Tony Hendra has written a wonderful little piece on the late, great George Carlin for Huffington Post, arguing that Carlin was/is "America's Greatest Comedian." This comes as the book "Last Words" which he co-created with Carlin is about to hit the shelves. When I first saw an HBO special of Carlin's back in the early '90s it was life-changing: I'd never seen a comedian SO funny who at the same time provoked so much thought and tackled the huge cosmic issues that most people shy away from. He made me laugh til I cried, think about things more deeply and be righteously (but not self-righteously) pissed off all at the same time. (He also forever opened my eyes to what a boring, elitist "sport" golf is and to this day I can't abide it.) I will miss his raging, scorching commentary as he raced about the stage with amazing energy for an older dude (he'd already been at it for quite a while when I first saw a video of his stand-up). I have always had a special appreciation for stand-up comedians. I think performance in general is an art form I have a great deal of respect for, and comedy adds a further "plus" of respect, because I think making people laugh is not easy, and to make them laugh in a smart way, even less so. I think I would venture to say that great stand-up comedians are some of the greatest human artists. (And laughter itself so uniquely and spiritually human.)
Read Hendra's HuffPost article, buy the book, and treasure the memory of a true American original who won't be replaced any time soon.
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