# George Carlin - "Life is Worth Losing" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 6, 2005, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-carlin-life-is-worth-losing/329718 "2005-11-06T01:00:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2005, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-carlin-life-is-worth-losing/329718/1 "2005-11-06T01:00:48Z")
It’s on HBO tonight at 10 (EST), live. I’ll be at the Beacon, watching in person. Post your reviews here! ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2005, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-carlin-life-is-worth-losing/329718/2 "2005-11-06T01:15:34Z")
It looks like he’s still on his “I’ll be glad when the world is over” kick. It’ll be interesting to see what he has to say about his recent drug rehab. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2005, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-carlin-life-is-worth-losing/329718/3 "2005-11-06T03:13:46Z")
Wow, he’s really starting to show his age! I wonder how much is attributable to his recent rehab? His face is puffy and he looks tired. ---
**Author:** ![soulmurk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b782af/32.png) [@soulmurk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/soulmurk)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2005, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-carlin-life-is-worth-losing/329718/4 "2005-11-06T03:16:35Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I’ll be at the Beacon, watching in person. Post your reviews here! I didn’t really like that shirt you were wearing, and would it kill you to run a comb through that hair every now and then? You didn’t seem as interested as you should have been, so you lose points in that category as well. Overall, I give you a B- …What? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2005, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-carlin-life-is-worth-losing/329718/5 "2005-11-06T04:30:59Z")
Man, that was darker than usual. I think it’s time for George to retire. ---
**Author:** ![Operation\_Ripper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/34f0e0/32.png) [@Operation\_Ripper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Operation_Ripper)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2005, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-carlin-life-is-worth-losing/329718/6 "2005-11-06T04:47:07Z")
… but is it time to relegate Carlin to the dustbin he occupied for most of his career? ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2005, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-carlin-life-is-worth-losing/329718/7 "2005-11-06T04:48:25Z")
Oh, wow, shit dude, it’s like, he told the Truth! Stuff da Man _doesn’t want you to hear!_ Yawn. I can see the same thing in Union Square for free. There may be a few good jokes to be told about suicide (and it’s less than 35,000 people a year George, not a million) but there sure ain’t 40 minutes worth. Felt like I was watching a Buddha Stalin video. ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2005, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-carlin-life-is-worth-losing/329718/8 "2005-11-06T05:44:14Z")
He lost me way back when he started ranting against organ donors. It’s sad to see he hasn’t improved. ---
**Author:** ![Linty\_Fresh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Linty\_Fresh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linty_Fresh)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2005, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-carlin-life-is-worth-losing/329718/9 "2005-11-06T05:52:00Z")
. . . and his name is George. He doesn’t just look old, he _sounds_ old. His voice is starting to give. He doesn’t look well at all, even allowing for the fact that he just got clean. I guess this is what happens to angry young comedians who can’t be bothered to ever come to terms with reality. They don’t grow up to be philosophers. They grow up to be assholes. _Unfunny_ assholes. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2005, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-carlin-life-is-worth-losing/329718/10 "2005-11-06T06:47:43Z")
> [@Operation Ripper](#): > > … but is it time to relegate Carlin to the dustbin he occupied for most of his career? Wish I knew what that meant. Large sections of it were too morbid to be really funny, and the populist tone (out of nowhere) was odd. I was surprised by the depth of some of the anger he expressed, and it’s not like I’m unfamiliar with his work. Some of the bits that didn’t fall into those categories were great. Not his best, but I was happy to be there. And **soulmurk** , if I tried to comb my hair, I’d stab myself in the head. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2005, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-carlin-life-is-worth-losing/329718/11 "2005-11-06T18:59:40Z")
I saw about 30 minutes of it. When I realized I’d only laughed twice, I changed channels. Maybe I was supposed to laugh when he pointed out that you don’t hear the word “cornhole” much anymore. There was a time when he was a valid social critic, even when he wasn’t funny. Now, he reminds me of Norman Mailer saying that the year he quit drinking was the dullest time in his life. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2005, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-carlin-life-is-worth-losing/329718/12 "2005-11-06T19:25:02Z")
He seems like a mean, bitter old man to me. Any edge he ever had is long lost. ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2005, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-carlin-life-is-worth-losing/329718/13 "2005-11-06T23:10:47Z")
I watched some of this. It sucked. I remember when he used to be funny. Given the long, unfunny rambling about suicide (during which he seemed to lose his train of thought more than a few times), I was really hoping that he was leading up to his own, on-camera suicide on live TV. Now that would have been funny. He should at least retire. He looked old and tired. And when they showed the audience it seemed like half of them were just sitting there, not clapping. And what ever happened to “edgy?” There he was, talking about how he likes to see Mother Nature “get back” at humanity. He hopes big fires spread even more, etc. Well, what the hell, George? Weren’t you laughing at the Katrina flood victims? Why didn’t you say so? Too timid? Would that have been too “edgy” even for you? What a jerk. ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2005, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-carlin-life-is-worth-losing/329718/14 "2005-11-06T23:14:07Z")
I’m afraid Carlin has hit that point hit by many celebs (most famously, to me, Johnny Cash) who look ten years older every time you see them. I saw him in person ten years ago, and he was funny as hell. His stuff last night was not completely uninteresting, but not very funny, either. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2005, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-carlin-life-is-worth-losing/329718/15 "2005-11-06T23:15:17Z")
Weak. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2005, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-carlin-life-is-worth-losing/329718/16 "2005-11-07T00:01:54Z")
You guys have just saved me an hour of my time. The last HBO special he did was pretty poor and I’m gonna pass on this one. ---
**Author:** ![Hakuna\_Matata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@Hakuna\_Matata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hakuna_Matata)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2005, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-carlin-life-is-worth-losing/329718/17 "2005-11-07T00:14:42Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > You guys have just saved me an hour of my time. The last HBO special he did was pretty poor and I’m gonna pass on this one. yea I wish I had known he sucked this bad at his last concert here in Seattle–what a total waste of time and money. I wish I could get the hour and the money back. He sucked–BIG TIME SUCK. I heard he went into rehab–I thought maybe he had improved–but based on what has been written here. Sounds like he still sucks ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2005, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-carlin-life-is-worth-losing/329718/18 "2005-11-07T00:20:39Z")
> [@Hakuna Matata](#): > > yea I wish I had known he sucked this bad at his last concert here in Seattle–what a total waste of time and money. I wish I could get the hour and the money back. He sucked–BIG TIME SUCK. I heard he went into rehab–I thought maybe he had improved–but based on what has been written here. Sounds like he still sucks He had mentioned before that he would write jokes and then partake of some herbal enhancement in order to “punch up” the jokes. I wonder if he’s off everything? I was almost expecting him to say, “You kids get off my lawn”, to the audience. ---
**Author:** ![PinkMarabou](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ec9cab/32.png) [@PinkMarabou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PinkMarabou)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2005, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-carlin-life-is-worth-losing/329718/19 "2005-11-07T13:38:59Z")
I usually love Carlin, but this was his worst ever. It appears sobering up made him age overnight and he got really morbid. He’s always had a surreal overtone, but I couldn’t watch this. We played about a half hour of it and it was depressing me too bad. He looks terrible - his voice sounds scratchy, he looks tired and bloated, he’s hunched over like an old man. It’s sad to see people you once thought were untouchable just deteriorate so rapidly. I kept expecting him to commit suicide right there on the stage as well, he’s really fascinated with death anymore. I agree with others, it’s time he retired. This was just not good at all and we’re huge George Carlin fans. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2005, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-carlin-life-is-worth-losing/329718/20 "2005-11-07T14:32:32Z")
I liked it. The one he did previous was terrible. Everything in that one sounded like I’d heard it before. First of all, I thought the opening bit was genius. “I got a microwave at the mini mall and a minivan at the mega mart. I use the f word in my e mail.” I liked that it was a little bit morbid. And, I still thought his stuff was edgy. I guess I just agree with him on who REALLY runs the country, and that politics gives us the “illusion” of having a say in the system and I really like hearing a guy say it. > [@AskNott](#): > > Maybe I was supposed to laugh when he pointed out that you don’t hear the word “cornhole” much anymore. There was a time when he was a valid social critic, even when he wasn’t funny. Was that “valid social critic” time before or after he was talking about his “broccoli farts”? I thought he did was he always has done. He had a great section on language (the opening bit) – always a strength of his. He had a dirty, silly session on “cornhole”. He had a nice section ripping on society, all of his reality TV stuff. And a good riff on politics. I thought it was pretty strong overall. Not end-to-end funny, but much better than his last couple. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-carlin-life-is-worth-losing/329718.md?page=2)