LogFAQs > #913807010

WhiskeyDisk posted...

Zeus, I don't think you grasp the magnitude of what Carlin did for the art form as a whole. If all you're familiar with is Life is Worth Losing or It's Bad For Ya, I can see where you get that impression, as I said earlier he kind of became cranky towards the end. I blame sobriety turning him into a dry drunk.

The sheer volume of his material over the span of his career, and the way he retired his old act as he went was unprecedented at the time.

The modern standup scene would look nothing like it does now were it not for him. Comics would still be milking the same bit for 20 years if he hadn't forced working comics to step up their game.

You may not like his acts, but to dismiss him entirely as "having all the insight of an angsty teen" is demonstrably false and downright laughable if you have any insight into stand-up comedy.

Which sounds wholly divorced from my criticism concerning the quality of his insights. My original remark and your argument are in no way mutually exclusive. All that aside, you seem to be crediting far too much to Carlin considering that things like tv, etc, also killed comedians who might try to just milk the same bit.
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There are precious few at ease / With moral ambiguities / So we act as though they don't exist.