More on Carlin

Some of you may know that I have done stand-up for around 15 years, and Carlin was one of my influences. His gift was that he was unrelenting, never retreated from his position that the world is fucked and we're constantly distracted by shiny objects, materialism, and worshipping idols (both religious and temporal). It's important to note that he was one of those suit-and-tie guys for a decade, the comic who looked like an office worker, at a time when they would play "nightclubs" and "lounges," when there was an actual illusion of glamour to stand-up comedy. This is why only he could make the transformation possible, changing his look just when the culture was changing and looking more like his audience. Significantly, the later work exhibits the same care and craft, as well as the basic overall premise of judging words for what they are. His act was largely about words, and the difference between what they say and what they mean. And that was true even BEFORE he let the hair grow. He felt that we floated through life without actually hearing, without paying attention to the bullshit rituals and traditions that encompass so much of our time. And he called them out. This is what I'm talking about:



Carlin wasn't going to leaven his point of view by defining a better way. He thought the fix was in, and nobody was going to be able to traverse the mountain of bullshit needed to change it. And the longer he was around, the more he was proven right. I'm the most optimistic cynic around, but I completely admire his perspective and am coming to recognize it.

I've pretty much hung it up now, because stand-up is a really shitty business, and you are treated on about the same level of respect as a street performer. There are no Carlins coming down the pike because the way comedy works now essentially prohibits it. I could write a book about that.

So in a way, that makes today even sadder.