George Carlin died last night of a heart attack. This will be a great loss in the comedy community. He was a pioneer in comedy as one of his most famous bits, the seven dirty words, went all the way to the Supreme Court. His courage to explore, attack and question any and all topics of comedy encouraged stand up comedians like myself to do the same.
Because of George Carlin, I got gritty with my material and knew I could go any where with it. A good comic makes you laugh. A great comic makes you think. George Carlin was a great comic.
I never met George Carlin. I would have loved to. I heard wonderful stories from people who did work with him. The manager at the Comedy and Magic Club, Richard Barrett, once told me that George took the time to learn the names of staff members and was always so very kind to them. Richard also said that George also took the time to talk to any comic who wanted to visit with him. Before show time however, he would excuse himself and stayed alone in the green room to rehearse his show.
I was at the height of my roadwork. I was traveling out of town as many weeks as I was at home. It was exhausting. I would shake hands with all the audience members on the way out, making a long night even longer. Audience members always had a story or joke for me…sometimes a joke I have heard a hundred times. I remember hearing an interview with George Carlin and him speaking about talking to the fans. He said inside everyone is a part of the universe and when you take the time to talk to a person, you experience that part of the universe.
After every show, I think of what he said as I shake hands and listen to jokes, and I remember how special it is to share a part of the universe with someone.
NBC TODAY Show