The wisdom of George Carlin

I only got to see George Carlin live once. It was in Las Vegas, sometime in the 1990s. I can’t remember which trade show we were attending, but a bunch of us went over and caught Carlin’s show at one of the big casinos.

He was funny on television. He was even funnier in person.

There was an element of truth to whatever Carlin was ragging on. Yes, he had an incredible vocabulary, and was the master of using language to make his point (like, that baseball is superior to football because in baseball you care about who’s up, and in football you obsess about downs).

But more than just a comedian gifted with words, Carlin was a keen observer about the absurdities of life. He wasn’t just humorous. He was right.

If you’re looking for the proper way to remember Carlin, may I suggest reading (or re-reading) his recent book, “When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?” (I wonder if he’s regretting writing that book now.) The best way is to enjoy to it on audio CD: Humor without delivery is like, well, Jesus without pork chops.