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George Carlin

George Carlin taught me that you could be funny and smart at the same time. It is accepted today that comedians can be smart and funny but back in the day, Comedians were of the Rowan and Martin, Lewis and Martin joke telling types. Before George Carlin, comedic insight rarely went beyond "when my wife sits around the house..." patois. I discovered him during the summer of 1976, in Dennis Lucas' garage and I've always been grateful to George Carlin for teaching me that little fact about comedy. Smart can be funny, infact if smart actually is done right, its almost always funny too.

I memorized, actually I devoured his comedy albums in the 1970's, and began to mimic his style and pacing of speech so much that I became obnoxious about it. "Hot water heater? Hot water doesnt need heating..." Im sure it was funny to everyone the first time they heard it, but after I said it daily for nearly a month, it lost its flavor.

My favorite Carlin quote: " I joined the Air Force to avoid military service".

My favorite Carlin memory - Back in my consulting days in the 1980's, after a wild night out in Manhattan, I fell asleep with the television still turned on. I woke up up in the middle of the night and "That Girl" was on, but Marlo Thomas was talking to some guy in a suit and tie with short hair. The only problem with that is the guy in the proper business suit and hair cut had George Carlins voice. My alcohol enhanced brain could not accept what my eyes were clearly seeing, George Carlin - in a suit and tie as straight as can be. I was convinced that I had passed into some alternate universe...

George Carlin has long been on my list of "People I would have loved to have spent 14 hours sitting next to on a flight to New Zealand".

Posted @ June 23, 2008 04:29 AM | Current Affairs

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