Remembering George Carlin in Vegas
I should have written about George Carlin yesterday, but each time I tried, I was too sad to keep going.
So, history will record that George Carlin's last public performance turned out to be in Las Vegas on June 15, 2008, at the off-Strip casino Orleans. Vegas was a town he told me he hated, filled with audiences he loathed: "It is the most dispiriting, soul-deadening city on earth." We agreed to disagree. After all, to Carlin, Vegas was the town that fired him again and again, whereas to me Vegas is the town that gave me the chance to speak to him at length and see him perform.
I had hoped to transcribe my interview with Carlin for you here, but that turned out to be impossible, totally impossible, because of his great gift for colorful language. In writing up the conversation, I realized that because there are so many more than seven words you can't write for the L.A. Times I would be doing the recently departed a huge disservice to obliterate and edit out his constant use of what we call obscenities. And Carlin was very exact about his words. He is the only comedian I have ever seen perform in Vegas using written notes. As he had told me and other interviewers, he had come to see himself as a writer who performed his own material rather than as a comic.
When I saw him do stand-up in 2007, his first run at the Orleans (pictured above), he was still able to offend some audience members enough that they walked out early in the show. Carlin expected, accepted and encouraged that in Vegas. He started off with hard material (I think a joke about kiddie porn when I saw him) to train his audiences here:
“Las Vegas provides something for me. In other places like Pittsburgh you can sell out two nights in nice-sized halls and you get the hard-core George Carlin fans, but then, to be crass, you need to give the market a rest for a couple of years. The same is true of Dallas and Portland and Seattle or wherever. But for a person who develops the material out there on the stage into these more-permanent forms like DVD, it is necessary for me to get the exercise on stage. So, Las Vegas provides an easy place to go to where the audience keeps changing. You don't tap it out. But the price I pay for that is the audiences are not the best in Vegas. In Pittsburgh, I get the hard-core fans who know what I am about. In Las Vegas often I get people who saw me on 'Leno' or got a coupon. It doesn't work easily. Each night [in Vegas] I have to find out how they are going to be and I have to train them."
I love the idea of training an audience. Vegas, of course, works better at pandering and fulfilling the needs of audiences. As a result, Carlin was fired in Vegas a lot over the decades: for using unacceptable language back in the day at the Frontier to getting dismissed a few years ago from the MGM Grand for being, in his words, "too dark." He thought that was very funny and typical of Vegas.
But the other side of Vegas is that Carlin never lacked for work here: There was always another resort willing to hire him. Of course, it was being fired in Vegas that really fueled Carlin's creativity. In fact, he had the epiphany of his career on a Vegas stage when he went from being a suit-wearing mainstream comic to the George Carlin that could still offend decades later: "The critical crossroads was being fired by Vegas. It was like getting the signal, 'Go ahead, George, take a leap.' "
And leap he did into a territory of comedy where he found a unique voice that will continue to entertain, challenge and stimulate generations of new fans. So, to all the entertainment directors in town, present and past, who fired George Carlin, thank you. You helped create one of the great comic talents of all time. I would thank each of you jerks (sorry, George, the best I could do!) by name, but unlike with George Carlin, history hasn't bothered to remember your names.
(Photo by Sarah Gerke)
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Very nice article.
Here's a story to add to it.... I had a friend who was a security guard at the Sahara. He said one night a few years back he was working the graveyard shift. The desk clerk called him over and told him there was a guy sitting down by the entrance reading a newspaper. The way it was said was basically without saying it out in the open, the desk clerk wanted the security guard to move the guy along, as if he was a homeless guy or something, and him sitting there was bothering the desk clerk. This was like four in the morning. The security guard said he'd check it out.
Well, my friend said he went over there and there was George Carlin. He was sitting on the floor near the entrance, drinking a coffee, reading a newspaper. My friend said he recognized him and went over and said good morning to him and asked him if he was okay. George replied that he was fine and he liked doing this early in the morning so that he could observe people, talk to them and get ideas for his act. My friend told him to have a nice day.
My friend the security guard said he went back to the desk clerk and said basically, look, that was George Carlin, who was at the time performing at the Sahara Casino, and if you don't like him sitting there, YOU kick him out.
I thought that might be a nice story to share. George Carlin's wit and humor will be sorely missed. I just hope that other comedians emulate him and carry on in comedy traditions that he was the trend setter for. May he rest in peace.
Posted by: ColinFromLasVegas | June 24, 2008 at 10:49 AM
George Carlin had a hard eye for truth. As a designer, I was taught that contrast catches the eye. George found the seams between truth and practice, and that was the meat that he fed on. There are others mining this same vein, but none with such a hard eye for truth. And he would not fade away! I remember parroting his seven words dialog as a senior in high school in 1973! He would rip me a new one for this, but: "RIP, George"
Posted by: Elrey | June 24, 2008 at 11:34 AM
"I got fired last year in Las Vegas, from the Frontier Hotel, for saying sh*t. In a town where the big game is called crap. Kind of a double standard, you know? I'm sure there was Texan standing out in the casino yelling 'Aw sh*t, I crapped!'" Opening lines of "FM&AM," 1972.
You'll be missed.
Posted by: RIP George | June 24, 2008 at 11:36 AM
This is so sad...all the interesting people are dying. I still remember a piece he did about a girl showing up at his apartment, three months after they briefly met at a concert. He says "oh I remember you...you were a good sport." Girl: "Well, I'm pregnant with your baby and I'm going to kill myself!" George: "Wow, you are a good sport." I hope I didn't ruin this...I heard this one over twenty years ago but still laugh when I replay it in my head! He was a unique, funny and talented man, and I hope his family knows how much he was loved.
Posted by: Jane | June 24, 2008 at 12:14 PM
Lunatics are beginning to blame Hillary Clinton for the death of Tim Russert.
There's your red flag. When lunatics begin to blame sudden death, heart attacks on the "Clintonistas" the fix is in -it's time to accept the fact that once again, truth is a casualty of this unprecedented mess.
Most heart attacks are not fatal, and the current deaths of George Carlin and Tim Russert are very suspicious. Carlin was under the assault of the the likes of right wing lunatics like O'reilly, who violently blasted Carlin for suggesting that the United States is responsible for 9/11. (in fact, Carlin merely said 'you reap what you sow') God Help Carlin if he dared to expres his own opinion.
After Carlin died, self absorbed O'Reilly dug up an old clip from an interview in 2001 showing him confronting Carlin about using "the F word". Then to make it even more inflammatory to his faithful viewers, he left in a part where Carlin is critical of the church, a red flag of disapproval for "the folks".
He included no tribute to Carlin's long and trailblazing career. The best he could muster was condolences to his family and a comment that he was a "witty guy."
When O'reilly dies, the best we will be able to say is that he is a disgusting, obnoxious lunatic -have you seen the video where he yells at people like a raving lunatic?
This is the climate which explains the murder of George Carlin, just in time to deny him the spotlight as the recipient of the Mark Twain award: and you ought to blame lunatics like O'reilly.
http://surftofind.com/mystery
Posted by: Jack | June 24, 2008 at 01:31 PM
What an astonishing intellect; his political and social commentary helped to change the world. So much so that even today the right-wingers circulate pitiful emails that they claim are by him, in the hope that some of his luster will rub off on their pickled content. Yes, I know he lived exactly as he pleased, but dang it, George, we would have liked to have you around for another thirty years or so ;-)
Excellent, deeply-felt article, thank you, Richard Abowitz.
Posted by: Helen | June 24, 2008 at 01:56 PM
Jack? You can't be serious, are you? Russert a somewhat overweight guy with cholesterol filled arteries a victim of some ding bat conspiracy? Ummm...you're off your nut, pal. And now you want to add Carlin--and his history of heart ailments and bent toward self destructive to the body drug habit--to that conspiracy theory? You are not only off your nut, but are a prime candidate for the loony bin.
George Carlin was a brilliant observer of the human condition. Such people are few and far between in a society too used to being spoon fed mediocrity under the guise of pseudo-edgy comedy. And it will be a long time before somebody equally brilliant rises up from the muck to take his place.
RIP George Carlin, you iconic bastard.
Posted by: Jake Hollywood | June 24, 2008 at 02:23 PM
I remember George Carlin and his wonderful wit from years ago, and his parts in movies like "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure". His parting has hit me deeply and hw will be missed.
Posted by: John | June 24, 2008 at 02:28 PM
What made me a such a fan of George Carlin was that he was an equal opportunity offender. He didn't care about your age, sex, color or political affiliation. If he had a problem with you, you were going to hear about it. This always gave you two choices: either laugh or hold on until it was over!! Goodbye, George and thanks for all the great laughs. I hope he at least got his two minute warning...
Posted by: Sal | June 24, 2008 at 03:08 PM
Great article. Gorgeous George trashes the writer's town, peppers his interview with so much profanity as to make it worthless, and then is hailed as a hero.
Bit of a self esteem problem, Mr. Abowitz? Carlin wasn't "dark," he was an embittered jerk. Oh, wait a minute, I'm sorry--God's Gift to the Counterculture wasn't the jerk, it was all those entertainment directors.
Posted by: John D | June 24, 2008 at 03:24 PM
Throughout his career he he didn't just paraphrase particular truths about the way we all are. He put it out there in grave, colorful, clear, hysterically funny BOLD letters with flashing lights and sirens. Everyone but the most self-absorbed laughed and were startled at how much he knew about them.
To find fault with that validates the things he was telling us about ourselves.
Posted by: Terry Ritchie | June 24, 2008 at 04:16 PM
I respected the man simply because he dared say things others thought but were to damn scared to say, yet needed to be said. How many other social commentators, which he was to me, would dare challenge people to question if their is a God, or question the sanity of ones elected officials?
Posted by: MotherLodeBeth | June 24, 2008 at 09:30 PM
Is there a "Vegas Window Box"? I remember when "Toledo Window Box" came out.. it was hilarious... He wasn't allow to let her rip on TV, but on records he was tremendously funny and he had a disarming attitude. Miss him I will. I don't like Las Vegas either...
Posted by: tonyE | June 24, 2008 at 09:33 PM
No more George Carlin! Now who's going to be brave enough to tell the truth?
As a mother, I didn't always approve of the language, but he had the balls to come out and state the obvious and make people laugh at their own absurdities. You always left with something to think about.
He will be missed.
Carole
a.k.a. 'Mother'
Posted by: Mother | June 24, 2008 at 10:07 PM
I saw George perform at Balley's in Vegas on August 23, 1997, and I have never forgotten the performance (had a front row seat too!). He was awesome, I laughed till I cried, and bought his copy of "Brain Droppings" almost immediately (it had just come out!). Since Monday morning however, I have been having the worst emotional week of my life since 09/11. I am still waiting for this nightmare to end. I am somehow hoping it is some kind of perverse media conspiracy between them, George, and that hospital. I now know how the "rumors" of a celebrity faking a death get started-it's from those who can't handle the worse then awful, undeniable truth. It's been two days now, and I am still getting emotional over this. I certainly do not ever, ever see myself laughing at a comedian ever again, as they will always be compared to George, and there has never, nor ever will be an equatable comparison.
Posted by: John | June 24, 2008 at 11:19 PM
I think it does the departed, and art in general, a sniveling disservice to over-praise an artist when s/he dies. Carlin was not a groundbreaking comic in the vein of Richard Prior or Bill Hicks. He had the 7-word thing but I remember when that record was first released and I thought it mildly clever but not much more than that. It may have titillated the middle class but it wasn't THAT edgy or revolutionary.
Carlin was a medium-level talent, and that's the truth. He deserves the truth because that's what he dished up. As for the guy who wrote this column, hopefully he's stopped crying now and can get back to work. Trite and pandering as that work might consistently be. And incidentally, he's one of the most obnoxious, egomaniacal (no exaggeration) hacks in Vegas and if he had balls even a fraction the size of Carlin's, he'd stop sucking up to the reader and write with his real voice. Y'know, honest-like.
Posted by: Adrian Zupp | June 25, 2008 at 01:58 AM
I do not remember the first time I saw a show of George's but from that point on I watched and read everything I could, had his stand up on CD so I could cry myself silly in the car.... and then one day... my daughter (then 12 or so) was in the car with me, and I thought what the f**k.... and she listened and loved it, from that point on she looked at every routine on uTube she could find and is a great mimic for many bits, she does great food stuff parts, anyway....here's why I love her: the day after George kicked the bucket I saw it online and of course let out a long littany of cuss words and ran upstairs (7:30 in the morning, daughter does not go to sleep until like I don't know 3:00am, so she was barely there) and tell her about it and I'm sniveling and all and she said: 'mommy, it's OK.... you know George, if he saw you crying, he'd flip you off and say what the hell are you crying for and old fart like me woman'...had to smile at..... that and her being only 14.....
Loved you George, come back soon.....
Proud mother.
Posted by: Gosia Arbudzinski | June 25, 2008 at 05:15 AM
George Carlin would love this editorial cartoon published today about him ...
http://www.thechronicleherald.ca/toon.php
Posted by: J. Comeau | June 25, 2008 at 05:35 AM
George Carlin was a bitter man, who wallowed in his unhappiness. To give him his due, he could occasionally provoke a laugh. But it was mostly bitter laughter, utterly devoid of joy. For the most part, his ramblings appealed to shallow people who wished to be thought of as hip.
Posted by: Tom Barbarie | June 25, 2008 at 10:01 AM
I remember meeting George Carlin after a show at the dallas convention center in the early 90"s and he was the nicest, most soft-spoken man I ever met. He made you feel like you mattered, as though he was genuinely pleased to meet you. I was devastated when I heard the news of his passing......I shall really miss him.........love you George........the greatest stand-up of all time is gone
Posted by: paul jonas | June 25, 2008 at 10:42 AM
And there goes another one of the great comedians. No one of today can ever even come close to the "clean-cut" hilarious jokes that all these older comedicans chose. Good-bye and God Bless!
Posted by: Nancy Disanto | June 25, 2008 at 05:23 PM
A true genius. All I can think to say is....."George, you were right about all of it"
Posted by: Pockets | June 25, 2008 at 09:51 PM
I saw Carlin 5 times, four of them in Las Vegas, every time great especially the midnight show on New Year's Eve, front row, 1997. He was the court jester. He was my non-spiritual advisor. Along with wine and existentialist philosophy, George has helped me keep on keeping on through these dark years of our fading republic. Thanks to George, I find the entertainment value in everything, because as he said, indeed, fundamentalist muslims, fundamentalist jews, and fundamentalist christians are going to continue to make this a very "interesting" world. I miss him very much already. I know that as I watch the sadness and absurdity unfold in the news and all around me, I will be saying "I wonder what George would say about that?" Thanks for the essay.
Posted by: CK | June 26, 2008 at 04:34 PM
I saw George about a year ago in Jacksonville FL. I had a front row seat and was as giddy as a kid on Christmas morning. Carlin did not disappoint, he was an unwaivering champion of the truth behind the reality.
We seriously lack people today with the courage to say the things everyone thinks but never says. With the death of George Carlin I feel it might be the last time we hear the voice of intelligent dissention. I think back to all the crazy rantings of George and see the ironic truth to most of them, from his bit on "Stuff and where to store it" to speech censorship it was all dead on. Society really is very funny if we take time to examine it.
Anyway George, it was a honor to see you perform live and you will be sorely missed.
Say hi to Buddy Jesus and keep a seat in the hall up there. I look forward to your routines about heaven. :)
Posted by: Greg M | June 26, 2008 at 04:53 PM
Wow our world just lost one of the greats.... There will never be another like him. He made you laugh and think about stuff at the same time.. My heart was sadden when I learned of the news on the way to work....
You will be missed by many........
Posted by: Tammy in Indiana | June 26, 2008 at 07:12 PM