July 22, 2010: 7 Dirty Words: The Life and Crimes of George Carlin

>> MORE STUFF.
ÁLAUGHTER— SOMETIMES YOU'VE
GOT TO MOVE.
SOMETIMES YOU'VE GOT TO MOVE
AND GET A BIGGER HOUSE.
WHY?
TOO MUCH STUFF.
>> CARLIN WAS A COMEDIC
PHILOSOPHER WHO BROKE
BOUNDARYS AND PUSHED THE
LIMITS OF TABOO SUBJECTS WITH
HIS PROVOCATIVE ROUTINE.
NOW THE BOSTON GLOBE
CONTRIBUTOR JAMES SULLIVAN HAS
WRITTEN A BIOGRAPHY ABOUT THE
POPULAR COMIC, SEVEN DIRTY
WORDS.
THE LIFE AND CRIMES OF GORGE
CARLIN.
JAMES.
YOU MADE THE POINT HE WAS SUCH
A SPECIAL STORYTELLER.
AND WHAT WAS FUNNY IS THE
PUNCTUATION MARKS HE HAD WITH
HIS EYES AND THE WAY HE SPOKE.
BUT IT WAS A STORY, AND HE
WOEF SOMETHING, AND SOMETHING
REGAL CAME OUT.
>> HE HAD A GREAT VOICE WHICH
A COMEDIAN NEEDS.
HE HAD A FASCINATING VOICE.
HE KNEW FROM CHILDHOOD HE
WANTED TO GO TO RADIO.
>> HE SAID I WROTE AN ESSAY
SAYING I'M GOING TO BE A
COMIC, COMEDIAN, RADIO
ANNOUNCER.
>> AND ULTIMATELY HE THOUGHT
HE WAS GOING TO GO TO
HOLLYWOOD AND BECOME A COMEDIC
ACTOR.
THE LINE ENDED THERE.
HE GOT THERE AND SORT OF
REALIZATIONED THAT WASN'T FOR
HIM, THAT PLAYING THE ROLE OF
THE BAFFOON OR THE SILLY GUY,
A FICTIONAL ROLE WAS NOT FOR
HIM.
HE REALIZED HE WAS A LOUSY
ACTOR, AND REALLY WHAT HE WAS
PUT ON THE EARTH TO DO WAS
STANDUP COMEDY, WHICH MOST
COMEDIANS USE STAND UP COMEDY
AS A MEANS FOR AN END.
AND CARLIN REALIZED, YOU KNOW
WHAT, STANDUP IS WHAT I'M HERE
FOR.
>> THIS GUY WAS ON THE EDGE
SINCE HE WAS A LITTLE KID.
HE WAS REBELLIOUS WITH HIS
FAMILY, WITH HIS CHURCH, WITH
THE MILITARY, COURT MARTIALED
THREE TIMES.
HIS FATHER WAS AN ALCOHOLIC.
HE ENDED UP WITH SEVERELY
DRUG, ALCOHOL, COCAINE STUFF.
>> HE WAS VERY OPEN ABOUT ALL
OF THAT ONE OF THE THING THAT
IS HE UNDERSTOOD COMEDY TO BE
WAS ABOUT TRUTH AND HONESTY.
WHEN HE WENT THROUGH THE
TRANSFORMATION WHERE HE DID
GROW HIS HAIR LONG, AND BECAME
SORT OF A HIPPIE COMIC OF THE
EARLY 1970s, AND ROCK STAR
COMEDIAN.
HE REALIZED WHAT HE WANTED TO
DO WAS TELL THE TRUTH, AS HE
SAW IT, AND HE KNEW THAT THE
TRUTH COULD BE FUNNY, THE
TRUTH IS ABSURD.
LIFE ON THIS PLANET COULD BE
ABSURD, AND HE WANTED TO
EXPLORE THAT AND SPOKE FROM
THE HEART AND MIND AND WANTED
TO TALK ABOUT IT.
>> OF COURSE, HE'S REMEMBERED
FOR SEVEN DIRTY WORDS.
FRANKLY, THAT'S NOT HOW I
REMEMBER HIM.
OTHER THINGS I THOUGHT WERE
HILARIOUS.
I HAD FORGOTTEN THE STORY IN
MILWAUKEE FOR DOING THAT
ROUTINE AT AN OPEN AIR OUTDOOR
CONCERT.
TELL THAT STORY.
>> IT'S SUMMERFEST, A ANNUAL
EVENT IN MILWAUKEE, AND HE WAS
A HOTTED COMEDIAN AT THE TIME.
1972, THE ALBULL THAT HAD THE
SEVEN WORDS YOU CAN NEVER SAY
ON TELEVISION HAD JUST COME
OUT, AND HE WAS ON, HE WAS THE
HEADLINER THAT NIGHT ON STAGE,
AND AN OFF DUTY POLICE OFFICER
SORT OF WENT RUSHING UP TO THE
STAGE AND SAID MY FAMILY IS
HERE, MY KIDS ARE SOMEWHERE IN
THE AUDIENCE WITH THEIR
MOTHER, AND THE GUY WAS ABOUT
TO RUN OUT ON THE STAGE, AND
ACTUALLY THREW THE HANDKUFRS
ON CARLIN.
THE OTHER POLICE OFFICERS WHO
WERE WORKING THE DETAIL JUST
TOOK CARE OF THE PERFORMERS
BACK STAGE AND HELD THEM OFF
UNTIL CARLIN'S SET WAS OVER.
>> AND THEN ARRESTED HIM?
>> ARRESTED HIM.
>> ON CHARGES OF OBSCENITY OR
DISTURBING THE PEACE?
>> CHARGES OF OBSCENITY.
HE COULDN'T GET THE ATTORNEY
GENERAL'S OFFICE TO POST A
CRIMINAL CASE, SO WE WON WITH
A CIVIL CASE, AND WAS IN THE
COURT SYSTEM LATER THAT YEAR,
AND THE JUDGE TOLD THE GREAT
STORY.
CARLIN WAS NOT REQUIREED TO BE
PRESENT FOR THE CASE, AND THE
JUDGE TELLS A GREAT STORY
ABOUT HOW THE DEFENSE
ATTORNEYS WERE ALOUPED TO PLAY
THE ROUTINE ON A RECORD PLAYER
IN THE COURTROOM, AND THE
JUDGE SORT OF SAID -- HE WAS
AN OLDER GENTLEMAN, AND HE
SAID IT WAS ALL I COULD DO TO
KEEP FROM LAUGHING.
AND SO THE OUTCOME OF THAT
CASE WAS SORT OF -- I THINK
EVERYBODY KNEW WHICH WAY IT
WAS GOING.
>> TAKING THINGS THAT A LOT OF
STUFF FROM THE NEWS OR
POLITICAL CORRECTNESS, AND YOU
KNOW, MAKING THING THAT IS
PIET OTHERWISE MAKE YOU
UNCOMFORTEDABLE, AND MAKE THEM
FUNNY.
ONE OF THE THINGS WAS THIS
WHOLE THING ABOUT THE NUMBERS
INDEPTH.
A STORY WITH BIGGER AND
BIGGER, AND GOT SO MUCH
BETTER.
IT WAS A TSUNAMI.
IT WAS 500,000 PEOPLE, AND HE
WOULD MAKE THIS WHOLE THING
ABOUT IT.
THAT'S SO TRUE.
WE IN THE NEWS MEDIA ARE
OBSESSED WITH THE NUMBERS, AND
THE BIGGER, THE GRANDER, THE
ONLY WAY WE CAN GET OUR ARMS
AROUND A STORY IS TO HAVE
THESE GRAND NUMBERS THAT
NOBODY CAN ATTACH MEANING TO.
HE WOULD TELL THE STORYS ABOUT
DOING IT IN THE NUMBERS, AND
THE BIGGER THE NUMBER GETS,
THE FUNNIER THE STORY GETS.
IT'S TRAGIC, BUT BECAME
FUNNIER.
>> HE FELT COMEDY GET GET US
TO TALK ABOUT THINGS WE
WOULDN'T OTHERWISE FEEL
COMFORTABLE ADDRESSING.
A LOT OF WHAT WE DID, A LOT OF
CARLIN FANS WOULD SAY, I LOVED
HIM UNTIL THE LAST HANDFUL OF
YEARS WHEN HE STARTED TALKING
ABOUT BEING BLEAK AND DARK.
AND I THINK WHAT HE WAS DOING
WAS JUST PUSHING THE ENVELOPE
OF COMEDY SAYING I DON'T HAVE
THAT MUCH MORE TIME LEFT ON
THIS PLANET, AND WHAT I'D LIKE
TO DO -- HIS COMEDY WAS ALWAYS
CROSSING BOUNLDARIES WHICH IS
THE LEVEL OF WHAT COMEDY IS
ABOUT GENERALLY.
AND HE JUST FELT, I THINK IN
THE LAST FEW YEARS OF HIS LIFE
HE WAS JUST GOING TO PUSH THE
EXPERIMENT AS FAR AS HE COULD.
>> AND IT WAS POLITICALLY
DARK.
>> AND ENVIRONMENTALLY DARK.
A LOT OF IT WAS ABOUT THE
FUTURE OF THE PLANET.
HE DIDN'T FEEL A LOT OF HOPE
FOR THE FUTURE OF THE PLANET.
>> AND HE WAS RELATIVELY
YOUNG.
HE WAS 71, AND HAD HEART
FAILURE, HIS WIFE DIED A FEW
YEARS AGO.
THEY STAYED TOGETHER A LONG
TIME.
THEY WERE TOGETHER
ESSENTIALLY-I. THROUGHOUT ALL
OF HIS SUBSTANCE ABUSE
PROBLEMS.
THEY WERE TOGETHER 36 YEARS.
CARLIN ACTUALLY A YEAR OR TWO
AFTER HIS WIFE BRENDA DIED
ABOUT A DECADE AGO, HE MET
ANOTHER WOMAN, AND THEY SPENT
THE LAST 10 YEARS OR SO OF HIS
LIFE.
SO A LOT OF PEOPLE SAID HE
MUST HAVE BEEN DISTRAUGHT AT
BRENDA'S DEATH, AND ACTUALLY
HE WAS PRETTY CONTENTED
PRIVATELY IN HIS PERSONAL LIFE
THE LAST 10 YEARS OF HIS LIFE.
BUT I THINK HE REALLY WAS
PUSHING.
IT WASN'T THAT HE WAS ANY
BLEAKER THAN EVER.
>> HE HAD A KID?
>> ONE DAUGHTER IN HER 40s.
>> ALL RIGHT.
SEVEN DIRTY WORDS.
THE LIFE OF GEORGE KARLIN.
I LOVE THAT.
IT BRINGS BACK MEMORIES.
GEORGE KARLIN, A FUNNY GUY.
>> A REMINDER TO TUNE IN TO
WGBH TOMORROW FOR THE WEEKEND
RECREW FOLLOWED BY CALLIE
CROSSLEY FOLLOWED BY BEAT THE
PRESS.
AND THE MEDIA ROLLER COASTER
WITH THE SHERROD CASE.
STAY TUNED FOR A LIVE EDITION
OF BASIC BLACK.
I'M EMILY ROONEY.
GOODNIGHT.