Last night at the tail end of a long, long drive home, after hours of listening to the glorious sounds of Mr. Hank Williams and Justin Townes Earle, the stereo was switched over to NPR where I was informed that one of my all-time heroes, George Carlin, had passed away earlier in the day.
George Carlin was more responsible than anyone for my extreme love of stand-up comedy. From the great conversations (and sometimes arguments) my father and I have had over the years as we discussed the simple brilliance of his earliest material in the 60’s and 70’s and the blunt nature of everything from there on out to the hours I spent wearing out an old VHS tape of his after finding it shoved to the bottom of a used bin at some store on University Way in the U-District in Seattle, I can’t think of a day since I first heard his raspy, quickly-aging voice where I felt anything but complete adoration for him, his material and his completely unique approach to life.
It’s silly to feel as sad as I do about the passing of someone I never had the pleasure to meet, but I really don’t care. The man is a legend and always will be. For years now, I’ve subconsciously quoted his material to friends on almost a daily basis, at times for no reason whatsoever and other times because I felt his thoughts perfectly summed up certain experiences. Today might be the first day where I can’t think of a single thing to quote, so I’ll just leave it up to him:
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Currently Listening To:
George Carlin / FM & AM
