George Carlin

What can you say about a guy like George Carlin? 

Sure, there are the many people as CNN and the AP note that remember him for his infamous '7 things you can't say on TV' bit, but to me that misses the larger point of his comic genius.

Of course most will remember him for what you might call his grotesque humor.  But as a guy who did not get into Carlin until college (Thanks Jas!), I remember him more as very witty, often insightful and some times even enlightening.  I can think of no higher form of comedy than to have the ability to point out some of the dumb and just strange things we do as humans, all while having a good laugh.  That's tough work, but guys like George Carlin and Richard Pryor, foul though some of their work may be, were grand artists at it to be certain.

While in college, we made a pilgrimage of sorts for 3 or 4 years in a row to see George when he was close to us (Kansas City or St Louis being about equi-distant from Columbia, Missouri).  I saw Carlin a couple of times after college in the DC area as well, and he was ALWAYS in top comedy form.  For as often as I saw him in person or on TV, had to be one of the hardest touring comedy guys in the world.

Of course as many of you know George Carlin, in addition to his standup comedy, always had other projects he starred in or worked on.  There is a pretty insightful list over at the IMDB.  Of course, the tie to Disney is he was the voice of Fillmore in the hit Pixar flick 'Cars'.

My mother was an elementary school teacher until her untimely passing in 1999.  She used to play lots of PBS shows at different times for the elementary classes that she saw each week, some of which I watched with them for hours on end late in high school (it was a small school, trust me). 

So while I'll always remember the fun college times with Carlin and my college buds, the posters, 'Simon Says Go . . .' T-shirts, and the rollicking laughs I shared with my brother over a Carlin skit.  I'll also forever remember him as characters like Mr. Conductor on Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends.

So today we raise a toast to our friend George Carlin. 

May your glass be ever full.
May the roof over your head be always strong.
And may you be in heaven
half an hour before the devil knows you're dead