The “comedian”* George Carlin died from heart failure yesterday at the age of 71. A true wordsmith and a powerful, powerful speaker; I haven’t seen his hold-up-a-mirror type since Bill Hicks, also RIP.
Here’s one of his softer pieces – the famous “Stuff” routine. Listen to the intonation, the meticulous word choices, the almost musical flow of the language; but above all, have a laugh on a Monday morning. Tonight, I shall pull out my old albums and raise a glass to Mr C.
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Which leaves us with who? The orange-haired melon-smasher? Great! As Mr Hicks suggested, now we can drain the Pacific Ocean to make an amphitheatre big enough to hold the audience for that joke-blower Carrot Top’s next show – in which he will destroy more food with a hammer.
* I always put comedian in inverted commas when talking about Mr Hicks or Mr Carlin, because they were, at heart, satirists/polemicists who recognised that they would be hauled away in chains if they espoused their views on a soapbox outside 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue or 10 Downing Street and so in the interest of self-preservation, they listed their occupation as “Comedian” on their passports.
* I always put comedian in inverted commas when talking about Mr Hicks or Mr Carlin, because they were, at heart, satirists/polemicists who recognised that they would be hauled away in chains if they espoused their views on a soapbox outside 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue or 10 Downing Street and so in the interest of self-preservation, they listed their occupation as “Comedian” on their passports.
