From an early age, George Carlin was attentive to the rhythms and meanings of words – marveling at a perfectly placed adjective in a newspaper article or the virtuosic wordplay of his boyhood idol, the tongue-twisting comedian Danny Kaye. This lifelong fascination with language became a cornerstone of Carlin’s work, which assumed a cadenced, melodious form that was not unlike spoken word poetry. “You listen for rhythms,” Carlin explained. “You look for ways to sing at the same time you’re talking.” Carlin’s treatment of language ranged from silliness to high intellectualism, and introduced a new type of rigor and precision into the realm of stand-up comedy performance. His landmark “Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television” routine, perhaps the most vital contribution Carlin made across a lifetime of groundbreaking work, was itself based on the premise that language is a subjective system of expression that is governed by cultural norms. 

Archive Highlights
Archive Highlight | Carlin & Language

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