Comedy as sharp as a knife: George Carlin and his art.

 It was war in Vietnam and young people were experimenting drug in America. Everything was changing and George Carlin became the most important stand-up comedian. 

He literally transformed the way we think stand-up and no doubt he was one of America's greatest artists.    

                        

Carlin started doing stand-up comedy in 1961: he become famous to TV audiences for his sharp parodies of commercials. But he understood the importance of the protest marches of the late '60s and the new spirit of the counter culture emerged. So Carlin realized he was facing the wrong audience, leading him to change his attitude.  

                                     

Now long haired, he started talking about drugs and Vietnam and America's uptight attitude toward bad language and sex. Fans weren't ready for it. He so riled up some conservative crowds with his jokes that he almost caused audience riots. 

After ten years of career Carlin had completed a significant transformation redefining stand-up comedy as an art form. Carlin was more of a social narrator, insurgent and truth teller.  He defied traditional wisdom and pinched the hypocrisies of the middle class. He bantered society's indignation over drugs, for example, pointing out that the drug problem involved middle-class America as well.  

Carlin used to talk about the "seven words you can never say on television," inserting subtly the forbidden few into his audience's face with the the scrupulosity of a social linguist. His intent was not just to shock; it was to debate our reasonless fear of language.    

"There are no bad words," said Carlin. "Bad thoughts. Bad intentions. And woooords."  

           

In the early '80s he became a kind of crusty uncle, with a lapidary style. Then, in the '90s, he backtracked to edgy political topics, railing against everything.  Carlin's speeches grew obscure in later years, to the point where he was prompting for mass suicide and ecological disaster.  (here is my favourite one)

"I sort of gave up on this whole human adventure a long time ago," he said a couple of years ago. "Divorced myself from it emotionally. I think the human race has squandered its gift, and I think this country has squandered its promise. I think people in America sold out very cheaply, for sneakers and cheeseburgers. And I don't think it's fixable."  But Carlin's art was very far from being a downer. He was peculiar among stand-ups of his time in remaining at his best for 40 years, with no help from movies or TV sitcoms. His influence can be seen everywhere. He demonstrated that nothing, not the most sensitive troubles or the most banal nuisance of everyday life — was off-limits for comedy, putting it to the centre of American culture. 

He died on June 22, 2008, of heart failure. He was 71 years old.