RIP George Carlin

When I was a kid my sister and I used to fall asleep on Sunday nights to CHUM FM's late night comedy show "The Sunday Funnies". It would run from 10 - 11 p.m. and I'm sure my parents could hear us giggling away as we listened to classic routines from Bill Cosby, Bob Newhart, Woody Allen and the like when we were supposed to be sleeping. It opened up a whole world of humour for me and I looked forward to it each week. George Carlin was rarely featured because his language was quite "blue", but "The Sunday Funnies" definitely introduced me to his crazy, word-obsessed, language-loving style of comedy.

This morning I woke up to the news that George, at the age of 71, has died of heart failure. I wasn't necessarily heart broken to read it, but I was a bit wistful for a time in my life when I first became friends with George. He was angry, quite messed up, fought a lot of demons, loved animals, and was very, very clever. My favourite routine of his was "Wonderful WINO" but I thought it was most appropriate to share the routine he's probably most famous for: "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television".

Warning: the language is strong, but it is marvelous. I think it is important to remember the context in which he first started doing this routine. Life - and broadcasting in particular - was quite different in the 1970s than it is now!

I know he didn't believe in any god, so I will just say "rest in peace" George. Thanks for the laughs.