The passing of George Carlin at age 71 certainly struck a chord with me as another of my favorite boyhood entertainers is gone. No question my sense of humor was formed mostly by he, Rodney Dangerfield & Richard Pryor. Pryor's "Here and Now" stand up video, I believe originally aired on HBO and is the funniest thing I've ever seen. Carlin's 1971 masterpiece "AM/FM" is the most brilliant stand up I've ever heard. Pryor passed away in December of 2005, Dangerfield in 2004. Rodney's "No Respect" album is also in my top 5 along with Dennis Leary's "No Cure for Cancer" and the classic Bill Cosby releases "Why is their Air" and "To Russel My Brother, With Whom I Slept". Carlin may have shocked many with his use of curse words, but the nature of his presentation was what allowed many parents to allow their kids(like me) to listen. It was not for the typical, uptight, hypocritical phony who was scared of words. You might be surprised to know that Bill Cosby is just 2 months older than Carlin.
I like to think my on air personality is comfortable, conversational and natural rather than a forced character. Listening to Carlin, memorizing his routines, then doing them in front of friends absolutely helped develop that. No question that with his passing the world is a little less aware, and certainly less humorous. He will be missed.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Honesty may be the best policy, but it’s important to remember that apparently, by elimination, dishonesty is the second-best policy.
~George Carlin
Post a Comment