Hello again, textual deviants!
Let’s begin this post with an informal opinion poll:
Who is the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) among stand-up comedians?
The name George Carlin is often short-listed when this question is asked. But whether you agree that Carlin is indeed the king of comics or not, he is certainly part of the conversation—and his last HBO comedy special, It’s Bad For Ya, is the topic of conversation on this week’s episode of Texting (although Tomek and I spend quite a bit of time talking about Carlin’s next-to-last special, Life Is Worth Losing, as well). As we reflect on the “bullshit detector” of the self-described “old fuck” whose occasionally nihilistic and misanthropic rants have entertained us over the years, we seek connections between the work of Carlin and that of Ezra Pound, Samuel Beckett, E.M. Cioran, and Mark Twain, among others. The topics of self-deprecation, catharsis, and autoerotic asphyxia are also considered. Tune in around 43:35 to hear Tomek recite part of Carlin’s monologue “A Modern Man,” which he aptly characterizes as “Shel Silverstein on steroids.”
As always, let us know what you think of this episode, and tune in next week when our text will be “The Overcoat” by Russian author Nikolai Gogol.
MW
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