George Carlin

I've been thinking a lot about George Carlin since the news of his death. There are plenty of deaths of famous people all the time, Stan Winston and Tim Russert recently, for example, but it's rare that I feel affected by them. Carlin is an exception.

The human race is lessened by the death of George Carlin. A world without Carlin is a slightly less beautiful world. He was more than a comedian, he was a jester, a foole, a poet, a philosopher. He was willing to tell the truth, even when it was funny, even when it hurt, even when it was brutal. Even when it fucked you in the face. The truth is the truth, and Carlin accepted it.

I remember listening to albums like Class Clown and Toledo Window Box when I was young. I didn't get all the sex and drug and Catholic references back then, but I knew somehow that the material was funny. I remember imitating Carlin's routines to make my friends laugh. My friends called me creative and funny, but I was just mimicking Carlin. I still use Carlin lines in everyday conversation.

In recent years, Carlin became less of a comedian and more of a commentator on society and culture. He seemingly became more bitter and angry. But throughout it all he was honest. He stood up to the bullshit and called bullshit on it. I love his anti-government shit, his atheist shit, his anti-social shit. Carlin was a poet and a prophet who challenged the lies in the name of the truth, and we were lucky to have him as long as we did.

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RIP RAW

Robert Anton Wilson died today. If you're not familiar with RAW, you might want to check out his Wikipedia entry, which describes him as a "novelist, essayist, philosopher, psychologist, futurologist, anarchist, and conspiracy theory researcher." If you at all consider yourself a student of the weird, you've probably already read some of his writings.

His most famous book is probably The Illuminatus! Trilogy, which he co-wrote with Robert Shea, but some of his other works may be more accessible to the newcomer. Volume One of Cosmic Trigger remains one of my all time favorites, and the three volumes of The Historical Illuminatus Chronicles are an entertaining, fictionalized account of the evolution of the Illuminati. Masks of the Illuminati is another fun read.

Wilson influenced a great many people, and he continually urged people to question, which seems to be a less and less popular activity for most folks these days. He made quite a contribution during his time here among us.

I'll end this post with a great RAW quote: "I used to be an atheist, until I realized I had nothing to shout during blowjobs. "Oh Random Chance! Oh Random Chance!" just doesn't cut it."