Napalm & Silly Putty

by George Carlin Hyperion 288 pages ISBN #0-7868-6413-3 A Book Review and Appreciation by Mike Durrett

Strange noises emanated from the bathroom.

I heard frantic footsteps approach, then a knock on the door.

"Michael, are you OK?" My wife had rushed to my rescue.

"Yes-sss," I giggled. "Sorry for the blat."

"Sweet God in Heaven, what the hell have you been--"

"Hey," I said. "'You know an odd feeling? Sitting on the toilet eating a chocolate candy bar.'"

"BLAT!"

"'I think someone could make a lot of money if they set up a little stand at the Grand Canyon and sold Yo-Yos with 500-foot strings.'"

"BLAT!"

"'There's something I like about the clitoris, but I can't quite put my finger on it.'"

"BLAT!"

Donna's silence made me laugh harder. "Man, that's funny! I snorted like a trumpeting elephant."

"You're reading?" she asked.

"Yeah, the new Carlin. I do some of my best reading in the bathroom." I tossed the book on the counter, opened the door, stepped out and draped my arm around her shoulders.

"Um," Donna ummed, "are you going to, um, you know, wash, flush?"

"Nah. I just came here to read."

We ambled off into the darkness, stole a kiss or three, and blatted as one.

Hippy Dippy

George Carlin's main thrust into the public consciousness began in 1965-66 with a stream of 58 TV appearances, primarily on "The Mike Douglas Show" and "The Merv Griffin Show." I was a schoolboy and I betcha I saw most of them. I recall being well aware that this clean-cut guy in the natty dark suit, white shirt and narrow tie was different. He told jokes, of course, but there were also those grand comedy staples, goofy voices and nutty faces. From Carlin's head, these expressions seemed uncanny, heightened and anarchic.

Jump ahead all these many years to today, decades past his evolution into the angrier, antagonistic, hippy dippy George Carlin, a stance that essentially exists in his current, somewhat mellowed persona, and we see a vital artist humming at the crest of his powers and mirth.

Unlike his predecessors, successful comedians who amassed an hour of stage patter in their youths, became lethargic, content to recite by rote those same minutes night after night throughout entire careers, Carlin took being comical seriously. Writing his own stuff, he worked tirelessly to create a never-ending flow of fresh material to stretch his mind and goose his audiences. When it came to stand-up, he avoided shortcuts and welcomed risks, the 18 comedy albums and 11 HBO concerts glistened brightly in his stride, winning three Grammys and five Emmy nominations respectively. Whenever he entered the stage -- from tiny folk clubs to Carnegie Hall -- or lowered himself into a talk show chair -- surpassing 130 visits on "The Tonight Show" alone -- he was there to perform, not coast, loaded with audience bait and finely-hooked barbs.

More recently, he ventured into print. His first volume of odds and ends, "Brain Droppings," a 40-week chuckle on "The New York Times" best-sellers list, was largely filled with years of accumulated outtakes denied breath in his comedy spots.

Next page > The Book and Carlin Quotes > Page 1, 2

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Photograph of George Carlin copyright 2001 by Hyperion Books. Used by permission.

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