The Cultural Revolution

IN MEMORIUM
George Carlin
Comedian, Linguist, Philosopher, Free Speech Hero

On June 22nd, 2008, the world lost one of its few treasures.  George Carlin, one of the greatest stand-up comedians and entertainers in the history of American showbusiness, died at the ripe age of 71.  And yet, his death still feels like a shock to me.  George Carlin always gave me the impression that he would live forever.

And when I say he was one of the greatest stand-up comedians of all time, I absolutely mean it without hyperbole.  He was a consummate entertainer, and a great influence on my sense of humour.  I own all three of his books, two of his albums, and even stole a Time Magazine from a dentist’s office once, just so I could cut out and tape its “10 Questions With George Carlin” article to my wall.  I am thankful that I had the privilege of watching him live, several years back, and for those of you who have never had the honour, I must say you missed out on one of the greatest experiences a person in this modern age could have.

For years, I had proclaimed George Carlin the closest thing we have to a great philosopher in our time.  I can, seriously, see the words of Carlin being studied in philosophy classes 50-100 years from now.  For you see, George Carlin was not just a stand-up comedian, he was a great thinker, a man who could dissect and argue ideas better than any scholar at any university can.  He was also one of Free Speech’s greatest champions.  He, along with Lenny Bruce and Richard Pryor, broke down barriers and destroyed social taboos in the name of freedom of speech and freedom of expression, in a time when it was downright dangerous to do so.  For that, I, and many others who love, cherish, and exercise our fundamental right to say, think, and create in whatever manner we want, are eternally thankful for you, George Carlin.

May his soul Frisbee be flung onto the nicest roof in the entire neighbourhood.

RIP, man.

This entry was posted on Monday, June 23rd, 2008 at 1:36 am and is filed under Updates. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.