This is topic George Carlin's latest special in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.


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Posted by Carey Barber (Member # 1586) on 11-08-2005, 08:17 AM:
 
I was wondering if anyone else caught George Carlin's latest HBO special 'Life is Worth Losing'on Saturday Nov. 5th.

I am a big Carlin fan and had been looking forward to this special for awhile.

Overall, I thought the show was pretty good (and better than almost any other comedian) but that it was not as good some of his previous ones. Carlin seemed to not have the routines memorized as well and the material was not as scathing or insightful as many previous shows. Some of it seemed less thoughtful and seemed to be going for the easy gross-out humor.

Of course, he is getting on in years (I believe he is 70 yrs old) and he also went through rehab last year.

Anyone else have any thoughts about the latest performance from this legendary comedian?
 

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Posted by Wolff King Morrow (Member # 2226) on 11-08-2005, 09:04 AM:
 
I missed it, but two of my favorites are "Carlin on Campus" and "What am I doing in New Jersey?"

One of the top comedy talents of all time
 

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 11-08-2005, 11:42 AM:
 
I think his two recent best are "Jammin in New York" on which he does his awesome "The Planet Is Fine" routine (a comedy bit which manages to make a lot of sense about the environment), and "You Are All Diseased," probably his most biting and angry material ever. ("You people believe in angels? What are ya, fuckin' stupid?")

Haven't seen the new one yet but will buy the CD when it comes out in a few months.
 

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Posted by Bob Maar (Member # 763) on 11-08-2005, 03:25 PM:
 
I have been mistaken for George Carlin many times. The only two things we have in common is, we both grew up in The Bronx and we both love a good joke.

A couple of months ago a cop stopped me on 63rd Street and Second Avenue and asked me for my autograph. I said why would you want my autograph? He replied, well your George Carlin and I have been watching you cross for several weeks. I said I wasn't George Carlin and showed him my license to prove it. He still say's good morning George when I pass by him.

A few days after the above happened I visited a friend in Old Lyme, Connecticut. We went out to dinner at a piano bar. The Ladies at the next table tapped me on the shoulder and asked: Are you George Carlin? I said no, sorry. She said: You could be his twin.
 

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Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 11-08-2005, 04:37 PM:
 
...
 

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Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 11-08-2005, 08:19 PM:
 
I watched Carlin's show Saturday night. I agree with the judgment: pretty good, but not as good as some of his other stuff. Overall it was a lot more socially critical than funny (the term socially critical is arguably very different than political even though the term political unfairly gets leveled).

Anyone who likes Carlin's humor should consider getting a copy of the 2-CD title "Classic Gold," which fits three of his classic albums on the two discs. The albums are "FM & AM," "Class Clown" and "Occupation Foole." You'll get classic routines like "The Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television," "I used to be Irish Catholic," "Shoot," "Cute Little Farts" and more.

I was kind of surprised when Carlin mentioned he was looking forward to celebrating his 50th year in show business in 2006. Wow. 50 years.
 

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 11-08-2005, 11:38 PM:
 
Agreed with Bobby on the CLASSIC GOLD set. Great stuff. If you are a bigger fan than that, I recommend the box set "The LIttle David Years." It has all of his albums for that label, including the three mentioned by Bobby, plus the three following albums, plus a disk of unreleased rarities. The 7 albums are each housed in a CD-sized repro of the original album cover. The packaging is great, as is most of the material.
 

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Posted by Chad Souder (Member # 343) on 11-10-2005, 11:37 AM:
 
George Carlin is funny like Aerosmith rocks; pretty great at first, but after like 100 years of doing the same thing over and over and over, it gets pretty old. Carlin had his moment when he toured college campuses way-back-when, but he has since failed to impress. He is a legendary "angry comedian", but there's no question that Lewis Black is the king of that style now. By his own admission, Carlin steps over the line to get a rise out of people. That's not comedy, that's desperation for attention. His newest special is no exception - tired, obvious, routine...

Comedy is a devastatingly tough field for a person to stay at the top of, which Carlin proves by having become that guy at the party that just doesn't understand it's time for him to leave.

A few of my favorite stand up acts for you to consider: Mitch Hedberg (R.I.P.), Patton Oswalt, Ellen DeGeneres, and if you ever get to Vegas, The Amazing Jonathan.
 

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Posted by Bob Maar (Member # 763) on 11-10-2005, 12:43 PM:
 
Chad,

Please tell me, how does it feel to go through life with such a negative attitude. Hopefully, you don't need to inter-act with other humans in Iowa.

P.S. I have only heard of one of the other people you mentioned. The must be local friends from grammer school.
 

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Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 11-10-2005, 02:51 PM:
 
Holy , watch out! Bob's a' swingin' and a' dancin'.
 

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Posted by Chad Souder (Member # 343) on 11-10-2005, 03:03 PM:
 
Well, Bob, I didn't expect the personal attacks for stating my opinion, but thanks for not bringing out the "my dad can kick your dad's ass" ammo just yet. I don't see how commenting on one man's act implies a negative outlook on life (they didn't teach us the "jump to conclusions" game at my grammar school, but they did teach us proper spelling and punctuation). If it does, however, than I suppose I should rant and rave and call myself a comedian also.

If you have never heard of these other people, I strongly recommend you give them a chance. Mitch Hedberg's unique style especially deserves attention. Again, I'm just stating my opinion, but feel free to go ahead and further attack me personally rather than support your own view. It's working great for you so far.
 

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Posted by Carey Barber (Member # 1586) on 11-10-2005, 04:06 PM:
 
I would agree that Mitch Hedgburg was an excellent comic. He will be missed. Patton Oswalt is also pretty good.
I would not place Ellen Degeneres or Jonathan on par with either one of these two guys, however, especially Hedgburg.

And none of these come close to Carlin. Carlin's socio-political commentary is dead-on yet hilarious. He has a great B.S. detector and calls individuals and society on this B.S.

As far as Carlin's performances, I have all of his HBO stand up specials on DVD (except this newest one of course).

This was his twelfth actual HBO stand up special and he also did some kind of '40 years of comedy' show that featured an interview with Jon Stewart. As far as I know, this is not available on DVD or VHS. I would certainly like to find it though.
 

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Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 11-10-2005, 04:09 PM:
 

quote: Daryl C. W. O'Shea

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Holy , watch out! Bob's a' swingin' and a' dancin'.

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..and a hootin' and a prancin'...
 

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Posted by Bob Maar (Member # 763) on 11-10-2005, 04:56 PM:
 
Chad,

All you have to do is read your original post to see who is dissing who. All of the posts above yours, show that they are Geogrge Carlin Fans.

So why would you post a response saying they are behind the times.

Get a grip on what you are posting. This is a place where people of like mind can get together with a common bond.

You either bond or move on to give birth to a thread that you can enjoy without telling the people who posted before you that they are out of date.

So, that is why I say, "Get a Grip."
 

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Posted by Mike Heenan (Member # 392) on 11-10-2005, 05:57 PM:
 
Lewis Black may be the king now according to you, but when he reaches Carlin's age, I'll bet younger people will be saying the same thing you're saying about Carlin now. Carlin's the original king. I've seen him live quite a few times and always have a good time.
 

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Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 11-10-2005, 06:26 PM:
 
I have always been a Carlin fan...in fact, I heard his routines before I actually heard him (and more importantly saw him) perform.

George has always formed his comedy on a couple of themes "lifes observations"...that is, his humor stems from looking at every day things that everyone looks at, but tends to point out the humorous side of them. Another one is his knowledge of the English language and how it is used or misused.

I would never have classified George as an angry comic. He uses explicatives and such in his humor but they are more words than anger. He does have a short fuse though...in a live concert I attended, he did go off on a patron...which was odd and it definately didn't look staged since it didn't go with his routine at all.

It is fair to say that in his youth, he brought a new flavor to the field of comedians. A George Carlin routine was/is distinctive in much the same way Bill Cosby (also bases many of his routines on "lifes observations") or Richard Pryor have their own distinct styles of comedy.

I would in no way put Lewis Black in the same category as any of the comedians mentioned above though I find many of his routines quite entertaining and look forward to his spots on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

The resemblence between Bob Maar and George Carlin is rather uncanny...except for the Marini, of course
 

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 11-11-2005, 12:25 PM:
 
Carlin's routines have certainly been laced with more anger over the past few years, but you can't argue with his longevity. I've seen him 4x and always enjoyed the show.

He's also the author of one of my favorite all time jokes: "You know why you never get laid on Thanksgiving? Because all the coats are on the bed."

I highly recommend the "On Comedy" series from Laugh.com. They have interview CDs by several great comedians (Carlin, Carson, Seinfeld and more) where you really get a sense of what it takes to put together a comedy routine. These guys make it look so easy but it's hard work!
 

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Posted by Chad Souder (Member # 343) on 11-11-2005, 08:22 PM:
 
Go fly a kite, Bob. I never said anyone was behind the times or out of date, so quit putting words in my mouth while you stuff your foot in yours. Everyone else on this thread is sharing opinions about who they like and don't like, and then there's you who chooses to attack me because I dare disagree. I'm not insulted that Mike thinks Lewis Black will run his course, in fact I kind of agree. I'm not offended that Steve disagrees with my assessment that Carlin is an angry comic. I'll bet that Carey and Wolff and others are not upset that I disagree with them. The fact is that nobody but you chose to get personal.

If you want to talk about not keeping in line with the thread, Bob, try actually reading the posts. You were the first to divert from the subject of praising George Carlin when you blessed us with your ego inflated tale of mistaken identity.

Although we here all do share a common bond, I guarantee we are not like minded. Differing opinions are a part of normal discussions all the time. Most adults have an ability to hear a dissent and not get too bent out of shape. I will submit my opinion on what interests me as others around me do the same.

Finally, Bob, don't tell me to get a grip when you have distorted my words as an excuse to bulk up your number of posts. We can all see through your B.S. You're just embarassing yourself.
 

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Posted by Dave Williams (Member # 299) on 11-12-2005, 01:09 PM:
 
Chad,

First of all, Bob is the last person that needs anyone coming to his defense, but it's time to calm down. You take way too much offence and fight too darned hard to prove your point.

I just want us to all get along and not have every little discussion turn into a one up campaign.

Now go have a drink you two and get over it!

Ciao.
 

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Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 11-12-2005, 02:12 PM:
 
I, too, have always enjoyed Carlin, even back when he was the radio weatherman in Dallas. (before Al Sleet)

If nothing but words per minute, the latest routine is dazzling. Louis
 

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Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 11-12-2005, 02:16 PM:
 
I think it should be said the EVERY comedian has had their bad nights.

Chad brought up the Amazing Jonathan as a good comedian. My opinion is that guy's act and magic tricks have gotten WAAAYY old. He's doing the same damned jokes he was doing back in the 1980s.

Carlin, in spite of any recent missteps or less than stellar performances, has indeed earned his place as one of the top three comedians of all time. Richard Pryor and Lenny Bruce are the other two.
 

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Posted by Chad Souder (Member # 343) on 11-13-2005, 08:38 AM:
 
You're absolutely right about The Amazing Johnathan getting old and using the same material. The thing with him is that not a lot of people have heard of him anyway, and again, I know I lot of people here go to Vegas. He actually has a cool story of how Harry Anderson taught him how to be a street magician.

My top three of all time would be:

1. Bill Cosby
2. Bill Hicks
3. Steven Wright
 

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Posted by Will Kutler (Member # 770) on 11-13-2005, 11:34 AM:
 
Y'a know...there was once a time when there were GREAT commedians (Benny, Phil Harris, Burns & Allen, Bob Hope, Lucy, Skelton.......who would have their audiences in stitches w/o ever using the filth which is sooooo common today!

Cheers

K
 

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Posted by Bob Maar (Member # 763) on 11-13-2005, 12:57 PM:
 
Chad, Get a grip....I just had a big laugh at your post and then had a martini as Dave suggested..and you know what: I feel great!
 

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 11-13-2005, 09:08 PM:
 
Bill Hicks is funny, but too inconsistent. You can be laughing your butt off one minute and bored with his ranting the next.

Steven Wright - funny. He really needs to put another album out though.

One of my current favorites is Jake Johannsen. He has one CD out which is hilarious.

Bill Cosby used to be funny. He's not so funny now. Compare any of his 1960s comedy records with his current stuff, you'll see what I mean. (I can't believe Chad thinks Cosby is still great but Carlin isn't.)

The current hot group of comics -- Larry the Cable Guy, Bill Engvall, Ron White and Jeff Foxworthy -- have all been funny. Larry is running out of material fast. Foxworthy has been treading water for a couple of years (in fact he says he probably won't release another album). Engvall is excellent, the only thing that bugs me is him saying "OH! MY! GAWD!!" every two minutes. Ron White is the best of those four and gets the least attention -- go figure.

Jerry Seinfeld - very funny without resorting to profanity. Not that I'm against profanity, but some comedians feel it is necessary, Seinfeld proves it isn't. Carlin can be funny without profanity, he just chooses to use it. Sometimes a joke won't work without it....for example, "I never fucked a ten...but I once fucked five twos."
 

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Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 11-13-2005, 09:40 PM:
 

quote: Mike Blakesley

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Bill Cosby used to be funny. He's not so funny now. Compare any of his 1960s comedy records with his current stuff, you'll see what I mean. (I can't believe Chad thinks Cosby is still great but Carlin isn't.)

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quote: Bobby Henderson

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Phil, that's quite a impressive new member photo. I'm just glad I have DSL Pro with download speeds up to 3 million bits per second. That GIF image is 750K and has 459 frames (I opened it in ImageReadyCS2 to check it out).

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Yeah, and it's f*$%ing annoying at 19.2kbps.
 

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Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 11-13-2005, 10:49 PM:
 
Just for you, Daryl...


 

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Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 11-13-2005, 10:54 PM:
 

quote: Phil Hill

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et tu, Bobby? Go to Film-Yak » Upload your random pictures (part 2) (Page 62)

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quote: Bobby Henderson

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I also didn't know it was someone else's idea.

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I get it Bobby... That's why I pointed you to that other thread...

BTW: It's ALWAYS interesting to see what Brad comes up with for me...
 

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Posted by Paul Mayer (Member # 355) on 11-14-2005, 12:17 AM:
 
Wow Phil. With moves and looks like that you should try out for a spot with Morning Musume...
 

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 11-14-2005, 12:34 PM:
 
I always thought the "rule" for member pics was that it has to be a picture of the person. (Insert your own "member" joke here.)

Unless that IS a picture of Phil in his younger days....
 

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Posted by Bob Maar (Member # 763) on 11-15-2005, 09:47 AM:
 
Thanks Mike: I appreciate the Heads up.

Note:This is not George Carlin's Views on Aging

Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about aging that you think in fractions.

"How old are you?" "I'm four and a half!" You're never thirty-six and a half.

You're four and a half, going on five! That's the key.

You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.

"How old are you?" "I'm gonna be 16!" You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16!

And then the greatest day of your life . . . you become 21.

Even the words sound like a ceremony . . . YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!!!

But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk!

He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There's no fun now, you're Just a sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed?

You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40.

Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away.

Before you know it, you REACH 50 and your dreams are gone.

But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would!

So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60.

You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70!

After that it's a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday!

You get into your 80s and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch;you TURN 4:30;you REACH bedtime.

And it doesn't end there. Into the 90s, you start going backwards; "I Was JUST 92."

Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. "I'm 100 and a half!"

May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!

HOW TO STAY YOUNG

1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay "them "

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer,crafts, gardening,whatever.Never let the brain idle."An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family,
pets,keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it.If it is nstable,improve it.If it is beyond what you can improve,get help.

9 Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county;to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

[ 11-15-2005, 01:45 PM: Message edited by: Bob Maar ]
 

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 11-15-2005, 12:27 PM:
 
That's a good piece, but as Bob points out it is obviously not by Carlin.

Here's his response to this kind of material from his website www.georgecarlin.com:

quote: George Carlin wrote:

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Floating around the Internet these days, posted and e-mailed back and forth, are a number of writings attributed to me, and I want people to know they're not mine. Don't blame me.

Some are essay-length, some are just short lists of one and two-line jokes, but if they're flyin' around the Internet, they're probably not mine. Occasionally, a couple of jokes on a long list might have come from me, but not often. And because most of this stuff is really lame, it's embarrassing to see my name on it.

And that's the problem. I want people to know that I take care with my writing, and try to keep my standards high. But most of this "humor" on the Internet is just plain stupid. I guess hard-core fans who follow my stuff closely would be able to spot the fake stuff, because the tone of voice is so different. But a casual fan has no way of knowing, and it bothers me that some people might believe I'd actually be capable of writing some of this stuff.

One of the more embarrassing items making the internet/e-mail rounds is a sappy load of shit called "The Paradox of Our Time." The main problem I have with it is that as true as some of the expressed sentiments may be, who really gives a shit? Certainly not me.

I figured out years ago that the human species is totally fucked and has been for a long time. I also know that the sick, media-consumer culture in America continues to make this so-called problem worse. But the trick, folks, is not to give a fuck. Like me. I really don't care. I stopped worrying about all this temporal bullshit a long time ago. It's meaningless. (See the preface of "Braindroppings.")

Another problem I have with "Paradox" is that the ideas are all expressed in a sort of pseudo-spiritual, New-Age-y, "Gee-whiz-can't-we-do-better-than-this" tone of voice. It's not only bad prose and poetry, it's weak philosophy. I hope I never sound like that.

HOW TO SPOT A FAKE
Here's a rule of thumb, folks: Nothing you see on the Internet is mine unless it came from one of my albums, books, HBO shows, or appeared on my website. If you see something with my name on it, and you really need to find out if it's mine, post a question on my bulletin board . But only if it's really important to you; don't fuck around with me for a lark.

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quote:

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post a question on my bulletin board . But only if it's really important to you; don't fuck around with me for a lark.

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+1 on that being a new forum rule.
 

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Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 11-25-2005, 12:33 AM:
 
My goodness, my high school buddies and I were the biggest Carlin fans and had all of his albums. Although, sometime in the 80s, he started getting more sacrilegeous and it just turned me off like a light switch. I kept trying him later, but he couldn't seem to lay off the blaspheming, which offended me.

Unfortunately, I've never cared much for George Carlin since then (sorry, Bob... although, you ARE a dead-ringer for him, that's cool!) Some of my favorites today are Rodney Dangerfield and Redd Foxx.

Anybody ever hear Gene Tracy? He's crude and low-brow "truck stop comedy", but his timing is superb and the voice is funny as hell.
 

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 11-25-2005, 12:05 PM:
 
Yeah, Dangerfield is great too. It's sad though how my list of favorite dead comedians keeps growing. With all his drug use, it's a miracle Carlin isn't on the list.
 

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Posted by Chad Souder (Member # 343) on 11-26-2005, 12:45 PM:
 
I have to say "thanks", Tim, you may have pointed out why I dislike Carlin. I wasn't exposed to him until the 80's and the recurring blasphemy is something I also had a big problem with. It seemed to me like he was doing it over and over because he had found something that got a rise out of people and in lieu of being funny, he was offensive. Like him being in Dogma. Maybe I'll check out some of his old stuff again and see if it's any better. Thanks again.
 

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Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 11-26-2005, 04:59 PM:
 
I like blasphemy. It is great, heathenistic fun for all!
 

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Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 11-27-2005, 04:31 PM:
 
Yes, but you are the devil incarnate, so we would expect that. Don't think we haven't noticed you trying to cast a satanic power hex over everyone with your picture.
 

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 11-27-2005, 09:26 PM:
 
Joe Redifer, the devil incarnate?

.... Yeah, I'll buy that.
 

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