Rypro 525

This is Carlin's 14th hbo special and his first one since nov of 2001. I was wondering for those that have seen him on tour this year, how this set is?

Phil L.

Thanks for the head up. I didn't know this was on tonight. I'll check it out even though the last couple of times I felt he got a bit tedious. Hopefully this one is decent.

Rypro 525

also if anyone's interested in some of the topics

Phil L.

His opening self descriptive rhyming bit went on way too long.
After deciding that his suicide bit (about 20 mins. in) was also going on too long I switched it off.
I checked in a little later and after about 10 mins. without laughing once, I turned it off for good.

I was just happy I didn't spend money on a ticket to sit through this.
Despite how hard he tries, his stuff just no longer seems relevent, and certainly not funny.

theedge

We saw him last year here at Artpark in Lewiston. He said he was memorizing a lot of the material for this HBO special and frequently went to his notes to get some of the info. He lost his train of thought a few times as well and kind of ended things without a punchline so to speak. He had a few good points, but sounded like a grumpy old man more than the comidian rebel of the 70's-80's. Took my dad cause he loves George Carlin comedy, we didn't enjoy it as much.

The same bits were at the live show, the 20 minute suicide thing... ug... he may have reached the senile thing and being clean and sober doesn't help!!

sherm42

Sucked. I laughed like once or twice. What happened to him? I would have simply preferred an hour of railing on current events. Instead, 20 minutes of a suicide channel and how to organize it?

None of it was relevant. Just a bunch of strange thoughts. Not even very amusing thoughts.

What sucks is that he could probably put together an amazing monologue on terrorism and Iraq and Bush, but he never ventures there. Certainly, that is not too risky for him. Maybe he just feels topical humor is too disposable.

Charlie Goose

Carlin hasn't been funny or relevant in at least a decade but from what I saw, this was an all-time low. I watched the suicide bit with my mouth actually hanging open at how abysmal it was and how deathly ill Carlin looked.

Rypro 525

if he were to do that, he could probably do a repeat performance of the first 10 minutes of the 92 "jamin in new york" concert.
I do a agree that some of it was some what deprressing (i have heard of cases where people have acutally died from hanging them selves while masterbating.

Bludvls33

Not a very good show by Carlin. He has definitely lost a lot in the past few years.

Adam Tyner

That was my reaction as well. Eerie.

lucasorion

If I'm that jaded and cynical when I'm in my 60's or 70's, I hope I die quickly so I don't contaminate younger generations with my bleakness.

kvrdave

I tuned in briefly just to see if I would be correct in my assumption that he has sucked for well over a decade now. I was correct. I was surprised that he continues to get worse. I figured he would at least level out at a respectably sucky level, but he is breaking new ground.

Definately one of those performers that should have died in their prime so that we could have fond memories of them.

JP5683

I didn't get to see it because I cut off HBO a couple of months ago, it was costing me $140 for cable.

The last special he made in 2001, he was just alright. He's too pissed off.

Anyone read his books? Brain Droppings and Napalm and Silly Putty were great.

When Will Jesus Bring The Pork Chops was just a total hodgepodge. Didn't make much sense, only one or two jokes I found amusing.

I like the "On Campus" special best.

theedge

Yeah, he was pushing this book at the live show as well, saying how good it was, don't forget to bring it... I think he had it around his neck when he came on stage....

Tazwolff

I've got to agree. The last time I was literally on the floor in pain laughing from Carlin was in 1992, one of his HBO shows. With this show I only had one or two chuckles at best.

If this is what rehab has done to the man, by god give him back his booze and coke.

brainee

I loved the early Carlin HBO specials -- I'm with the majority here. This was really bad. Not funny, depressing, rambling. I was kind of ready for this. Carlin was terrible on Bill Maher's show recently, coming across as a sad angry grouchy old man. This was more of the same. I'd recommend just skipping it -- you struggle through the long winding bits like the opening "rhyme", the suicide bit, the forest fire bit, just waiting for something funny but it never comes. I think my only laugh was at the photo of his dog humping his cat after the credits -- and that's just because it reminded me of when Carlin still could be funny.

djbrown

If his recent appearance on Bill Maher was any indication, he can't. He tried to go that route, and he came across as nothing but a bitter, old man who was 99 parts bitter and 1 part sort of funny.

dgmayor

I saw him in Orlando back in April I think it was with a friend who was a long time Carlin fan. I hadn't really been up to date on his "comedy" for a while. We walked out of it pretty much stunned at many of the things mentioned above, like the Suicide channel stuff and probably 3/4th of the act. Here and there he had some funny things to say, but overall It left us both feeling uncomfortable.

Terrell

Well, I've got to say, I laughed my ass off at one joke the entire show. The pussy fart jokes almost killed me with laughter, and the audience was obviously in stitches as well. The dingleberry joke was midly funny at best, but it got a laugh out of me. The cornhole bit was funnier and I laughed at that as well.

But after the corhole joke it went way downhill, and fast. The rest of the show was nothing more than an old man ranting. Why over the last 10-15 years Carlin has taken to ranting and lecturing at his audience, is beyond me. You're a comedian Carlin. You tell jokes and talk about funny situations to make people laugh. They go to your show to get away from everyday life, not listen to an old man rant about it.

Carlin has done this kind of thing on his last 4-5 HBO shows, but this was an all-time low because other than the first 5 minutes, the entire show was nothing but bitter ranting. Some of the topics he rants about are downright disturbing, like suicide and having no sympathy for the people beheaded in Iraq. Some of his religious rants can't also get quite alarming, even if you're not a religious person.

I also agree with those that said Carlin looked in much worse shape than past shows.

Terrell

My favorite show of his was Carlin At Carnegie Hall.

Giantrobo

I only saw the last half or so but what little I did see was a huge let down. Mind you, I've been a huge fan for the last 15 or so years but this show was simply lame.

silentbob007

This show sounded a lot like a live show of his I attended last year. The theedge said, he had notes and said he was working on an HBO special. We were an early stop, so I think we got 45 minutes of suicide junk, with the only real laughs coming at pussy fart.

We paid to get 3rd row seats, and it was just bad,bad,bad,bad.

Phil L.

I never laughed once during these segments. They were embarrasingly awful.
At one point during the dingleberry bit he said that this was a word that a ten year old would say. I felt all three of these bits were essentially aimed at about the level of a ten year old audience.

Terrell

I don't remember asking you if you laughed at it? Different strokes for different folks. Obviously, the audience was not a ten year old audience, and they laughed quite a bit at that joke. I'm not above laughing at a juvenile joke if it's funny.

You've obviously never watched much Carlin, or any other comedian for that matter. They all have similar jokes of that type.

Phil L.

Dude... dial it back.
I wasn't busting on you. If you laughed and enjoyed those bits, fine, more power to ya.
I only quoted you because those opening bits were something I was thinking about since the show aired and you brought them up.