What's your opinion of George Carlin?

[Deleted User]

His comedy stand-ups were usually pretty packed and I usually agreed with him, but not always. Carlin didn't filter himself so that's something a lot probably enjoyed too, and nowadays there's a few like him, for example still, David Chappelle (his Sticks and Stones' stand up was really good although the critics hated it).





By the way, Carlin was on the Bill and Ted movies! That was kind of awesome and I can't wait for the third movie which is coming out this summer.

RIP George Carlin.

 

[notimp]

Crazy lunatic. But the good kind. I know a little too much about rhetorics by now to find his arguments 'convincing', but I certainly find them entertaining. (comedians often produce logical fallacies that highlight something wrong in society, but then mostly for comic effect (exaggeration, overextension), thats what they do.. )

That said, I havent seen most of his work, so maybe I'm missing something..

Chapelle recently has also produced a political piece, where he gets some of the stuff wrong (imho - and yes, internet couch critic, I know) - but is very amicable still, and very effective.


I like political comedy when it provokes, but I dont turn to it often to learn something.

Only (edit: US) comedian that has taught me something (about people in this case) was Bill Hicks, and he was a crazy mofo..

(edit: Oh, and Jon Stewart, John Oliver, Samantha B., ... of course.. But thats different. They have writing staff.)

edit2: Also, someone should mention, why the term shellshock changed. Because the public corrective (you have to convince people in your country, that a war is a good thing) worked. So people had to come up with new terms..

 

[Pipistrele]

Very skilled, sorta groundbreaking, and funny to relisten to at times. Some of his appeal is probably lost in time at this point, since there are comedians on stage who do a similar shtick better, but considering most of them are inspired by George Carlin, that's not something I can put against him.

 

[zfreeman]

Growing up, I really liked seeing him at Shining Time Station. He would always talk about Thomas and his friends on the Island of Sodor. He had such a soothing voice. I didn't even know he did stand up until the advent of the Internet.

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5rwnkq

 

[Hanafuda]

I sure as hell enjoyed some of George Carlin's albums when I was a kid, but when I got older and did some reading about the guy, I learned there wasn't much to admire. Expelled from high school, court martialed three times in the military, severe substance abuse problems. Very dysfunctional person. And it hurt to see his performances get absolutely consumed by hate and bitterness as he got older. Just a grumpy old man, George Carlin style.

I do still smile when I think of some of the early stuff, before he let hate fuel his work. Join the Book Club!

 

[notimp]

There is an angle to this routine, that I din't get at first. Oliver Stone talks about, that when he came back from vietnam, there really was no word for what happened to people (shell shocked, PTSD) in the common vernacular. He attributes this to insurance premiums that would have to have been paid out.

h**ps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOrOYUxzX3o

So that routine was more political than I first thought.

Izzard has a few interesting tidbits on Carlin as well, if anyones interested:
h**ps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KngXMPhxzg

 

[CallmeBerto]

I find him very funny even if I don't agree with a lot of what he says.

 

[PalomPorom]

One of the funniest men to ever live

Sent from my toaster running Rebug

 

[Fawe]

I agree with a lot of what he says, but I don't like his stand-ups very much. Some of his bits are plain tedious.

 

[spotanjo3]

I don't liked stand-ups. They made money and I just listen, watched and laughed ? For what ? I have a life. I don't need this.

 

[qqq1]

I didn't agree with some of his opinions but I thought he was an amazing comic. What I really don't agree with was his and his wife's extreme drug use while their daughter was a child. In the biography she wrote she didn't seem mad about, from what I recall. I guess if she's not mad then I'm no one to be upset with it. Despite being high and crazy they did always try to take good care of her from what she said.

 

[Flame]

I don't liked stand-ups. They made money and I just listen, watched and laughed ? For what ? I have a life. I don't need this.

same can be said about video games. when people say video game is the work of the devil is that true?

 

[FAST6191]

That is one of my absolute favourite comedy skits from anybody. I don't even know what comes close to that one. Watch the body language (leaning away = get me the fuck out of here, leaning away so hard you nearly fall off your chair and turn your back at the same time... yeah) of those on stage too.

 

[spotanjo3]

same can be said about video games. when people say video game is the work of the devil is that true?

Hahaha.

 

[sion_zaphod]

George Carlin was an awesome comedian. Bill and Ted's future guide Rufus (Greetings my Excellent Friends!)

 

[tfocosta]

I'm a big fan of George Carlin's humor. It's definitely very raw, has no filters and can be compared with David Chappele's, as you've mentioned.

But living in the UK, you can't get enough from British comedians like Russel Howard, Ricky Gervais, Hugh Dennis, Kerry Godliman and Joe Lycett.