George Carlin: 1937-2008

Oh, no. George Carlin, the greatest and most important comedian of all time, has died. “The greatest” might feel like hyperbole, but let’s be clear: the man was a legend. For one thing, Carlin is, in part, responsible for defining what we can and can’t say on the air, thanks to FCC vs. Pacifica Foundation, a Supreme Court case filed after a radio station aired an uncensored version of Carlin’s “Dirty Words” routine. For another thing, he was really, really funny.

Here’s the thing about George Carlin — no matter what crude thing he was saying, no matter what institution he was attacking — there was an intelligence to it that made you respect him. Maybe it was his self-confidence that made people believe his theories were fact, lending every statement an authority you couldn’t help but acknowledge. Plus, you could tell that he really liked people; what he hated was idiocy, hypocrisy and complacency, all things that are ripe for comedy. And George Carlin was lucky; the world offered plenty of material. These six routines, featured here, are barely a drop in the bucket.