Three years ago today, June 22, 2008, George Carlin died. One of my most treasured moments was seeing him perform live.
Only three months later he’d be gone. I’m glad I got to see him in time, but I never got the opportunity to meet him. I never got the chance to thank him. But after he died, I found the following quote, which used to hang on the wall above my desk in my old apartment:
It’s been almost a year since I moved. It’s about time I find a good place to hang it.
-Lou
In his memoir Last Words (written with Tony Hendra) George Carlin talks about how in the late-Seventies his work lacked direction and depth, and how many columnists and comedians—even Cheech and Chong—were calling him out on it. One of the real kickers for Carlin was watching Rick Moranis impersonate him on SCTV.
Here’s Moranis doing Carlin talking about “Underrated Vegetables”:
And here’s Moranis doing Carlin in SCTV‘s version of The Death of a Salesman:
Aside from comedian Todd Glass doing a small bit about George Carlin in his stand-up, I had never seen anyone do Carlin before—I mean really do him. (Rick Moranis is a funny motherfucker. If you’re in the mood for a fun afternoon, dick around on YouTube and watch his other clips.)
If this is the impression that lit a fire under George’s ass to get cooking on hard-hitting material, I praise thee, SCTV. And I praise you, Rick Moranis!
-Lou
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