Let's start by saying that George Carlin is pretty funny. With that being said, George Carlin just isn't that funny. Nor are his insights particularly mind-blowing. You're not going to watch one of his routines and then leave with a different outlook on life. You're not going to leave thinking, "good gracious, that was the funniest thing I've ever seen ever in life." I mean...shit I don't even really have words for this...he's just not as fucking great as the people at HBO would have you believe. He has an HBO special like every 2 years and he's essentially just flooding the market with mediocre comedy routines.
I mean he's just a cynical old guy. He thinks that most people are stupid, and he proves it by somehow convincing people that he's smarter or more observant than them. Jerry Seinfeld is infinitely better than George Carlin with the "observational humor" thing. And Seinfeld does it in such a way that he doesn't have to say that 90% of the population are assholes. I just watch George Carlin and I think to myself, "Dude, calm down a little bit. Take your blood pressure medication. Accept that people are selfish and do stupid things."
That 7 words you can't say on TV thing? Why is that funny? I've seen the routine. It's not funny. Nor is it particularly deep or philosophical or any of those things. He's not challenging society. He's not bucking the system. He's the guy who sits on the sidelines a basketball games yelling at the other team. At the end of the day, he didn't help win the game, he just went home with a sore throat.
Shit, this is a bad post. I don't even really have evidence or specific examples (GIVE ME THREE EXAMPLES. THREEEEEEEEEEE!!!!) I just know that whenever I watch George Carlin I end up feeling like I got gypped.
I'm not going to post this right now. I'm going to wait until the end of the day to post this so that beating up 5 year olds thing can get some play. This isn't nearly as good as that.
10 comments:
On a special he did a few years ago, he had this great bit about how he's really sick of "guys named Todd" and talked about all the stupid names for boys these days -- Dylan, Tyler, Cooper, Austin, etc. -- and bet that on any day of the week, "Nicky, Vinny and Eddie will kick the shit out of Tucker, Kyle, and Todd." That was really funny.
Then he mentioned a few really manly names, two of which I remember: Spud Crowley and Chuck Steak.
I think you, Chuck, should switch from ChuckJerry to Chuck Steak.
It would make the blog better.
While I would occasionally find a chuckle in George Carlin's work, am I the only one to think he is not up there with some of the Comedy greats of all time? I mean, it must be a slow news day for CNN for Carlin to get all this attention. Two days of "George Carlin, Dead Comedy Genius" is a bit much to take.
The seven dirty words bit was sort of funny (at the time, when I was 12 years old), but I tend to agree with the Seinfeld school of comedy - that resorting to shock value words or stereotyping is the ploy of a lazy comic. It takes more effort to come up with really insightful and thoughtful comedy, and that was NOT Carlin's trademark.
And nearly 40 years later, are we better off today because we can now say naughty words on television? Or have we merely degraded our own culture by making obscenitiies (or indescencies) part of the common idiom?
I also was disappointed with Carlin's books. His "Tell Jesus to Bring the Pork Chops" was literally unreadable - comprising little more than anti-religious, left-wing rants.
And much of his stuff is just that - rants. The "Who Owns You?" bit (search youtube) isn't funny. It just leaves you depressed and wanting to kill yourself. And no, I don't think America is "owned by the big corporate interests." That's the sort of shit I expect from 20-year-olds living in their Mother's basement and smoking pot all day long.
Carlin's longstanding animosity to religion was well-known. I wonder how that is working out for him now? I betcha he's "slaying" the audience in his perpetual stand-up gig in Hades (can't be worse than Vegas, can it?).
FWIW. He's sort of funny, but you nailed it - over-rated.
Anyonynous commenter, you said it better than I could. I should replace my post with your comment.
why are you responding to an anonymous commenter a year after his comment?
Hey anonymous commenter, GO FUCK YOURSELF.
HARD.
Because I'm cool. I'll respond to shit as I see fit. See that's a fucking rhyme and everything.
Jerry Seinfeld? Are you trolling to be different merely for it's sake? Carlin set paradigms. The rest followed.
here. fricking. here. The guy got by on sexism, anti-religion atheist fundamentalism, and other stuff that was founded on hate. such talent! Maybe next we can find a good KKK member or something to glorify as the funniest, most philosophic comedian of all time. Please, Melissa Villasenor, Frank Caliendo and Gilda Radner can joke circles around him tenfold and more.
and Michael... no. Just no. If your head is currently lodged tight inside the corpse of Carlin's butt, please slowly and steadily remove it as of now.
Carlin is definataly overrated and actually really did suck at comedy! him and Dave chapplle and Jon Stewart are not funny at all and are worshipped way too much by people. the only reason why carlin is overrated is because of his controversy. Also, the only reason why chapplle is overrated is because he's a black guy saying things that a white guy would not get away with if he said it! the reason why that stupid Jon Stewart guy is overrated is because of the daily show which seriously should get cancelled! People gets this through your slow witted anti conservative drunk frat boy thick skull of yours, chapple, Stewart and espically that old geyser hack carlin are not funny and are dumb and think that swearing constanly and dick and sex and pussy references are funny which they are not!
Who do you like?
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