(no subject)
George Carlin, one of my favorite comedians of all time, has died. I'd like to say that his cleverness will live on, but it's going to be hard to find another comedian who had such a brilliant knack for the art.
Most people think of George Carlin as a man who focused on the obscene and the vulgar, using foul language as an end, not a means. It's an understandable impression-- Carlin is most famous for being cited in a Supreme Court decision that upheld the FCC's ban on obscenity on radio and TV. And he certainly never hesitated to join in the fray that surrounded issues of censorship and free speech. He was-- to his eternal credit-- a champion of the First Amendment, as well as one of its most grateful beneficiaries.
But the image of George Carlin as a foul-mouthed ranter is incomplete and inaccurate. He was much more than that; he was a commentator and dime-store philosopher who could eloquently throw aside pretense and politics to make us laugh at the absurd ideas that underpin so much of life today.
The original "seven words" routine wasn't an attempt at shock comedy-- though he did stun his audience-- or an attempt to be vulgar for vulgarity's sake. Especially early in his career, Carlin spent a good deal of his time playfully exploring the English language. He would gleefully guide his audience through the common usage of the language-- pointing out the absurdities, prejudices, and implications of each turn of phrase.
Particularly significant to me was his piece on euphemisms. At one point, Carlin tracked the names used for a psychological issue that has faced soldiers throughout history-- from "shell shock" in World Wars I and II, to "battle fatigue" in the Korean war, to "operational exhaustion" in Vietnam, to "post-traumatic stress disorder" in our later conflicts. His central thesis: with every superfluous syllable and hyphen, the impact of the problem was lessened in the minds of the public and of those charged with caring for our veterans. Maybe if we had stuck with "shell shock", he conjectured, a lot more Vietnam veterans would have been able to get the help they deserved.
He had a less playful side, as well-- especially later in life. Albums like "You Are All Diseased" and "Complaints and Grievances" consisted of a lot of ranting. While he had pioneered so much in terms of exploring the boundaries of comedy early in his career, a lot of his later work tended towards "blue comedy"-- jokes about body parts and excrement, or insulting large groups of people.
And yet he was on the upswing. His last album-- "Life is Worth Losing"-- saw George getting back to what he did best. He started off with a piece called "Modern Man", a triumphant return to the realm of wordplay that had made him so popular in the beginning. He also referenced his sobriety-- nearly a year sober at the time of the performance-- and pushed more energy and optimism into the show than I've heard from him in a long time. His angry bits weren't so angry, his ranting seemed less like venting and more like his old schtick, and there was more time spent doing his signature work-- inviting the audience to think along with him.
I've been waiting for his next album, to see if the pendulum would continue swinging back towards the Geroge Carlin of yesteryear-- but I guess it was never to be.
*sigh*
Good-bye, George Carlin. Thanks for all you did.
Most people think of George Carlin as a man who focused on the obscene and the vulgar, using foul language as an end, not a means. It's an understandable impression-- Carlin is most famous for being cited in a Supreme Court decision that upheld the FCC's ban on obscenity on radio and TV. And he certainly never hesitated to join in the fray that surrounded issues of censorship and free speech. He was-- to his eternal credit-- a champion of the First Amendment, as well as one of its most grateful beneficiaries.
But the image of George Carlin as a foul-mouthed ranter is incomplete and inaccurate. He was much more than that; he was a commentator and dime-store philosopher who could eloquently throw aside pretense and politics to make us laugh at the absurd ideas that underpin so much of life today.
The original "seven words" routine wasn't an attempt at shock comedy-- though he did stun his audience-- or an attempt to be vulgar for vulgarity's sake. Especially early in his career, Carlin spent a good deal of his time playfully exploring the English language. He would gleefully guide his audience through the common usage of the language-- pointing out the absurdities, prejudices, and implications of each turn of phrase.
Particularly significant to me was his piece on euphemisms. At one point, Carlin tracked the names used for a psychological issue that has faced soldiers throughout history-- from "shell shock" in World Wars I and II, to "battle fatigue" in the Korean war, to "operational exhaustion" in Vietnam, to "post-traumatic stress disorder" in our later conflicts. His central thesis: with every superfluous syllable and hyphen, the impact of the problem was lessened in the minds of the public and of those charged with caring for our veterans. Maybe if we had stuck with "shell shock", he conjectured, a lot more Vietnam veterans would have been able to get the help they deserved.
He had a less playful side, as well-- especially later in life. Albums like "You Are All Diseased" and "Complaints and Grievances" consisted of a lot of ranting. While he had pioneered so much in terms of exploring the boundaries of comedy early in his career, a lot of his later work tended towards "blue comedy"-- jokes about body parts and excrement, or insulting large groups of people.
And yet he was on the upswing. His last album-- "Life is Worth Losing"-- saw George getting back to what he did best. He started off with a piece called "Modern Man", a triumphant return to the realm of wordplay that had made him so popular in the beginning. He also referenced his sobriety-- nearly a year sober at the time of the performance-- and pushed more energy and optimism into the show than I've heard from him in a long time. His angry bits weren't so angry, his ranting seemed less like venting and more like his old schtick, and there was more time spent doing his signature work-- inviting the audience to think along with him.
I've been waiting for his next album, to see if the pendulum would continue swinging back towards the Geroge Carlin of yesteryear-- but I guess it was never to be.
*sigh*
Good-bye, George Carlin. Thanks for all you did.