Tower Blog

A Tribute to George Carlin..

June 27, 2008 by admin

“There are 400,000 words in the English language, and there are seven of them you can’t say on television. . .”

The comedy world lost one of its all-time greats this week, actor, comedian and author George Carlin –the man who john Stewart once referred to as one of the “holy trinity of stand-up comedians” in George Carlin: 40 Years Of Comedy (along with Richard Pryor and Lenny Bruce)—passed away from heart failure at the age of 71. Carlin, who grew up in a small Irish enclave just south of Harlem in New York City, began his comedy career by performing impressions on The Tonight Show and The Ed Sullivan Show. It wasn’t until he traded his three-piece suit for long hair and bell-bottoms that he first achieved notoriety with his infamous “Seven words you can never say on television” routine. As part of his best-selling, 1972 album Class Clown, his 7 Words routine was at the center of lawsuit that would make it all the way to the Supreme Court; it would also brand him as one the most outspoken and language conscious comedians of the past 40 years. Never one to shy away from controversy, Carlin delightfully skewered those who sought to restrict words, thoughts and ideas, everyone from the church and clergy on the right to liberal “politically correct” academics on the left.

Those who discovered Carlin in later years may remember him as the venomous, often dark comedian who railed against governments and corporations (check out Complaints and Grievances). Others, who discovered him in his ’70’s heyday will remember him as the lovable, laid back, grammar conscious comedian who seemed to float from one tangent to another (check out Class Clown or A Place For My Stuff). Or perhaps if have children, you will remember him as the narrator on the PBS show Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends. No matter how you remember him, one thing is certain, throughout his 40 plus years in comedy, George Carlin was never boring. You were never sure if routines would be challenging or maddening, maybe even irreverent, but you could always count on them being funny. He will be sorely missed.