Feb

29

By George!

Posted by Christopher Waldrop

February 29, 2008 |

There aren’t many comedians who compare with George Carlin–not favorably, anyway. Normally when a comedian is described as being “a comedian’s comedian”, it’s a way of saying other comedians think that comedian’s hilarious but audiences don’t. Carlin, though, has a huge following and he’s influenced generations of comedians. In The History Channel’s special The History of The Joke, Carlin was the comedian most other comedians cited as their first influence, and he’s been performing stand-up longer than most of the other comedians featured have been alive. Carlin’s latest HBO special is It’s Bad For Ya. Most comedians dream of getting one HBO special; this will be his fourteenth.

Because he’s most famous as a stand-up comedian it’s easy to overlook the fact that Carlin is also a writer. In an interview for Salon, he explains that, unlike a lot of other comedians, he writes all his own material. This is probably why he’s been able to take a lot of that material and include it in books which, while they may lack Carlin’s snappy, sarcastic voice, are still funny. And his books include material written just for books, such as this gem from his latest, When Will Jesus Bring The Pork Chops?:

Dempsey’s Department Store: Drop In Today

Shoppers! For a limited time only, Dempsey’s Department Store is offering a complete line of cheap crap at extremely high prices. Come in today and be treated rudely by our poorly trained clerks. Remember, at Dempsey’s we’re not just talking about the high cost of living, we’re doing something about it: We’re raising our prices.


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