around.
posted by Atreides at 5:23 AM on November 13, 2007

Shit, and I made sure I saw him in 1984 so I wouldn't miss him before he died.
posted by yhbc at 5:50 AM on November 13, 2007

I Love George Carlin! Put me in the always funny camp. Now I feel all nostalgic.

I used to have a web page back when I was in college still, called, "Things That Piss Me Off" I guess it was a blog of sorts, only they weren't called blogs back then. Every week or so I'd add another few items to it. The only thing I did was rant in a humorous way. I used to get emails from mostly students around campus about how funny it was and keep up the good work, etc.

One day I found a George Carlin mp3 on the "Network Neighborhood" or a fileshare within the confines of our dorm's network. Feminist Blowjob.mp3 I was hurting from laughter! I thought "this guy's just like me!" Little did I realize the awe of George Carlin. And how I was the one only sort of like him. Needless to say, I've been a fan of his work ever since.

Oh sure, I had heard of the "Seven Dirty Words" growing up, but I didn't realize who said them, or the poignancy of Carlin's philosophies/observations/humor.

Long Live George Carlin! Three heart attacks and still kicking!

"I love and treasure individuals as I meet them, I loathe and despise the groups they identify with and belong to." <-- So true.
posted by mrzer0 at 6:14 AM on November 13, 2007

Unified Angry White Comic Man Theory:

Lewis Black < George Carlin < Bill Hicks
posted by LordSludge at 7:06 AM on November 13, 2007

George Carlin is a stand-up philosopher.

Oh!

A bullshit artist.
posted by sparkletone at 7:55 AM on November 13, 2007 [1 favorite]

This is great. I think. Have to wait to get home to view videos. Damn internet pollice...
posted by ObscureReferenceMan at 8:09 AM on November 13, 2007

LordSludge writes "Unified Angry White Comic Man Theory:

"Lewis Black < George Carlin < Bill Hicks"

Bill Hicks and Lewis Black are both in debt to Carlin.
posted by krinklyfig at 4:05 PM on November 13, 2007

sparkletone writes "A bullshit artist."

And he would be the first to admit it.
posted by krinklyfig at 4:05 PM on November 13, 2007

Bill Hicks and Lewis Black are both in debt to Carlin.

I agree! But I would point out that Lewis Black is also in debt to Bill Hicks.
posted by sparkletone at 6:47 AM on November 14, 2007

And he would be the first to admit it.

I am sure he actually does. But, sparkletone was picking up (and moving forward) my ever-so-subtle Mel Brooks (History of the World, Part II) reference. damn, I'm so clever, I'm not even funny.
posted by psmealey at 6:57 AM on November 14, 2007

Any Major Dude: "I think this country lost it's innocence in the 60's and has never regained it. "

I think this country lost its innocent the same day George Carlin did. He just realized it about forty years before everybody else.

He used to do the suit and tie schtick. He'd get up and tell routine, safe jokes. Then he started doing the Hippy Dippy Weather Man... Then he and Lenny Bruce were being challenged by authority. Some would argue the shift from clean cut to could care less was more gradual, but I think the night he and Bruce were (according to legend) in the same paddywagon heading to jail, something in him just snapped. They essentially pulled Carlin in that night because he didn't have an ID on him: his life was Godwin'd.
posted by ZachsMind at 5:59 PM on November 14, 2007

Well, the same transition could be said for Willie Nelson, really...
posted by miss lynnster at 11:16 PM on November 14, 2007