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[penfield]

About seven years ago, George Carlin did a show at the University of Rochester Palestra. I was so excited to see him; Carlin had been one of my idols since I was old enough to understand swear words. I particularly enjoyed his observational mind and admired his mastery of language; he is the ancestral precursor to Jerry Seinfeld and Steven Wright. His Baseball vs. Football and A Place for My Stuff (NSFW video) are still among the best stand-up bits ever written.

But he was not really on his game that night in the Palestra. Maybe the material was raw, maybe the energy was off, maybe my expectations were too high. He was not only sortof unfunny, but he took time out of his set to (A) chastise the audience for not laughing loud or often enough at his jokes and (B) shamelessly hawk his book.

Ever since then, even in his popular HBO specials, I've found his work disappointing. His trademark counterculture irony seems to have been replaced with virulent anarchic rage and his monologues have become more political than societal. He's like Dennis Miller on PCP.

That said, I will be watching tonight when he appears on Jay Leno -- and I never watch Jay Leno unless I want to hear the latest Monica Lewinsky joke -- because he'll be appearing on the same stage as noted conservative political pundit Ann Coulter. And if he doesn't use the opportunity to savage conservative politics and tear Ann a new Coulter, then we'll know that Carlin isn't Carlin anymore -- he's just some guy selling the newer, louder version of the Carlin Product.

And that would be some sad sh!t.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

To his credit, Carlin apologized to the Rochester audience at the end of the show for underestimating us, thinking we'd be "uptight, private school yuppies", and thanked us for "getting" his material. - Maestro

[enchanted-pants.livejournal.com]

Maestro: I don't remember that, but good recall. It makes me feel a little better about the experience, in retrospect.

PostScript

[enchanted-pants.livejournal.com]

When you have spent as much money as I have on a TV, it's probably best not to watch people who make you want to hurl a brick through your screen.

Coulter was her usual Nazi Whore self, of course, but the only person to come close to calling her on it was -- shockingly -- Mr. Mild Jay Leno, who sort of gave her a hard time without being particularly incisive or funny about it.

Meanwhile, Carlin sat there on the panel, silent and impotent, even after Coulter jabbed at him for being anti-religion! His bit earlier in the show was amusing, if pre-fabricated and semantically vacant, but he never once even alluded to the paleo-skeletal fascist waiting in the green room. Sadly, his performance confirms that Carlin has aged into nothing more than a sellout, more concerned with preserving his book deals and movie roles than his legacy.

The most impressive performance of the night occurred afterward, when Scottish pop star K.T. Tunstall made herself into a one-woman band. Good stuff.

Re: PostScript

[(Anonymous)]

I agree about Carlin's performance at Rochester from a few years back. I was there and thought it was very disappointing. But in his defense, Carlin has been doing his thang for a LONG time. when he first started doing comedy, he was far from a stand-out, and it took him a long time to find his voice. and while some of his stuff has certainly been groundbreaking, you can't be that way all the time. I mean, try writing comedy for 20+ years and see if everything you come up with is gold.
on the other hand, reactions are good. the fact that carlin didn't want to punch coultier in the face--something that most of us would thank him for--blows my mind.

Re: PostScript

[enchanted-pants.livejournal.com]

Good points, Anonymous. For the record, I wasn't suggesting that Carlin's talent or material has dulled any. I just think that his tone has totally changed, to the point where his comedy isn't really fun anymore. And at the same time, it seems as though he's too lazy to fight the fights that used to be important to him.

Carlin's Washed Up

[instant-ethos.livejournal.com]

And have you seen Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends recently? What pile of shit that show has become.