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.
