Andy Kaufman, Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Tucker, Eddie Murphy, Richard Pryor and Robin Williams... What do these guys have in common?

Stand up comedy! That’s what... and they’re pretty damn good at it. However, there’s one guy who’s really held my attention forever and a day now. And it would be a shame to not write about him.

George Carlin.

It all began in the first part of 2005, when I first took over responsibilities as a Curriculum Designer in an American company. At that time it was all about learning how to train adults, and I was stuck with the unenviable task of creating content for the in-house training team which complained of disorganized material, boring methods and salaries that would leave a bad taste in your mouth.

Instructional Design was new to me, challenging and seemed like a lot of work.

So, my first task in this role was to prepare a module on English. No inputs, just orders... and I wondered where do I begin?

So, since the first step to writing a good module is spending hours in research, I began to surf the internet for multimedia content that would help me teach people English using audio and video files that would keep them engaged and interested. And in that search, I found a copy of George Carlin’ brilliantly performed segment titled “Euphemisms”.

Little did I know that just a couple of years later, I would get hooked, cooked and booked by the man’s rhetorical contribution to stand-up comedy.

If you don’t know who George Carlin is, no problem... but don’t make the mistake of saying: What’s the big deal?

Here’s what you’ll get when you listen to George’s stand up routine. Some people call it observational humor.

To me, it’s much more than that. I’m telling you that the man has an unbelievable talent of making you think as well as laugh. What I mean to say is that through his humor evidently marked with such powerful word play and wit, you will cross the line on matters related to things that are absurd, ironic, stupid, inauthentic, socially taboo and that you might not hear everyday.

So, there’s always something to learn while having a nice time while you’re at it. And George Carlin is a ‘virtuoso’ in constructing jokes, and it’s like he says: You can laugh at anything.

For starters, listen to Class Clown, which is just plain wacky... and a long list of HBO specials... of which “Jammin’ in New York”, “What am I doing in New Jersey”, “Complaints & Grievances” and most of all, “You’re all diseased”.

In short, George Carlin’s body of work is based on revolutionary thought [and I mean revolutionary as it WILL make you sit up and take notice] and based on judging situations, people and basically anything that he has found worth talking about, with a high degree of reality, authenticity and originality.

[And I still think this description isn’t enough. You just HAVE to hear the man.]

Well, I consider this an introduction as I consider him to be one of the old-school greats, with a reputation that will command awe and respect from his peers, subordinates (for lack of a better word) and fans.

Most of all, he’s a guy’s guy! Plain and simple.

I think it’s time for me to stop writing and leave you with an experience that you will never forget [and thank me for, hopefully] if you haven’t heard him as yet.

So, this is to the ‘hippie-dippie weatherman’. Thank God for George Carlin, the first host of the show ‘Saturday Night Live’.

I’ve posted a video link from Youtube that is one of his last interviews before his passed away in June last year, and he really puts things in perspective on a lot of subjects as he always does.

Chris Rock’s interview with George Carlin:

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