George, you once said “I believe people go where they say they will go once they die”. George, where did you say you were going to? Three years after your death, I’m more than ever convinced you got right to the problems facing our society today.
It was the Internet that introduced me to George Carlin. Surfing the web, I was fascinated by the United States, its culture, economics and diversity. Freedom, as the word seems to imply, allows you to forbid speaking out certain words on the airwaves, but not on the Internet. These contradictions got me reading, investigating and writing.
My airline trip would never be the same again. Maybe God was a man after all, especially looking at the work he delivered here on earth. Talking about straight talk! Yes, some of his work was and still is controversial.
I savored Carlin’s work in reverse: starting with his latest HBO specials I gradually discovered his past work. At High School, comedy was our thing and George Carlin just fed our critical minds. The dirty words never could get us shocked, but his confrontation with the established values got us thinking. Yes, we got to think and to laugh alike.
I enjoy reading his stuff, just because it goes back to the surrealistic reality we have become accustomed to. After a hard day at work, putting on an HBO special from George Carlin puts me back on my feet. Reading one of his bestsellers can make me laugh even when I’m in a stranded train.
Words are my thing as well. It is amazing how people stare at you for playing with words during a meeting at work, for giving an opinion or for just telling the truth.
After his death, his life story was published. “Last Words” takes you through George Carlin’s life, from the beginning nearly till the end. The book –I got it as a birthday present- just goes to show that nothing is free or easy in life. Even more, it shows Carlin was not just shouting and yelling dirty words, but brought on stage a view on life he assembled by living and doing his thing: playing with words.
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