George Carlin

Its sad to see that George Carlin passed away. He was one of the elder statesman of comedy, and was very influential in how he pushed the boundaries of the media. He also managed to do that while being very funny. RIP Rufus.

I only gave this old asshole 3 stars BECAUSE... He was SO F...ing DOWN all the time, Yeah I admit, he had his funny MOMENTS..But I got so tired of him useing his fans as a damn springboard for his PERSONNEL Views.He got too carried away with religion,and I am NOT a religious asshole by ANY means, But even I took offense at some of the things this guy said, I'm not saying what he said WASN'T true, But YOU go out on the street and say some of the things HE said, You'll get your ass beat, ANd Rightly SO. I don't pick on anyone's religion or politics,ANd He shouldn't have either. AS a Matter of Fact I'm taking away a star because he was an ASSHOLE.

I was a big fan for much of his career and my life. Carlin was an undeniably brilliant observer of human nature and behavior - both the sane and insane varieties. No one could dissect the stupid and inane goings on of this world in quite the expert way he could. He was the original “question authority” figure – an attitude I and much of my generation easily gravitated toward. And, though it wasn’t his strongest point, he also wasn’t a bad character actor (did a great job in Prince of Tides). As the years rolled by however, the jovial, friendly sarcasm that made you feel as though you were privy to an inside joke, seemed to turn more and more toward anger and hatred. It was off-putting to say the least. I caught his live standup just about a year prior to his death much of which he read from notes he had propped up on a stool. Aside from a palpable melancholy I left the theater feeling as though I had just attended an impromptu service at the first church of the perpetually irri... Read more

Brilliant.  He never stopped speaking truth to power, and he never stopped poking holes in whatever passed for the conventional wisdom of the time.  Most of all, I will miss his probing of the language.  My two favorite bits are his take on "Baseball and Football" and "Modern Man".  The latter began his next-to-last HBO Special.  For those who think he had lost some of his creative edge as he got older, watch "Modern Man" on YouTube.  It may be his masterpiece.  And that's saying something, given the wealth of his material.

He could be really funny at times, not so funny other times.

I couldn't believe it. My favorite comic of all time. I saw him on stage in Fort Worth a couple of years ago. I would use his jokes and live by many of them. I will miss him.

George- you rocked! One of the few who knew how to "tell it like it is" and not give a da*& about whether people like it or not - love ya!

Legendary!!

George Carlin was one of the funniest comedians ever.  I know I put it on a couple other posts but one of my favorite lines is: "You need a little danger in your life! What are you gonna do, play with your *1/*/ for another 30 years? Read People magazine and eat at Wendy's til the end of time? Take a f*ckin' chance!"     Actually good words to live by.

I Can't Believe Carlin isn't rated higher... must be a lot of Donkey's doing these ratings or no one has actually sat down and listen to Carlin.... You prolly didnt like the shows cuz u didnt get it or understand them HUH people....  Dont blame him, blame urselves.... and for the people that disliked Carlin, why dont u say who u like, afraid of people crappin on who u think is good???

A brilliant social satirist and entertaining comedian. Almost sorry I saw his most recent HBO (?) special as he was extremely bitter and angry. I believe the death of his wife affected him a great deal. RIP George and I hope you were wrong about God and religion and are now in heaven with your wife.

Although I only began seeing Carlin (on YouTube - I'm Canadian; there are currently no channels that service any of his specials or interviews) in April of this year, I still find it horrifying that he's dead. After watching literally everything in mainstream media (on YouTube, of course) that I can find, I have seriously seen conclusions made that likely would not be even noticed without people like Carlin. The wit, the euphemisms and the humour that Carlin brought to the world will be remembered for milleniums to come. And no matter in what section of his stage life you knew him, as long as you were open minded, there had to be one monologue or skit that you liked. Otherwise, you're arrogant, stubborn, stupid or just a plain ol' douchebag.

Hilarious right up till the end.

A brilliant illuminator of hypocrisy who could make us laugh at all our human foibles, but in later years he became bitter and caustic... some say his decline was caused by the death of his wife.He'll be missed, but he wasn't always right about everything:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dcr8dm9PrkkMuddy knew better:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUor-I2mbdYYeah! Muddy knew better:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-5KoP4o4XcUPDATE:http://tinyurl.com/5ttkg9

I don't get what all these people mean when they say they don't "agree" with George Carlin. They don't agree with his comparisons of baseball and football? His views on people and their "STUFF"? Maybe it "hit too close to home" when he challenged people's perceptions (GOD FORBID!!) or when he exposed the rampant hypocrisy inherent within our society. When he'd say that the human race was on it's way out, it probably wasn't exactly received "with open arms", but it's hard to argue it's probability, especially based on our RECENT HISTORY. To "disagree" with him on THIS concept could be the VERY human trait that would guarantee it's likelihood.

Actually, he is somebody who you really do start to miss after he's gone. He had guts and was not afraid to take on controversial subjects. He will be apreciated by many generations to come for his wit and wisdom.

Comic? No, George wasn't a comic and he didn't do his bit simply to make people laugh. He was a social critic and commentator who brilliantly perceived that one could make people listen by softening the blow with a little humor. God speed George.

I liked some of his material, didn't like when he would talk about god and being atheist tho.

Now I don't agree with him most of the time but I give him a thumbs-up for paving the way for most of today's stand-up comics.

I didn't agree with all of his ideas but he always made me laugh. Not many comics could be known as much for their story telling as they were for one liners and thoughts like "What if there were no hypothetical questions?" Carlin had no use for political correctness and not only talked about how silly it could get but how it often defeated its own purpose.As I said, I didn't always agree with him, but I respected him because he was genuine, unlike some of the phony attention grabbers that sometimes garner far more attention.

George Carlin and  Richard Pryor were my comedic  idles growing up. As a young teenager, some of his material was a little over my head, mostly because I was too stoned to understand it. In the later years he had some not so memorable shows,  though I still think most of his stuff was pretty good to great.

Can anyone remember "Shining Time Station"? He was a great Mr. Conductor. While he is more remembered for some unclean humor and the "Seven Things That You Can't Say on Television," his talent while being this old and still performing was a remarkable sucess for him.

Probably should be a four- but I'll give him five for his excellent skill with the language.  No one was a better critic when it came to pointing out social hypocrisies than Carlin.  How many stand-up acts have been inspired by him?  I'm a little sad that he's gone- it's like losing the smart-aleck kid in class who you knew would always make you laugh in class when the teacher was boring.

a 4.5. very funny stand up comedian. he could come up with some of the funniest routines mostly about everyday life. Like we buy a house to put our "stuff" in. and when we have to much stuff we get a bigger house. the seven words you cannot say on television daring. he could be raunchy at times. boy could he tell some good jokes.and some of them really hit home. I thought Oh no! not George Carlin. guess I will have to rent some of his "stuff" from the video store.

Head and shoulders above any other comic of his time and one of the most influential communicators of the last 40 years.  Will be assessed by the historians on a par with Bob Dylan as the voice of his generation.  He owed a debt to Lenny Bruce, but if there was no George Carlin there would have been no Richard Pryor, no Bill Hicks, no Martin, Letterman, Williams, Murphy or Seinfeld. He unlocked the doors to a whole world that the generation of radio era  comics never dared venture into.  And besides all of that he was really fucking funny.

Iconic comic, who I'll certainly miss.  The legendary "7 words....." routine is brilliant, but my favorite is his "Differences between football and baseball..." monologue.  Clever, edgy stuff.

Some of you Vancouver people wrote in to say how upset & disappointed you were that George was "reading off a piece of paper"& trying out new material when you saw him...well,that is how REAL artists work out their ideas,in front of a crowd. Sorry you're used to CarrotTop doing his same,tired schtick with props every single night! I'm a jazz musician,& often we have to "workshop" ideas,& the best place is in front of a real audience,to see what their reactions are. Unfortunately,in the pre-packaged,glossy,superficial world we now live in,the audiences just aren't smart enough or open-minded enough to understand. Did any of you pissed-off former fans actually check out his last HBO special("It's Bad for Ya") to see how it all came out? Guess what? It ROCKED! And you helped him get there! Now MILLIONS of people can see the finished result,and enjoy it. So stop being selfish,& appreciate the process of artistic CREATION! Be thankful that you were a part of this genius's final writing cycl... Read more

He'll definitely be missed. At his best, he was outrageously funny and sparked a new direction in comedy. In later years he was hit and miss and his TVshow never really did all that well. Still, I'll give him a five, not just because he was funny but because of his overall contribution to comedy. The following video is George Carlin on George Carlin. Interesting. R.I.P. George

I saw George in Vegas of 07 and as jdmss and peedeecee said, he was reading off of a paper.  He spologized and said he was using us as a "practice audience" before he went back on tour.  VERY disappointing!! Not worth the $

Very disappointing. After listening to Carlin for over 35 years and thoroughly enjoying his work, I finally had the chance to see him live in Edmonton Jan. 17/08. What a letdown!Brad Zimmerman opened 10 minutes late with a half hour of old old OLD jokes and little, if any, of his own material.  Delivery was good but not great - if you are opening with this level of talent - why not showcase an up and coming local comic? Then - a twenty minute intermission before Carlin came on for not much over an hour.Carlin's old topical political humour and odd comments on life as we live it have been replaced with a very dark view focussed on dying, old age and the fallacy of religion. In making his anti-religion points, he becomes almost as evangelistic as the religious evangelists - which weakens, rather than adds to, the humour. Save your money on this tour and buy a few CDs of his brilliant older works.

Foul mouth.

Nobody works harder at comedy than Carlin. More philosopher than funny man to me but my all-time favorite. When everyone else is laughing, I'm nodding in agreement. See him every time he is around and I enjoy watching the progress of the new act. He's brave enough to bring a new act and not rest upon 40 years of laurels.

I saw Carlin last night in Philly and I have to say that it was a very disappointing show. He was on for less than an hour! At the start of the show, he said that he had notes to read because he was prepping for an HBO Special that was soon to take place in San Fran, I believe. He lost track a few times and apologized. He started out really well but seemed to rant on without anything funny. Very suprising! I saw him about 10-years ago in Atlantic City and he was much better.

I saw George in the Summer of 2007 and I am honestly surprised that people are knocking him. I may only be 22 but I am well aware of most of George's material. He opened with some familiar stuff but overall he had a decent amount of new stuff, some jokes I actually had tears rolling down my face. He is sober, 69 years old, and his wife is dead, there is a reason he's pissed off all the time, but I think he worked it into his act rather well. I saw him on Cape Cod with a little less than 2,000 others and the place was in an uproar even after the show. Definitely worth the money I paid!!!!!P.S. he was one for a little over an hour and read about 10 minutes worth of material off of paper, definitely outweighed by hilarious-ness

I have to agree with the reviewer from Vancouver. I saw Carlin last night in Victoria, and he was still reading his lines from notes and apologizing for it. He did say that he had done better in Vancouver! Yes, he's angry. Otherwise he wouldn't tell those three tasteless, unfunny, foul, locker-room jokes. Carlin didn't used to have to make it on shock schlock -- his schtick was intelligent and witty and true. He strikes me as the classic disillusioned, disappointed, angry idealist. I wish his anger wasn't also aimed at his audience, but I believe it is. All that said, he still gives more bang for the buck than any other comedian.

Just saw George Carlin last night in Vancouver BC Canada and I have never been so disappointed in his show, he USED to be my absolute favourite comedian and when it was announced he was coming to Vancouver I was the first to buy his tickets. But last night he read from notes throughout the show and kept apologizing for it, started off really great and then he went totally downhill from there, told 3 repulsive jokes which half the audience tried to laugh at but was strained. We left after the show feeling very empty and sad.

My husband's all time favorite.  I've only heard him a few times and think he's pretty funny!  I have to be in the mood for his type of humor though.

2/2/07 Star Plaza Theatre in Merrillville, In. Not Funny at all . He doesn't even try to be Funny. I was so bored with his preachy wit and life observations I almost fell asleep. I kept waiting for the show to end so I could go home and not listen to such "as George Carlin would say" SHIT!

Saw George Jan. 16/07 at the Paramount in Aurora, IL === BIG WASTE OF MONEY. HE STINKS...time to retire..he not only read his jokes from a piece of paper....could not even read them right....what a bomb--TIME TO RETIRE GEORGE--he might have been could in his day.....

simple things was the best........

This guy is a hero with a sense of humor(his shows are a "guilty pleasure" of mine)he says so many things that other people don't think to say or may be afraid to say and he mixes it well with great comedy(go George Carlin!)!

In "the day" he was brilliant. Lately his work has been poor. I still listen to his old stuff but can't stomach his more recent work.

I just saw George Carlin in Chicago this past weekend. And as much as I hate to say it, I was let down. I still believe that he is the greatest of all time. I am a huge fan. I have all of his cd's and videos (except for the last one) and love them all. The problem with this show (which would probably include the last cd as well) was that in the middle he kind of went off on a tangent about how we are all being screwed and how we live our lives. The problem was that it didn't include any humor in with it. It felt like we were being lectured to instead of being at a comedy show. He went a long time where there was no laughing, nor was he looking for laughs. I did see some people get up and leave. I thought they were just going to the bathroom, but I did notice many people who did not come back. George has always grabbed topics that many comedians won't touch - and I have no problem with that. But he wasn't throwing in humor with it. And that is what made it feel like a lecture.

Saw George Carlin last night in Rosemont, Illinois. I had heard his act is now geared more toward complaining about everything and I was not disapointed. He ragged on about everything to the point I was very happy when it was over. To have paid about $60 for this was ludacris. The only truly funny time was when he berated a guy in the audience for interupting his bit. He said, "last I looked your name was not on the the ticket so shut the f**k up". But even then he spent too much time on that. George's timing blew. He talked over the laughter so you missed the first few words on any new sentance. Over and over, he would start a new sentence, get in a few words and then stop to take a drink of water and blow the flow. He lost his train of thought numerous times and just was boring. Then it was over and left the stage and we all sat there going "Huh? This is it?".I miss the George of the past. The Hippy Dippy Weatherman, The 7? Dirty words you can't say on TV, (with the new lowered stand... Read more

wow!!!

I first heard Carlin in 1985. I was 15 and an old timer (I thought 25 was old) where I worked lent me a tape. I thought he was hysterical. I saw him in Vegas in 1996 and I laughed so hard I was literally in tears for most of the performance. Enjoyed it so much that we saw him again a year or so later. What a disappointment!!! He'd turned so angry and bitter. We couldn't figure out why. It only recently dawned on me when I read an article about him. It seems that he changed after his wife died in 1997. It's the only thing that makes sense.

I think all of you people SUCK. Carlin is supposed to offend you, and he didn't fail. You Suck because you can't take it. You are just like all the rest of the jerks he has always talked about. You Suck because if you were at the show or watched the show it was obvious that most of the audience laghed out loud. YOU SUCK.

Getting a bit long in the tooth, and now comes across as a angry old curmudgeon - But his early works like "Class Clown" and "Carlin at Carnegie" were pioneering works of comedic art.

I absolutely used to adore George Carlin's wit and semi-cynical(but always funny) way of looking at our absurd world. This all ended on October 28th, 2005. I saw him live and wish I hadn't. George Carlin has become a depressed and bitter man. I hope that he gets to therapy soon because all of his ranting about suicide seemed eerily like a cry for help. The crowd left in silence, perhaps in mourning for a comedian that no longer exists.

As a longtime follower of George, I was terribly disappointed by the last show (11/5). timing was off, dropped words and thoughts and a truly unrewarding topic to mine. He was much better drunk!!