George Carlin isn't funny.

[Tuberski]

Thought provoking, yes. Funny, no.

ACK!

[giblets]

Who do you consider funny?

[PLATO]

Actually thought he was funny when I saw him in person years ago. Recorded stuff doesn't seem to have the same effect, which makes me think you are probably correct.

[Tuberski]

Bill Burr, Tommy Johnagin, Mike Birbiglia, Hannibal Burress, Dan Cummins, Mitch Hedberg, Jim Gaffigan, Deon Cole, John Caparulo, Daniel Tosh.

ACK!

[Hauldren Collider]

I read one of his books and thought it was amusing.

[Tuberski]

Actually thought he was funny when I saw him in person years ago. Recorded stuff doesn't seem to have the same effect, which makes me think you are probably correct.

I actually really liked The George Carlin Show.

ACK!

[loinburger]

I thought his older stuff was funny, but his later stuff was too angry

[Guynemer]

Thought provoking, yes. Funny, no.

ACK!

Hmmm.

I'm gonna go ahead and say you are out of your ****ing mind.

[PLATO]

I thought his older stuff was funny, but his later stuff was too angry

Yeah....maybe that's it. I saw him in 1978 at the Tennessee Theatre in Nashville....so very long ago.

[-Jrabbit]

He started as a straight-up comedian, doing characters. Gravitated toward more cutting, observational humor based on linguistic wordplay and ironic juxtaposition, which was his sweet spot (the "7 dirty words" era). As time went on, he became progressively more biting and political. His career peaked in the mid 70s, when he suddenly stopped performing due to a series of heart attacks.

His career revived in the 80s and 90s, but was a blend of oddball acting roles (Mr. Conductor in Shining Time Station, Rufus in Bill & Ted, etc.) and a return to humor. By this point, Carlin's stand-up and his writing (see the book Brain Droppings) was much more bitter and (duh, liberal) agenda-driven, something he knew and acknowledged.

So yeah, the earlier the material you find, the better. Carlin was a brilliant, talented, and very funny man.

[Tuberski]

Hmmm.

I'm gonna go ahead and say you are out of your ****ing mind.

Not when they use a whole weekend of my favorite XM comedy channel to play his stuff incessantly.

But, at least he isn't Dane Cook.

Also, I made this thread specifically to spin you up.

ACK!

[MrFun]

He started as a straight-up comedian, doing characters. Gravitated toward more cutting, observational humor based on linguistic wordplay and ironic juxtaposition, which was his sweet spot (the "7 dirty words" era). As time went on, he became progressively more biting and political. His career peaked in the mid 70s, when he suddenly stopped performing due to a series of heart attacks.

His career revived in the 80s and 90s, but was a blend of oddball acting roles (Mr. Conductor in Shining Time Station, Rufus in Bill & Ted, etc.) and a return to humor. By this point, Carlin's stand-up and his writing (see the book Brain Droppings) was much more bitter and (duh, liberal) agenda-driven, something he knew and acknowledged.

So yeah, the earlier the material you find, the better. Carlin was a brilliant, talented, and very funny man.

So when a comedian starts practicing their freedom of speech to express their opinions on social or political issues, that's when they automatically become terrible comedians.

[Hauldren Collider]

He started as a straight-up comedian, doing characters. Gravitated toward more cutting, observational humor based on linguistic wordplay and ironic juxtaposition, which was his sweet spot (the "7 dirty words" era). As time went on, he became progressively more biting and political. His career peaked in the mid 70s, when he suddenly stopped performing due to a series of heart attacks.

His career revived in the 80s and 90s, but was a blend of oddball acting roles (Mr. Conductor in Shining Time Station, Rufus in Bill & Ted, etc.) and a return to humor. By this point, Carlin's stand-up and his writing (see the book Brain Droppings) was much more bitter and (duh, liberal) agenda-driven, something he knew and acknowledged.

So yeah, the earlier the material you find, the better. Carlin was a brilliant, talented, and very funny man.

Yeah, I remember my dad showing me some of his stuff and thinking it was a riot. Last year I went and watched some of it and kinda wondered why I ever thought he was funny. Now that I've read this, I realize I was just watching his later liberal rants--which, while still often funny, aren't nearly as funny as his earlier stuff.

[Imran Siddiqui]

So when a comedian starts practicing their freedom of speech to express their opinions on social or political issues, that's when they automatically become terrible comedians.

So you are a big fan of Dennis Miller these days?

[loinburger]

So when a comedian starts practicing their freedom of speech to express their opinions on social or political issues, that's when they automatically become terrible comedians.

It is incredibly stupid (and very typical of you) to bring up freedom of speech in this context. Nobody is saying that Carlin wasn't free to express his opinions, they're just saying that those opinions weren't funny.