George Carlin

Monday June 23rd, 2008 - Chicago, IL

A lot of people are talking about the death of George Carlin today and I’m one of them. It was the first thing I heard when I got up to go to WLS to be on the Jerry Agar show. He is about as big a name in standup comedy as there ever was and I’ve always admired him.

One of the few pleasant memories I have of interaction with my siblings as a child was us listening to his ‘Class Clown’ album at Christmas time one year. My brother Larry got it as a gift and we all listened to it and laughed incessantly. He was one thing we all could agree on liking and there sure weren‘t very many of those. It’s still a very vivid memory.

I was of course sad to hear of his passing but not all that surprised. He was 71 and had a history of heart problems so I guess it was just his time. He was born the same year as my father and I thought about how differently they lived their lives and will be remembered.

George was a major influence to a countless number of other comedians and they freely admit it just as he freely admits he was inspired by Lenny Bruce. Many of my friends like Jimmy McHugh and Vince Maranto and Bill Gorgo and so many others list Carlin as who had the most influence on them. He’s the reason a great many comedians got on a stage.

Rodney Dangerfield was probably my greatest influence but I was still a big fan of how Carlin did it and became an even bigger fan after I started doing comedy myself and saw how the game worked. He changed his style quite a few times and had a work ethic like is rarely seen in any artist. He cranked out more material than just about anyone else ever.

The amazing thing about it was it wasn’t just average material - he wrote CLASSICS in his day. He’s probably most famous for his ‘The seven words you can’t say on television’ bit but he had SO many more. Football vs. baseball was one of my personal favorites and the list is endless. He totally explored several sides of his creativity and lived a full life.

I did get to meet George in person just a few years ago at Zanies in Vernon Hills. It was a highlight of my life and career and he could not have been more easygoing, friendly or a genuinely nice person. I didn’t really know what to expect but I was blown away with the way he handled himself with everyone that night. I’ll always remember how nice he was.

He was in town for whatever reason and was visiting all the comedy clubs and helping a woman named Sally Wade become a comic. I think they were married eventually but they were just dating at the time and he was totally supportive of her as she started as a comic.

It was around this time of year and the club was empty on a weeknight. I wasn’t thrilled about performing for 20 people in a 350 seat room and when I got there Liz the manager didn’t sound the least bit excited when she told me George Carlin would be coming to the show. I like Liz but she is not the biggest of comedy fans and didn’t think this was a big deal at all. To her it was just another comic trying to hustle some stage time at her club. I just about jumped through the ceiling when I heard her say it. ‘WHO is coming?’ I asked.

‘George Carlin,’ she repeated. ‘They called from downtown and asked if we were doing a show. He asked if it would be ok if his girlfriend did a guest set so I told him to ask you when he got here.’ I couldn’t believe it. She told George Carlin to ask ME for a guest set?

I am friends with everyone at the Vernon Hills club because I’ve worked there so much. I was goofing around with the staff and didn’t see anyone walk in when I turned around to find myself right in front of the man himself. He smiled and said ‘Hi, are you Dobie? I’m George.’ How surreal that was. ‘I know who you are,’ I said. ‘It’s a thrill to meet you.’

He looked almost embarrassed. ‘Hey, my girlfriend Sally is just starting out as a comic. I was hoping that you wouldn’t mind if she went up in front of you for a few minutes.’ To have George Carlin ask ME if someone could go up for a five minute guest set was about as unexpected an event as I could imagine ever happening to me but it got even stranger.

George asked ‘I heard you teach comedy classes. Zanies speaks very highly of you and I thought maybe Sally could take one of your classes sometime.’ I just about soiled myself. I said ‘How about if YOU start a class and let ME take it?’ He laughed and said ‘That’s a very nice thing to say.’ Then we talked about comedy for a while and he was just the best.

Sally did her set but it was in front of a small crowd and she was just starting and it was a difficult position for anyone to be in. Nobody else except me knew when I went on that George Carlin was in the back watching and it was more than intimidating. I was a wreck.

I gave it all I had and actually got some nice laughs. Then I got off stage I went into the back and there was no Carlin. I felt crushed and thought I must have not been able to hold his attention but I heard from Liz that Sally and George got into an argument after her set.

George didn’t want to cause a scene so he decided to leave but Liz said he made a point to walk all the way back in and tell her ‘Make sure you tell Dobie I thought he was really funny. He made me laugh out loud. Sorry I can’t stay but please tell him that for me.’

I guess you’d have to know Liz but she just doesn’t lie about stuff like that. She said he was very genuine and she saw him laughing when I was on before they had their spat. He was the ultimate gentleman and reeked of class and I remembered that fantastic memory all over again all day as I heard of his passing. He really impressed me by his kindness.

I’ve heard many stories from many people what a class guy he was. Larry King was on CNN with a tribute show tonight and there were more stories of George’s classiness from other comics and his family too. His brother said he was great and most importantly to me his daughter said how great of a father he was to her. That sealed the deal forever for me.

My old man was born in the same year and was a total loser. George Carlin was one of the most successful comedians of all time and hearing he was a great father and brother is even more of a reason to pay tribute and respect his marvelous achievements. He had the career and life most people dream of and I’m thrilled I got the chance to cross his path.