George Carlin
DEDICATION: Episode EF2 is dedicated to George Carlin. Few others could make depressing facts about humanity so funny. Carlin was also proof that good comedians are the practical philosophers of pop culture. The difference being that instead of boring auditoriums and sterile college halls, we have dirty stages and gigantic piles of weed.
Carlin quickly moved from an amusing disc jockey to a provocative icon of everything wrong and right at the same time. Seven words you supposedly ‘can’t say’ were enough for Carlin’s arrest in the ’70s. A couple of years later, a lawsuit followed against a station that dared to air his infamous monologue. Carlin’s work spans over more than twenty comedy albums, fourteen TV specials, and several acting roles.
The more Carlin moved forward, the more his standups became both insightful and bitter. The transformation also changed his personality and reached its peak in the ’90s. Best known for social commentary and innovative wordplay, there wasn’t a topic Carlin didn’t talk about. Although many of the covered topics like politics or drugs aren’t as shocking today as before, they are still hilarious. He’d have a field day with all the nonsense on the table today that can be found in just an hour of cable news.
HOW GEORGE CARLIN INSPIRED EF2
The Carlin quote at the forefront of this episode highlights the troublesome irony of realizing that every day is–like it or not–a near-death experience which you might not survive. As this and another quote found their way into the episode, it’s clear his work had an impact on my worldview, at least as it presents itself in Episode EF2 (the introduction to the Evolve Faster Podcast). But besides the heavy topics he dissected in so few words, he was also one of the funniest people to ever stand on the comedy stage.
If you managed to miss Carlin’s great work, here are a few links that will provide a solid introduction to the mind of a comedic genius: