George Carlin, legendary comedian and unorthodox philosopher, died Sunday of heart failure. He was 71 years old. Carlin wrote and starred in fourteen HBO specials, countless comedy albums, three books, appeared in several films and television shows, and toured constantly for half-a-century. He is remembered by his fellow comedians as a pioneer of stand-up comedy, and was almost universally respected and admired by the entire entertainment industry. On a personal note, this man was more formative to my thought-process and sense of humor than the entirety of my education and every comedic endeavor I have ever witnessed, all rolled together and squared. The juxtaposition of his unbreaking rants against sociological taboo's (i.e. religion, sex, government) versus his light-hearted musing upon the minutia of everyday life (picking scabs, annoying answering machine messages, traffic jams) never grew tired, and made every other comic look like a poor imitation. From a young age, Carlin taught me that the best understanding of human nature can come from the true understanding of the language we use everyday. For a kid who was almost always made fun of for his above-average vocabulary in the old days, his routines helped make me feel like I wasn't the only sane person in an insane world. And, in the end, there is no greater connection an entertainer could hope for with his audience.
George Carlin was, and still is, the best comedian that has ever been. Not to mention one of the keenest minds to ever live. Its very rare, closer to unprecedented, for me to ever be shaken up by a celebrity's death, but the world has lost someone important this week.
Mr. Carlin, I will miss you.
