World of Pageantry

...aged 71.



I will be wearing all black tomorrow.

Oh how sad.

I remember obtaining a bootlegged copy of his Class Clown album (1972) which had the "7 words you can't say on television" and sneaking into my room to listen to it over and over. My mom wasn't too happy about this because I was 14 at the time, but neither did she take the copy away from me when she found it. Way to go mom!

In 1996 I was on a flight to Atlanta and decided to buy a set of headphones (which I never do) instead of watching the movie or reading a book. The entire comedy channel was George Carlin that day, beginning with his 1990 Parental Advisory: Explicit Lyrics album. I was cracking up and people were giving me "the look" the entire flight.

What many people don't realize about George Carlin was he was more a linguist than a comedian; more a realist than cynical. With that said:

Something's Missing: Why are there no B batteries? There aren't even any A batteries. In fact, it's almost as if they went out of their way to avoid A. they went straight to AA and AAA. Also, I never see any grade B milk, or type III audio cassettes. And there are no vitamins F, G, H, I, and J. Why? Why are certain airline seat numbers missing, and what ever became of the Boeing 717? And Chanel #4? Also, all I ever hear about are the Sixth and Seventh Fleets. Where are the other five? And why are there hardly any brown running shoes? Or green flowers? I dare not even mention blue food. - from Napalm and Silly Putty by Carlin

You will be missed George ... R.I.P.

I didn't really care for his last couple of HBO specials. He just seemed to have turned into a vulgar version of Andy Rooney. They still show some of his specials from the 70's every now and then and they're still hilarious. The guy was a genius with words. Interestingly, he always looked uncomfortable on discussion shows, looking down the whole time. He was so commanding on stage, but I guess it's easier when no one's going to respond to what you say.

His "Playin' With Your Head" performance still makes me lose my breath. Skip the little black and white film at the beginning.

Thanks to the internet, I could answer several of those questions you listed...but I won't.

I'll miss his humor

(see 7 words)