George Carlin, who carried on the legacy of Lenny Bruce with a fight for free speech, died at 71 on Sunday of heart failure. Today, we reflect on some of our favorite moments in the great funnyman's career...
In 1973, Carlin went on the radio with his "Seven Words You Can't Say On Television." Whoops-- you couldn't say them on the radio, either. (He'd already been arrested a year earlier for simply reciting them in public-- see above photo.) The prudish Supreme Court ruled against Carlin, a fact that history will surely judge the 1978 Court harshly for.
We loved the "Class Clown" album, which contains the above-mentioned routine. You can hear Part 1 of this recordo on YouTube.
The first time we ever heard George Carlin on the radio, he was doing a bit called "People I Can Do Without." (In other words, "People I would kill if it were legal.") Some of our favorite lines:
A pimp who drives a Toyota Corolla.
People who actually know the second verse to "The Star-Spangled Banner."
Any lawyer who refers to the police as the "Federalies."
A cross-eyed nun with a bullwhip and a bottle of gin!
A brain surgeon with "Born to Lose" tattooed on his hands.
Couples whose children's names all start with the same initials.
A man in a hospital gown directing traffic.
We'll miss you, George. There's no one out there half as crazy or half as brilliant (well, Chris Rock's pretty talented, but still...)