George Carlin Dead At 71

I've been out all afternoon and evening so I just heard the news that George Carlin, one of my heroes, has died tonight at the age of 71 of heart failure. I'm devasted. I'm feeling about as sad as I've felt in quite a long time about something that doesn't have to do with my family (though I always thought of George as a crazy uncle in a way). Carlin to me was the definitive comedian/entertainer and spoke to me and so many others on many different levels. He always made me think and made me question the things that so many of us take for granted in our daily lives, from the way we say hello to our religious beliefs. Now I know he could be preachy and sometimes simplistic in his approach to making his point, but that never made his views and opinions any less legitimate to me. I admired the way he spoke his mind and never allowed pressure from government, advertisers, the religious right or any other faction to stop him. I always looked forward to his HBO specials because he always had a new way of expressing himself and making me look at an issue perhaps in a way I hadn't thought of until I heard it come out of his mouth. I have all three of his books and read them from time to time if I need a kick in the tail or just want to smile. I can't deny the influence the man has had over my life when it comes to forming many of the opinions I hold dear to my heart to this very day. I remember becoming aware of Carlin when I was about 9 or 10 years old. I bought a cassette called "A Place For My Stuff" and I was transfixed at the notion that one person could make me laugh so hard. I still, to this day, remember many of the routines and could probably recite them from memory if I were asked. Of course, there's also the classic Baseball-Football routine, another of my all-time favorites.

From there, I followed Carlin's career as he went from anti-Establishment icon of the 1970s to the social commentator he continued to be until the day he died. I saw George in concert about four or five times in my life, and even saw him at UCLA when he came to visit for a speakers' series back in the late 1980s. The picture at the top of this post is one I took at that event and I've always loved it because of Carlin's eyes and the way he could communicate with nothing but a look. The one thing I regret is not seeing him earlier this year when I had the chance. My sister-in-law works at the Wells Fargo Center in Santa Rosa and had asked me if I was interested in seeing Carlin there. George was filming his latest, and what turned out to be his last, HBO special back in February. But because of work commitments and the general busy-ness of life, I couldn't find the time to make it up there and watch my hero in action one last time. I figured I'd go see him the next time he was in Los Angeles, or perhaps even in Vegas where he had made a habit of visiting fairly frequently and where I had seem him once before. But it wasn't to be I guess. I know I'm rambling and I hope this post makes some sense. It helps me immensely to let things out this way. There's so much more I could say, but let me wrap it up by writing that I will miss you George -- very much. You have helped shape me into the person I have become to this day and I hope that I, too, will stand up for my convictions and follow the example you have set for me and so many others. Rest in peace.