jim henson

Still processing the news of George Carlin's passing.

I guess one of the things that saddens me about losing Carlin is that he was still performing good material, and as was the case over so much of his career, it seemed that his style was still evolving.

Beginning in 1997 with his book 'Brain Droppings' Carlin found new success in essentially committing his stand-up routines to paper.

I didn't read the books, because I knew I'd really enjoy hearing his voice on all the audiobook versions.

I continue to find the difference between those audio 'performances' and the live stand-up shows really interesting, especially as the past few years took his shtick further and further into the realm of spirited crankiness and bile-spewing.

In comparing the complimentary shades of darkness between his last live CD and the audiobook version of his last book, 'When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?' there's something informative there that I think points to the brilliance Carlin had as a performer.


One book of his that I do own, however, is his first, a slim volume printed in something close to a glossy magazine format back in 1984.

Truth is, it's not a great book.
It's fun, but it's pretty half-assed in its presentation.

Like his later books, much of it is drawn from his stand-up comedy act - - in fact, some of the same material in 'Sometimes A Little Brain Damage Can Help' got recycled a bit and wound up in
'Brain Droppings' and maybe some of the other books.

Still, he did something just a little different with his humor in this book, and looking over its various little lists and 'Carlin-isms', his style shines through.

You don't see this one around much anymore; hope you enjoy peeking at some of its pages.

At this point, should I bother mentioning that it may not be suitable for those who are easily offended?













































(Click on images or titles listed below to ENLARGE pages in a new window)
- Acknowledgements & Table of Contents

- Tonight's Program

- Misc. B.S.

- The Book Club

- People I Can Do Without

- A Salute to Famous Bands

- Things You Never See

- Tumors & Food, Tumors & Sports

- Advertisements

- Milwaukee Obscenity Complaint

- (back cover) Tie Champion