George Carlin took comedy in new direction

updated 8:29 p.m. ET June 23, 2008

LOS ANGELES - When he shucked the coat and tie for black T-shirts and jeans, grew his hair long and began to riff about those “Seven Words You Can Never Say on TV,” George Carlin became more than just the countercultural comedian.

Carlin, who died Sunday of heart failure at 71, took comedy itself in a whole new direction.

No longer were nightclubs the territory of guys in suits telling harmless mother-in-law jokes.

“He was more than just a comic. His routines became part of the American lexicon,” fellow comedian Paul Rodriguez told The Associated Press on Monday. “They came to say a lot about America and its times.”

Indeed, when Muhammad Ali was stripped of his world heavyweight boxing championship for refusing induction into the U.S. military, Carlin noted that Ali, who made his living beating people up, had refused service because he opposed the Vietnam War.

“He said, ’No, that’s where I draw the line. I’ll beat ’em up. But I don’t want to kill ’em.’ And the government said, ’Well, if you won’t kill people, we won’t let you beat ’em up.”’

Arguably his most famous routine, though, was simply called “Seven Words.”

More than just an outpouring of obscenities, it was — as almost all Carlin routines were — a clever play on the sound and meaning of almost every word Carlin used.

Video   Comedian Carlin dead at 71 June 23: Legendary comic had a history of heart trouble. Today show

One word in the routine, for example (not one of the offending seven) was what he called “a two-way word,” explaining: “You can prick your finger. But don’t ... “

“Some people think the routines were all about saying dirty words, but it wasn’t about that at all,” says Jamie Masada, who as owner of the Laugh Factory comedy clubs knew Carlin for more than 20 years.

“He had a different motivation,” Masada continued, “and the motivation was free speech. George believed when he was on stage that was like being in his church and he could say anything he wanted there.”

A free-speech footnote
It’s only appropriate, then, that Carlin’s name is attached to a key U.S. Supreme Court free-speech ruling, albeit one limiting the right.

Slide show   Remembering George Carlin The comedian, known for his biting insights on life and language, died of heart failure on Sunday. He was 71. more photos

The 1978 decision, the result of a radio station playing “Seven Words,” upheld the government’s authority to issue sanctions for broadcasting offensive language during hours when children might be listening.

“So my name is a footnote in American legal history, which I’m perversely kind of proud of,” Carlin told the AP earlier this year.

Other than that, he said at the time, he had very little interest in public affairs. He claimed to have not voted in a presidential election in decades.

“I was always out of step,” he said. “I left school in ninth grade, I got kicked out of the Air Force, I got kicked out of the choir and the altar boys and summer camp and three schools and I was a pot smoker when I was 13 in the early ’50s. I was always a lawbreaker and a kind of outlaw rebel.”

One thing he was good at, though, was doing funny voices and making funny faces like his boyhood idol, Danny Kaye.

“When I was 10, 11, I was watching MGM movies with Danny Kaye,” he said. “I kind of looked at that and thought, ‘Gee, I can do that.”’

MORE FROM CELEBRITIES

Celebrities Section Front

Hulk Hogan claims he’s worth $32 million   '40-Year-Old Virgin' actor charged again David Spade fathers Playboy pinup’s baby Man denies killing Kutcher's former girlfriend Man gets prison for crime at Dunst’s hotel Mackenzie Phillips charged with possession Judge refuses to dismiss case against Spears Helen Mirren: I used to ‘love’ cocaine Gene Simmons sued over Indycar deal Judge nixes claim in Heath Ledger tape lawsuit Celebrities Section Front   Add Celebrities headlines to your news reader: