The Daily Collegian

Issue date: 5/1/08 Section: Arts & Living

Media Credit: comedycentral [Click to enlarge]

At 70 years old, it's hard to imagine anyone being considered edgy and controversial without immediately being thought of as old and cynical. George Carlin, however, is able to walk that fine line with ease.

Tomorrow night, Carlin will be performing two shows at the Calvin Theater in Northampton, Mass.

Despite his age, Carlin has been touring 70-80 days a year since the 1970s.

A comedian, actor and author, Carlin has been in show business for five decades. While most of the uninformed will recognize him for his film roles such as Rufus from "Bill and Ted," Carlin is best known as a stand-up comedian.

Unafraid to touch any topic in his act, his salty and provocative style of comedy has put him on top. Everything from politics to sex to humanity as a whole is fair game to the seasoned veteran.

Some of the most influential comedians and politic satirists, such as Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Jerry Seinfeld and Lewis Black have credited Carlin as a major personal influence.

Many critics had begun to write Carlin off, feeling he was starting to lose touch, but his latest HBO special, "It's Bad For Ya!," which aired March 1 of this year, cleared up those misconceptions fairly quickly.

He is still as sharp as ever, cutting through things that often go unquestioned.

"I question American beliefs and accepted American thought patterns," Carlin said in a recent interview with HBO promoting his new special. "Americans don't question things anymore. We don't question things because everybody is fat and happy…they don't rock the boat. That's how you get bullshited; by not looking at things carefully."

Carlin has never been one to shy away from controversy. His most well-known routine is the "seven dirty words you can't say on television," a bit that brought him face to face with the United States Supreme Court in 1978.

He prides himself on being able to keep people on edge and making them uneasy.

"I like figuring out - and it's not hard to figure out - which things make people a little uneasy when you talk about them, and I like to get into those things," Carlin said. "But I like to find the way in through the side door. I don't like to be predictable."

Carlin is an acquired taste and his style of humor is not for everyone. While his willingness to use vulgarity is a turn off to some people, the message behind the words is appropriate for everyone.

As always, Carlin's favorite targets are the most controversial: politics, religion, rights and humanity. All of them come under fire in his latest HBO special.

On the bible: "Lets get back to the bible, America's favorite national theatrical prop."

On rights: "There are no such things as rights, there imaginary. We made them up like the boogieman. They are an idea, a cute idea, but they're fictional. I ask you where they came from, and people say 'they're a God given right,' ah f***, here we go again.

"I believe we should have unlimited rights. I believe I have the right to do anything I please, and if I do something you don't like, I believe you have the right to kill me. The next time someone says 'I have the right to my opinion,' you say, 'I have the right to my opinion and my opinion is you have no right to your opinion.' Then shoot the f*** and walk away."

With 22 comedy albums, 14 HBO specials, five books, a lifetime achievement award from the American Comedy Awards, and named the second greatest stand-up comedian of all time by Comedy Central, Carlin has done it all.

Carlin is performing two shows tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. at the Calvin Theater in Northampton, Mass. Tickets are $28.50-$48.50 and can be purchased at IHEG.com.

Ryan McAskill can be reached at rmcaskil@student.umass.edu

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