Farewell, George C.

It was with great sadness that I read of George Carlin's death.

His 1973 album, Occupation: Foole was a touchstone of my childhood.

My eldest sister would play it for me in her bedroom (well out of the hearing range of my parents) all the time...on the condition that I never repeated any of the routines. Our favorite bit was not "Filthy Words" but "Cute Little Farts." Even today - 35 years later...we still make reference to a "one-cheek sneak."

As I grew older, and became more aware of the world and the effects of censorship, I grew to appreciate George Carlin for more than his trenchant, biting humor. I greatly admired his bravery in the face of conformist corporate America. If you've ever seen pictures of George Carlin from the early '60's, he looked like a bigger square than Tricky Dicky. I remember him saying that what happened to Lenny Bruce was transformatory for him. And so he transformed us - to watch our language and the impact of what we say, and not to be afraid of it.

George, you will be missed.