George Carlin Liked LI

By Carol Silva

I'll never forget the first day I walked into the "My Fathers Place" club on Bryant Avenue in Roslyn. George Carlin - the dean of counterculture comedians - was on stage. I remember being so close I could almost touch him.

It was the first of many LI appearances for the comedian. In fact, despite the fact that they could be paid a lot more in other venues, some of the comic greats of the 70s, 80s and 90s chose "My Fathers Place" for the intimate setting and the LI atmosphere.

Carlin was an innovator. He was the "Hippie Dippy Weather Man" who talked about a lot of "highs" and promised, "Tonight - it will be dark. And tomorrow, it will be light!"

He reminded us that no matter how big our house is, we'll always fill it with so much "stuff" that before we know it, we'll need another house for more "stuff."

Carlin was a television staple through the decades. In fact, he was the host of the "Saturday Night Live" debut in 1975 - he said on his Web site that he was "loaded on cocaine all week long."

He also appeared 130 times on "The Tonight Show," produced 23 comedy albums, 14 HBO specials, three books, a couple of TV shows, and appeared in several movies, from his own comedy specials to "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" in 1989.

I loved this Carlin-ism: "Why do they lock gas station bathrooms? Are they afraid someone will clean them?"

Carlin won four Grammy Awards, each for best spoken comedy album, and was nominated for five Emmy Awards. On Tuesday, it was announced that Carlin was being awarded the 11th annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, which will be presented November 10 in Washington and broadcast on PBS.

He voiced kid-friendly projects like episodes of the TV show, "Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends," and the spacey Volkswagen bus, Fillmore, in the 2006 Pixar hit "Cars."

But one of his personal favorite, shining moments revolved around his "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television." George uttered all seven at a show in Milwaukee in 1972. That's when he was arrested on charges of disturbing the peace. He was freed on $150 bail - and exonerated when a Wisconsin judge dismissed the case. The judge said Carlin had been indecent. But he also cited a free speech right - and said there hadn't been any disturbance.

In 1973, listener supported WBAI-FM radio played the skit. A parent complained about what his son had heard, the FCC fined the radio station, and by 1978, the U-S Supreme Court upheld the FCC ruling. The court said the broadcast was "indecent but not obscene." The high court also said the government can sanction stations for broadcasting offensive language during hours when children might be listening.

It was a moment that meant something to George Carlin. He said, "So my name is a footnote in American legal history, which I'm perversely, kind of proud of."

I'm not sure who is on the receiving end today, when George Carlin is telling his edgy jokes. But they must find him unforgettable, too.

He died of heart failure yesterday after complaining about chest pains in California. George Carlin was 71.