Back on February 21, I saw George Carlin when he came to Youngstown, Ohio. It was a great show, I don’t know what else to say!
Has he gotten even more bitter?
He’s still funny, but every time I see him on TV, he seems just that much angrier.
The crankier he is, the better he is, I think! Saw him back in the mid-80s and damn near pissed myself laughing at his stuff.
giggle Guys named Todd… giggle
I remember picking up Carlin albums in the late 70’s and early 80’s that could be considered young and rebellious, therefore funny. Afterwards, his observational humor became quaint Reader’s Digest material. Then in the 90’s, he became old and cranky, told everybody to go to hell, and got back to being funny again.
I’ve always liked him, but heard some negative reports about a show he either did or planned to do after 9-11 about “I sorta like it when a lotta people die.”
That was his HBO special in planning pre-9/11. It was “I kinda like it when a lotta people die.” The show aired after 9/11 but the title was changed.
As to Carlin, the more bitter and hate-filled he gets, the more I like him! I may not agree with him on everything, but I like how he just doesn’t care what anyone thinks and says whatever the hell he wants.
I dunno.
I have watched him lately on TV and to me the bitter cranky thing gets old quick because it is not very inventive. If I want to hear someone describe how everything is going to pot I can phone my parents. It may be a different experience to see him live.
It seems very hard for any comedian to keep their edge and to remain funny and relevant over time. I guess they run out of material (they may have worked on their original material for half a lifetime before becoming famous) I once heard a speaker say it is easier to change and audience than his material. Or maybe their comedy suits a certain time and place, and times change.
I saw him back in June at the Comedy Store in L.A. and he did the whole “I Kind Of Like It When A Lot Of People Die” bit. He went on about news as entertainment, and the higher the body count, the more entertaining it is. It was funny then, but would be in the worst of taste now, even for Carlin.