On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we look at the life, laughs, and legacy of one of the greatest comedians of all time—George Carlin. Carlin was made most famous for his “7 Dirty Words” set. It got him arrested and made him fight the FCC all the way to the supreme court. He took on the mantle of the vulgar prophet, a man who would cut society and humanity to the quick but do it with a laugh. From cocaine heart attacks to Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, George Carlin had a hell of a run.

He was born in New York to a mother who left his drunken father to raise two boys by herself. He did well in school due to his sharp intellect but was kicked out due his bad attitude, and eventually dropped out before he could graduate. After a stint in the Air Force (where he was courts-martialed three times!), he took to work at the local radio station. He teamed up with Jack Burns, and they started a funny radio hour which was successful enough for them to get picked up by a bigger station in LA. From there, they made an album together, and Carlin started to hone his stand-up routine. He played a more traditional role, wearing a suit and staying clean, until he was discovered by the first shock comedian, Lenny Bruce.

Bruce helped mentor Carlin, and they even got arrested together for Bruce’s vulgarity on stage. Eventually, Carlin changed his act. Instead of a suit and standard material, he wore jeans and a tee shirt with a beard and long hair. This was the 60s after all. His manager warned that he’d lose 90% of his business, and he did, but eventually he rebounded even better as his true, cut throat self.

He performed the epic “7 Dirty Words” bit that go him arrested. A radio station played the bit from his record, and they had to fight all the way to the supreme court as a result. In his comedy, George Carlin was known to be anti-government, anti-religion, anti-corporation, anti-humanity, pro critical thought, pro-independence, and pro cocaine. His bits are still some of the funniest, most shocking and honest assessments of all of the human condition, and if you haven’t listened to him much, you need to do so. Right after you download this episode and listen to it first, that is…

Visit Our Sources:

Your Rights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gkjWxCl6zE

https://www.biography.com/performer/george-carlin

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Carlin

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/george-carlins-shocking-prescience-on-the-nights-before-911

https://www.motherjones.com/media/1997/03/george-carlin/

https://georgecarlin.com/

https://www.npr.org/transcripts/120502583

https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_Carlin

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_dirty_words