George Carlin

A black day for humour and freedom of speech. George Carlin had a great effect on me as a teenager growing up in the 70s in Montreal. There wasn't then nor has there been since a brilliant comedian with the guts to speak the truth especially if it pisses people off! It never ceases to amaze me that any of his material was ever allowed in public but quite the contrary he was a mainstay of American television for the last 40 years. Of course his best stuff is truly offensive to the vast majority of society but that's what made him so great. Few people in history have been willing to stand up and state what to a lot of us seems obvious - that there are wrongs in society. Doing it with such consummate skill, without fear of reprisal and without apologies makes him strangely more of a hero to me than most public figures we're supposed to revere. His complete indifference to authority and his ability to challenge our beliefs and lifestyles are qualities that we shd all respect. To be able to do this with humour is so much more powerful than with the droning rhetoric of politicians. He is irreplaceable and will be sorely missed.