The Whole Set of This, that and the Other

I remember the first time I saw George Carlin in concert. If you aren't familiar with George, let's just say he had a way with words.

In fact, some of his language was downright filthy - he even did a monologue in 1972 of the "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television". If George were alive today, he'd have to revamp that list because lately, I have heard those words spewing out of my television.

I did manage to find one (and only one!) YouTube video where George made me laugh out loud without using any dirty words. He probably hated doing this monologue because he loved to swear, but I'm telling you that this could be the best three minutes and thirty-three seconds you spend today. It's about words - not dirty words - just the use of words. It's a must-see and you can watch it here.

Carlin begins by saying, "Words are everything. Words are true to you, they can betray you, they say too much, don't say enough, they get it wrong..." Very true words, George.

The piece that I have shared with you was filmed off the Midnight Special. "The Midnight Special" was a Friday night Pop Rock variety show on NBC TV that ran in the same weekly time slot of 12:30 AM to 2AM EST for 9 years during 1972-1981. During the nine years, anyone who was anyone in show biz garnered a spot on the Midnight Special.

For me, Carlin's performance was one of the most memorable and probably because he didn't use one single dirty word during the entire performance. It was just good old-fashioned humor and he was at the top of his game in those years. In later years, the drugs and the IRS took a toll on him and he encountered more than one run-in with law enforcement.

What Carlin was capable of doing was truly an art form. He took words, simple sayings and our usage of them and spun three minutes of out and out humor. I loved it and laughed out loud.

When's the last time you laughed at the English language? Go on, spend three minutes listening to George ask you, "If you have 25 odds and ends on a shelf and 24 of them fall off, what do you have left - an odd or an end?" Classic Carlin.

George Carlin left us in June of 2008. Somehow the world will never find out the answer to his question, "When cheese gets it's picture taken, what does it say?"

Sources:

http://www.georgecarlin.com/home/home.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPq44A-iQlA&feature=related