Word: carliner
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...takes a genius to strike the funny bone in a way that can still smart nearly 100 years later. The nation's highest official accolade for comedy is the Kennedy Center's Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, which will be awarded this November to the late George Carlin--another man whose commentary grew bleaker and more biting in his last years. But old Mark, unvarnished, might be too hot for cable, even, today...
Most famously, Carlin talked about the "seven words you can never say on television," foisting the verboten few on his audience with the glee of a classroom cutup and the scrupulousness of a social linguist. While his brazen routine caused a sensation (and prompted a lawsuit that eventually made it to the Supreme Court), his intention was not just to shock; it was also to question our irrational fear of language. "There are no bad words," said Carlin. "Bad thoughts. Bad intentions. And woooords...
...Carlin took stand-up comedy to a new audience and helped redefine it as an art form. In the '70s he sold out concerts, released best-selling albums, starred in HBO specials. Then, after rebounding from drug problems, he reinvented himself a couple more times. In the '80s he re-emerged as a kind of curmudgeonly uncle, with small-bore observational humor and an aphoristic style. In the '90s he tacked back to harder-edged political material, complaining about everything from the environmental movement to the middle-class obsession with golf. Even in his late 60s, Carlin was as sharp...
...Carlin's material grew increasingly dark in later years, to the point where he was cheerleading (with only a trace of irony) for mass suicide and ecological disaster. "I sort of gave up on this whole human adventure a long time ago," he liked to say, his cynicism at odds with a sweetly unpretentious demeanor that made him almost universally beloved in the comedy world. "Divorced myself from it emotionally. I think the human race has squandered its gift and this country has squandered its promise. I think people in America sold out very cheaply, for sneakers and cheeseburgers...
...Carlin's career and his comedy were anything but a downer. He was unique among his contemporaries in remaining a top-drawing stand-up comic for more than 40 years, with virtually no help from movies or TV sitcoms. His influence can be seen everywhere, from the observational comedy of Jerry Seinfeld to the political rants of Lewis Black. He helped take stand-up comedy to the very center of American culture. It has never left...