Comedian George Carlin dies at 71

[estranged4life]

LOS ANGELES - Comedian George Carlin, a counter-culture hero famed for his routines about drugs and dirty words, died of heart failure at a Los Angeles-area hospital Sunday, a spokesman said. He was was 71.

Carlin, who had a history of heart problems, died at St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica about 6 p.m. PT after being admitted earlier in the afternoon for chest pains, spokesman Jeff Abraham told Reuters.

Known for his edgy, provocative material, Carlin achieved status as an anti-Establishment icon in the 1970s with stand-up bits full of drug references and a routine about seven dirty words you could not say on television. A regulatory battle over a radio broadcast of his "Filthy Words" routine ultimately reached the U.S. Supreme Court.

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Man, George was my all-time favorite - I'm saddened by his death

[LukeA]

A true icon. RIP.

[GODDESS6]

F@*k, i loved him, he will be missed
RIP george!!!~

[jannieC]

Definitely one of my absolute favorites. My husband told me about this early this morning- SO sad. He will be missed.

[eclipse]

George Carlin's skills of making comedic history by just using simple words to make us laugh will be sadly missed. I have caught his performances a few times and always left with my stomach hurting from laughing so hard...and my mind reeling with the magic way he wove his words.

He was political, intelligent, funny and witty all at the same time.
I remember when he first started as "The Hippie Dippy Weatherman"
The forecast for tonight, is, um dark... but tomororrow will be light during the day-Standing in front of the ancient weatherboard set -up looking not only stoned but totally bored by his own forecast-It was funny, maybe you had to be there to see it.

Then he went from that start to his famous "words you can't say " to just a general scarcasim about our english words, which he chose very carefully. He loved words!

Hernia-should be Hisnia
Histerectomy- should be Hersterectomy
Hot water heater? -If it's hot, why heat it? et al....

I hope you find peace in your deep, deep sleep-goodbye

[Steviefan49]

What a sad morning this morning to wake up to this on the news... He will be SOOO missed.. RIP George..

[estranged4life]

Carlin: The difference between baseball and football by George Carlin

This is a reprint of his classic bit "The Difference Between Baseball and Football." Excerpted from Brain Droppings by George Carlin, Copyright 1997, Comedy Concepts Inc. Published by Hyperion. All rights reserved.

Baseball is different from any other sport, very different. For instance, in most sports you score points or goals; in baseball you score runs. In most sports the ball, or object, is put in play by the offensive team; in baseball the defensive team puts the ball in play, and only the defense is allowed to touch the ball. In fact, in baseball if an offensive player touches the ball intentionally, he's out; sometimes unintentionally, he's out.

Also: in football, basketball, soccer, volleyball, and all sports played with a ball, you score with the ball and in baseball the ball prevents you from scoring.

In most sports the team is run by a coach; in baseball the team is run by a manager. And only in baseball does the manager or coach wear the same clothing the players do. If you'd ever seen John Madden in his Oakland Raiders uniform, you'd know the reason for this custom.

Now, I've mentioned football. Baseball & football are the two most popular spectator sports in this country. And as such, it seems they ought to be able to tell us something about ourselves and our values.

I enjoy comparing baseball and football:

Baseball is a nineteenth-century pastoral game.

Football is a twentieth-century technological struggle.

Baseball is played on a diamond, in a park. The baseball park!

Football is played on a gridiron, in a stadium, sometimes called Soldier Field or War Memorial Stadium.

Baseball begins in the spring, the season of new life.

Football begins in the fall, when everything's dying.

In football you wear a helmet.

In baseball you wear a cap.

Football is concerned with downs — what down is it?

Baseball is concerned with ups — who's up?

In football you receive a penalty.

In baseball you make an error.

In football the specialist comes in to kick.

In baseball the specialist comes in to relieve somebody.

Football has hitting, clipping, spearing, piling on, personal fouls, late hitting and unnecessary roughness.

Baseball has the sacrifice.

Football is played in any kind of weather: rain, snow, sleet, hail, fog...

In baseball, if it rains, we don't go out to play.

Baseball has the seventh inning stretch.

Football has the two minute warning.

Baseball has no time limit: we don't know when it's gonna end — might have extra innings.

Football is rigidly timed, and it will end even if we've got to go to sudden death.

In baseball, during the game, in the stands, there's kind of a picnic feeling; emotions may run high or low, but there's not too much unpleasantness.

In football, during the game in the stands, you can be sure that at least twenty-seven times you're capable of taking the life of a fellow human being.

And finally, the objectives of the two games are completely different:

In football the object is for the quarterback, also known as the field general, to be on target with his aerial assault, riddling the defense by hitting his receivers with deadly accuracy in spite of the blitz, even if he has to use shotgun. With short bullet passes and long bombs, he marches his troops into enemy territory, balancing this aerial assault with a sustained ground attack that punches holes in the forward wall of the enemy's defensive line.

In baseball the object is to go home! And to be safe! — I hope I'll be safe at home!

[JWS]

Originally Posted by eclipse

George Carlin's skills of making comedic history by just using simple words to make us laugh will be sadly missed. I have caught his performances a few times and always left with my stomach hurting from laughing so hard...and my mind reeling with the magic way he wove his words.

He was political, intelligent, funny and witty all at the same time.
I remember when he first started as "The Hippie Dippy Weatherman"
The forecast for tonight, is, um dark... but tomororrow will be light during the day-Standing in front of the ancient weatherboard set -up looking not only stoned but totally bored by his own forecast-It was funny, maybe you had to be there to see it.

Then he went from that start to his famous "words you can't say " to just a general scarcasim about our english words, which he chose very carefully. He loved words!

Hernia-should be Hisnia
Histerectomy- should be Hersterectomy
Hot water heater? -If it's hot, why heat it? et al....

I hope you find peace in your deep, deep sleep-goodbye

I remember the Hippy Dippy weatherman routine on the Ed Sillivan show.

Another Carlin doing the sports report..."A partial score...Baltimore 6"

[SuzeQuze]

Crap, I never caught his show! I have one of his discs and agree his comedy/phrasing are amazing. RIP George.

[GarboSpeaks!]

My most favorite male EVER! I was so bummed to hear of this today. I had really hoped that my lifetime would see "George Carlin, President of the United States."
My thoughts are with his family.

[Karlie]

He was one of the funniest men on earth. He will be missed.

[BTFLCHLD]

One comic that can truly make me laugh out loud.

Rest in Peace George.

[gldstwmn]

He will be greatly missed. George was a genius. He could make me laugh so hard. I hope he's happy wherever he is.

[LngPrmsdRd]

My friend told me about this after work tonight...SOOOOO sad. Truly one of the funniest human beings *ever*. He will be sorely missed... Rest in peace, George--I'm quite sure you're now keeping an entirely different dimension in stitches!

[Chrislit18]

When my mom told me yesterday I was shocked. We just saw him live in like May....

He was hilarious....he will be missed.

[not trying to be disrespectful, but hey, at least I can watch him in Jersey Girl...which I watch constantly...]