I think I could honestly write about George Carlin for pages and never lose the enthusiasm that he evokes in me. He was one of the most influential people on American culture and comedy, as well as giving people an alternative view on life, that albeit funny, was always truthful. If students and children needed one alternate source aside from school and parents/elderly relatives, I would pick George in a heartbeat for myself, and also for them. He opened my eyes of the realities of life that I couldn’t take seriously back when I was younger. I watched him for mostly comedic value while taking away bits and pieces of his deeper intellectual message. I was reprimanded in grammar school for bringing a book of his into school one day because he had been “banned” in several clubs and areas for his profanity and topics of discussion. It was absolutely stupid. When you put aside his cursing and some jokes that go well above most people’s comfort levels, everything he talked about had a message of some sort that you could understand if you were old enough or cared enough to try and understand. He, along with Lenny Bruce and Richard Pryor, pushed the barriers for comedy and stage performances that have led us to where we are now with comedy and live television events. He never finished high school or went to college so all of this knowledge that he had given to his audiences and fans came solely through experiencing life and its imperfections. One of the most impressive things to me about him came through a video I saw shortly after his death that showed Louis C.K. speaking in his memory. He said that George always came out with a new special every year or few years and it had all new material that he could find enough things that were both interesting and humorous each year and put his own twist on them to make audiences laugh and think at the same time. George just had this ability to pull things out of life that interested him or bothered him and rant about them to people for 50-70 minutes at a time while remaining quite entertaining. I think that no comic has come close to having the same impact as him since, except for maybe Louis C.K. because his material is so relatable and realistic that you have no choice but to be drawn in to him and his everyday problems because he is completely honest and open about them. It’s a refreshing thing in this world to hear someone speak with passion for that long, be completely honest and open with what they are saying, and make you laugh in the process. People like George, Louis, and Jon Stewart (for his particular area of comedy) are some of the smartest people you will ever meet or hear because while their acts are deemed comedic only or never considered serious, they speak with passion and honesty even when they aren’t performing in front of an audience. You can watch clips on these people on Youtube just being interviewed, completely out of character and as themselves and it is no different than how they are on stage minus maybe the exuberance or flair they use in their acts. If you knew nothing about George, you could come on Tumblr and read his quotes and say, “Wow, that makes total sense” or “I never really thought about it like that, maybe he’s got a point”. I’ve watched probably every one of his specials and his acts never get old for me because he spoke about things that are still occurring in everyday life; they’re the things that are daily human errors or misconceptions or universal truths that we don’t realize or no one points out to us, except for George. He was bold, truthful, intelligent, quick-witted, and had a historic impact on not only me but America as a whole. He gave us millions of messages to take away and things we can learn from his words and if I had to pick a historic figure or celebrity type person or someone other than a relative or educator that taught me the most about life, I would absolutely choose George Carlin. 

  1. johnnypavs posted this