There have been a lot of times in my life when George Carlin was the only voice that reached me. He talked me down, roughed me up, and made me laugh even when I thought I never would again. He showed me what true natural brilliance is. He was so smart, so funny and so right about everything that he could make me laugh until I sobbed, no matter where I was, how I was feeling or who glared at me.
George was a kind man who was not particularly kind toward people. He constantly reminded us of how stupid and uptight and totally useless we can be. But during my darkest hours, when I stood on the edge of the abyss and thought, Why not?, he gave me reasons to step back. George spoke directly to my soul, and dared me to do something even stupider, like keep living. If a species like ours can produce someone like George, there is hope for us.
Hope died last night. He was 71.
George, you and I were supposed to grow old together, so I'm beyond pissed that you went first. I expect to see you on the other side, still giving God and the Devil a hard time when I get there. Goodbye, pal.
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Well that just sucks. I wasn't a fan of everything he said or did, but for the most part, I loved his work. He always told it like it was in his unflinching and comical way. In homage to his wisdom, I'll leave with a favorite quote from him: "Well, if crime fighters fight crime and fire fighters fight fire, what do freedom fighters fight? They never mention that part to us, do they?"
ReplyDeleteGoodbye George. You will be missed.
Oh no! I hadn't heard about this. Crap! :( The man was brilliant. He made keen observations that were spot on. This blows!
ReplyDeleteI'm so going to miss his perspective.
ReplyDeleteYou will be forever loved and missed, George!
ReplyDeleteThe man was magic with words and ideas.
ReplyDeleteHe done some hard living with the body and survived with heart trouble for quite a long time. Still, I was disappointed to learn he's gone.
I too will miss George Carlin---he made me laugh and he made me think while doing it. He also taught me 7 words that you can't say on TV but work really well helping me express myself otherwise. : )
ReplyDeleteI love George Carlin! He will be missed by many.
ReplyDeleteMy husband just told me about George's death -- we spent hours and hours listening to his albums and then watching his cable specials and laughing our asses off. I loved his snark and his talent with words.
ReplyDeleteToo sad....
Terri
George spoke directly to my soul, and dared me to do something even stupider, like keep living. If a species like ours can produce someone like George, there is hope for us.
ReplyDeleteYou probably don't realize you've got that same knack for reaching people-hope isn't gone.
I saw him in Chicago once and yes, he definitely had a way of seeing through the BS.
Godspeed.