George Carlin (1937-2008)

Was an American stand-up comedian, who people sometimes referred to as a philosopher. He often used his comedy to discuss issues of race, politics, class and the American life but as a comedian his main objective was to make people laugh.

Many comedians such as Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, Mitch Hedburg, Jay Leno and Ben Stiller, have claimed George Carlin as an influence. I think this is because George was a comedian who was not afraid of offending the audience and he spoke logically but in a humorous way.

 George was very controversial and many people  did not like him, mainly because he didn't speak very highly of religious beliefs.

In 1959 George, began a comedy team with Jack Burns, that lasted for two years before they each moved on to being individual performers.

I find George Carlin's sense of humour quite insightful and intelligent, even though he was sometimes quite crude with his stand-up comedy performances, but this controversy seemed to just increase his fame. George made hilarious observations (observational comedy) from everyday life that most people can relate to.  

Even though George was very funny on the stage, his personal life was sadder, as he suffered with drug addictions, cardiac problems, and his first wife dying of liver cancer.

Some of my favourite George Carlin Quotes -

·         Swimming is not a sport. Swimming is a way to keep from drowning. That's just common sense!

·         If a movie is described as a romantic comedy, you can usually find me next door playing pinball.

·         I don't like to think of laws as rules you have to follow, but more as suggestions.

·         The real reason that we can’t have the Ten Commandments in a courthouse: You cannot post “Thou shalt not steal,” “Thou shalt not commit adultery,” and “Thou shalt not lie” in a building full of lawyers, judges, and politicians. It creates a hostile work environment.

·         I don’t have a fear of heights. I do, however, have a fear of falling from heights.

·         I have as much authority as the Pope. I just don’t have as many people who believe it.

·         It isn’t fair: the caterpillar does all the work, and the butterfly gets all the glory.

·         I think it’s the duty of the comedian to find out where the line is drawn and cross it deliberately.

·         Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity.

·         Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?

·         People who say they don’t care what people think are usually desperate to have people think they don’t care what people think.

·         Who decides when the applause should die down? It seems like it's a group decision; everyone begins to say to themselves at the same time, "Well, okay, that's enough of that."