One of the wittiest, funniest and most irreverent comedians of all time is gone. George Carlin, whose acerbic humor inadvertently helped the U.S. Supreme Court determine which seven dirty words couldn't be said on television in his bit "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television," died of heart failure on Sunday in a hospital in Santa Monica. He was 71.
The New York Times has printed a lengthy, insightful obituary that's worth a read. And here are a couple Carlin quotes about heavy metal that The Times seems to have missed.
I've been enjoying a new band from England called So Long, Mate! It's a five man heavy-metal band, and the reason it's called So Long, Mate! is because at the end of each performance the other four members of the band kill the lead singer. As a result, the music as a certain urgency to it. Also, it keeps the tours nice and short; it's basically just one night, and then back they go to L.A. to hold auditions. The band plans to have an album ready in the year 2037. -- George Carlin
Ever since the incident with Judas Priest about 20 years ago, they blame suicide on heavy metal. If you remember, Judas Priest is a heavy-metal band, and in 1985, two kids in Nevada spent all day listening to one of their albums and then they killed themselves. And ever since that time, heavy metal gets blamed for teenage suicide. If it's murder, they tend to blame rap. - George Carlin
So long George. We'll see you on the other side.
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