More than a funny man
I hate getting sad news but it seems there is just no way to avoid life’s sudden down turns. Waking up today to here that George Carlin had passed away was not really a surprise, since he had been suffering with a variety of issues concerning his heart of the past several years, but it was none the less a sad piece of news. I noticed that George Carlin was a bit angrier than what I would have liked from one of my favorite Humorists/comedians/social observers, over the past couple of years. His views on politics, social issues as well as basic human behavior he wrote about in books of used in his stand up routines seemed at little harder for me to agree with over the past few years. It reminds me of what Mark Twain once said about growing up and how the older he got the smart his parents seemed to have become. But with George it seemed to be going the other direction. For me it was realizing that not everything Mr. Carlin would rant, rage, ridicule, rip, roast, or otherwise just flat out trash through his books and stage shows was my gospel anymore. I would actually get a little pissed off listening or reading some of his thoughts on a wide range of subjects like parenting, politics, social issues and the like. But just as I was once a huge and loyal follower of the Late Hunter S. Thompson, it was hearing the news of each one’s death when I realized just how important they were to my life and to the world we live in. You see you don’t have to agree with everything a person you admire says to be a supporter or a fan of them. You just have to have an open mind and the ability to be accepting of one’s own personal strangeness and be able to laugh at yourself and then the world around you. If it wasn’t for my George Carlin records, The National Lampoon Album “That’s Not Funny, That’s Sick” or for that matter my Cheech and Chong records I don’t know that I would have ever been able to realize my ability to write and develop a sense of humor that has allowed me to have the confidence to get into radio and have the career I have had. Remember when being politically incorrect wouldn’t get you thrown in jail (oh wait, Carlin did get tossed in Jail in Milwaukee when he did his 7 words routine) So I think I can speak for many of the old gang I grew up with when I say, what would our lives been like if we hadn’t had a George Carlin making comedy records, Hunters books, Monty Python, National Lampoon magazine and radio hour, SCTV and of course Saturday Night live. I just wonder what kind of crazed smart asses we might have become! We might have dared to question authority, the government, big business, education, pop culture, social behavior, the media. Or question those who think Global warming is only because of America, or have developed a serious loathing for people who cheer for a college football team who’s mascot is a hairless NUT! Wait a minute! I did become like that! And I’m damn glad I did! And guess what, I also care deeply about my fellow man my planet and the future for our children! So thanks George! You were one of the greats!