GEORGE CARLIN ** SALLY STRUTHERS

[Broadway Matt]

Posted: 11/7/04 at 1:54am

So I just got home from Philly, where I finally got to see my personal hero, George Carlin in action for the first time. Needless to say, the man was absolutely amazing in person and a true inspiration to those in the audience with an open enough mind not to get offended and walk out. Man, if you think he goes too far on TV, he really lets it loose in a live show. Seriously, I was in the 5th row with all of the (I assumed) hardcore Carlin fans, and I counted 14 people in my direct line of sight get up and storm out during the 75 minutes he was on. The woman behind me started crying at one point and there were many jokes met with an uncomfortable silence. It was glorious!!! How anyone could pay to see George Carlin without knowing what to expect is beyond me.

Anyway I won't go into depth about most of what he talked about, as it's sure to upset people, but I do want to share his mention of Sally Struthers. It's relevant to the Sally Appreciation Thread and great evidence that she deserves such a thread. If you can get a compliment out of Carlin, you've really made it in the world.

So he was doing a bit called "I Like It When A Lot of People Die At Once" which he was actually planning to premiere in his 2001 HBO special but the network thought it would be in bad taste 3 weeks after 9/11. He brilliantly goes through all sorts of scenarios that cause people to die and explains why he enjoys it. One of the less convincing but more amusing of these scenarios was famine. The reason he gave for famine being a good thing was "well, right of the bat, it means you're gonna see Sally Struthers on TV more often, which is always a plus, if you ask me!" When everyone laughed at this statement, he responded, "Hey, f*ck you people. I happen to think she's a lovely woman!"

By the time he was done, I was one of the handful of people in the audience he hadn't managed to offend or alienate in some way. Though, I am ashamed to admit I did suppress my laughter and shift in my seat during one particularly hardcore bit about how teenage suicide is a "waste of good p*ssy". God, I love him.

Updated On: 11/7/04 at 01:54 AM

[Westopher]

Posted: 11/7/04 at 1:58am

Please, go into detail.