Re: Goodbye George...
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Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 6,331
axiomite
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axiomite
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 6,331 |
Very unique man. I didn't agree with everything he had to say, but I agreed with a lot. Regardless, I loved his his "cut through the BS" perspective.
I briefly met the man back in 1971. My band was playing at a small club in Santa Monica, CA (The Attica - long gone now) when in walks Carlin while we were on a break. He explained that he was working on a new routine and asked if it would be OK with us if, during our break, he tried it out on our audience (1 cook, 1 owner, 1 drug dealer, 2 waitresses, 2 drunks, 3 weirdos, 4 stoned hippies, and the band). Silly question.
Everyone was so awed by his celebrity that we all sat there completely stone faced. He had to stop his routine and just talk to us awhile to get us to loosen up. I have always wondered if that experience caused him to, never again, try out his material under similar circumstances. Sadly, I will never have the opportunity to ask him now. RIP.
Jack
"People generally quarrel because they cannot argue." - G. K. Chesterton
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Re: Goodbye George...
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Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 6,471
axiomite
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axiomite
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 6,471 |
Cool story, Jack!
I agree with those above who felt a connection to George. When he captured something in a routine, I would feel sometimes as though he was speaking for me. I wouldn't have been able to capture it as eloquently or pointedly as he did, but I saw the truth in it, and therein was the humor.
I feel the same way about certain bloggers (Deus ex Malcontent) and newspaper columnists (Thomas Friedman, Leonard Pitts). I like them so much because almost all the time they express beautifully just what I would like to say.
Bears, beets, Battlestar Galactica.
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Re: Goodbye George...
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Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 5,210
axiomite
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axiomite
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 5,210 |
"I think it's the duty of the comedian to find out where the line is drawn and cross it deliberately."
R.I.P. George!
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Re: Goodbye George...
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Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 6,955
axiomite
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axiomite
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 6,955 |
A good comedian can get away with that and it helps to remind us that we need to take life less seriously. However, don't try it if you don't have the knack. Otherwise, you come across as just plain offensive weather it's meant in humor or not.
Thank goodness, we have some people who can pull it off.
With great power comes Awesome irresponsibility.
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Re: Goodbye George...
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Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 6,471
axiomite
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axiomite
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 6,471 |
Bears, beets, Battlestar Galactica.
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Re: Goodbye George...
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 556
aficionado
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aficionado
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 556 |
I know one that doesn't have it. Bob Saget. His latest HBO comedy show for me was uncomfortable (at best) to watch, maybe i didn't get it, dunno. Another one that doesn't have it is that Mencia guy, hate his comedy, plain moronic.
The sailor does not pray for wind, he learns to sail. --Lindborg
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Re: Goodbye George...
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Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 6,955
axiomite
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axiomite
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 6,955 |
They are indeed rare. Sean Majumder comes to mind rather quickly though. In his stand up routines, he often ridicules the customs of his East Indian heritage, mostly at the expense of his father, but yet the Indians in the crowd love his stuff and he is asked to perform at many an Indian cultural event. Also, he is cherished as a national treasure in his home province of Newfoundland, despite the fact that he makes fun of NFL culture more than anything else. Some people just have what it takes, a silliness, the right smile, or the knack of making people realize, "You know what?....That is kinda silly."
With great power comes Awesome irresponsibility.
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Re: Goodbye George...
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Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 1,349
connoisseur
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OP
connoisseur
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 1,349 |
I won't speak for Murph, but I agree with what he's saying. For me, comics like Sam Kinison, Andrew Dice Clay, or Jackie Martling (to name three that come to mind) aren't very funny because their acts were/are just meant to shock and inflame people. Obscene language just for the sake of being obscene isn't really funny to me. And believe me, I'm not a prude. I can enjoy a good 'bodily function' joke with the best of them, but it's just sort of mindless comedy that gets old after a few minutes. Comics like George Carlin and Lewis Black use the same words, but in the context of making a point about society. In Carlins case, yes, he used the words to shock people. But he did it to point out how absurd it is that we have just decided that these 7 words are to be 'dirty'. His bit when he discusses the 7 'dirty words' is both intelligent and hilarious. Many people can't see past the fact that he's just using 'the words', and just label it as obscenity. Can't listen to that! It's their loss. Carlin, Black, and others make it a point to show us how silly and absurd our society can be, and I enjoy that brand of comedy very much. An FYI for anyone with XM Radio, I heard that XM150 is doing an entire day of Carlin tomorrow. &
M80v2 | VP150v2 | QS8v2 SVS Pci+ 20-39 Emotiva UMC-1 & LPA-1 M22ti + T-Amp, in the Office
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Re: Goodbye George...
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Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 1,349
connoisseur
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OP
connoisseur
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 1,349 |
I know one that doesn't have it. Bob Saget. His latest HBO comedy show for me was uncomfortable (at best) to watch, maybe i didn't get it, dunno. Another one that doesn't have it is that Mencia guy, hate his comedy, plain moronic. Totally agree with you about Bob Saget and his HBO show. I can't say I didn't chuckle once or twice, but after 10 minutes or so it was just obscenity for the sake of shocking people with the fact that 'Family Matters' & 'America's Funniest Home Videos' guy can swear a lot.
M80v2 | VP150v2 | QS8v2 SVS Pci+ 20-39 Emotiva UMC-1 & LPA-1 M22ti + T-Amp, in the Office
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Re: Goodbye George...
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Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 6,471
axiomite
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axiomite
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 6,471 |
I agree with your choices for the most part as well.
However, I was actually being snarky and referring to the Axiom board comedians, seeing if anybody would name names. Heh.
I have never liked Mencia much, and he has been called out for plagiarizing other comedians, such as the Bill Cosby football player's "Hi Mom!" bit from "Himself".
Another guy who just is not funny to me: Dane Cook. I watched some of an HBO special of his and didn't laugh for ten minutes, then turned it off. How he is a star is beyond me.
Lewis Black is awesome. Anyone connected with the Daily Show has been gold.
Bears, beets, Battlestar Galactica.
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