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Author Topic:   Tribute Thread for the Recently Passed Greats
Silent H
Member (Idle past 5819 days)
Posts: 7405
From: satellite of love
Joined: 12-11-2002


Message 46 of 1282 (460762)
03-18-2008 6:16 PM
Reply to: Message 45 by cavediver
03-18-2008 5:43 PM


Re: Daisy, daisy
I can't believe this! I started watching a bunch of interviews with him yesterday (literally yesterday), and was wondering about writing him. I was motivated by his age and how I had missed the chance with Sagan and Gould (that last one really upset me).
In one of the interviews he said of all the things he wanted to be remembered for it was being a writer. My guess is that will be somewhat hard to forget.

h
"Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing." - Robert E. Howard

This message is a reply to:
 Message 45 by cavediver, posted 03-18-2008 5:43 PM cavediver has not replied

  
AZPaul3
Member
Posts: 8513
From: Phoenix
Joined: 11-06-2006
Member Rating: 5.3


Message 47 of 1282 (460773)
03-18-2008 7:05 PM


WIRED: And the question could be answered any time: tomorrow, next century, or never. Which brings me to a more personal question: As a futurist, do you spend much time thinking about your own death?
ACC: I think about it more than I ever did in the past, of course, since I've had these brushes. It doesn't worry me; I hope I won't have any discomfort, is the main thing. And I'm more concerned with the people I love, and the animals I love, than myself, in a way.
WIRED: What is it that you'd most like to be remembered for?
ACC: I'm happy that people are calling the stationary orbit the Clarke Orbit. I think that's enough. And of all my books, The Songs of Distant Earth. It's got everything in it that I ever wanted to say.
WIRED: Have you given any thought to what you'd want your epitaph to be?
ACC: Oh, yes. I've often quoted it: "He never grew up; but he never stopped growing."
From a Wired interview 1993.

  
lyx2no
Member (Idle past 4716 days)
Posts: 1277
From: A vast, undifferentiated plane.
Joined: 02-28-2008


Message 48 of 1282 (460793)
03-18-2008 11:21 PM
Reply to: Message 45 by cavediver
03-18-2008 5:43 PM


Re: Daisy, daisy
It was your post that alerted me to his passing. This is awful. I'm nearly in tears. Skip the nearly.

Mournfully

This message is a reply to:
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Son Goku
Inactive Member


Message 49 of 1282 (463269)
04-14-2008 7:35 PM


Slán abhaile
The two of you were giants of physics and possesed a similar talent of putting a fun spin on old material. A master lecturer and a master elucidator. I never met either of you, but learned so much from you both.
Sidney Coleman 1937 - 2007
John Wheeler 1911 - 2008

  
Taz
Member (Idle past 3291 days)
Posts: 5069
From: Zerus
Joined: 07-18-2006


Message 50 of 1282 (472536)
06-23-2008 2:24 AM


We will miss you, George Carlin!!!
George Carlin, irreverent comedian, dies at 71
quote:
George Carlin, the Grammy-Award winning standup comedian and actor who was hailed for his irreverent social commentary, poignant observations of the absurdities of everyday life and language, and groundbreaking routines like "Seven Words You Can Never Use on Television," died in Los Angeles on Sunday, according to his publicist, Jeff Abraham. He was 71.
The cause of death was heart failure, according to Abraham.
Carlin began his standup comedy act in the late 1950s and made his first television solo guest appearance on "The Merv Griffin Show" in 1965. At that time, he was primarily known for his clever wordplay and reminiscences of his Irish working-class upbringing in New York.
But from the outset their were indications of an anti-establishment edge to his comedy. Initially, it surfaced in the witty patter of a host of offbeat characters like the wacky sportscaster Biff Barf and the hippy-dippy weatherman Al Sleet. "The weather was dominated by a large Canadian low, which is not to be confused with a Mexican high. Tonight's forecast . . . dark, continued mostly dark tonight turning to widely scattered light in the morning."
Carlin released his first comedy album, "Take-Offs and Put-Ons," to rave reviews in 1967. He also dabbled in acting, winning a recurring part as Marlo Thomas' theatrical agent in the sitcom "That Girl" (1966-67) and a supporting role in the movie "With Six You Get Egg-Roll," released in 1968.
By the end of the decade, he was one of America's best known comedians. He made more than 80 major TV appearances during that time, including the Ed Sullivan Show and Johnny Carson's Tonight Show; he was also regularly featured at major nightclubs in New York and Las Vegas.
That early success and celebrity, however, was as dinky and hollow as a gratuitous pratfall to Carlin. "I was entertaining the fathers and the mothers of the people I sympathized with, and in some cases associated with, and whose point of view I shared," he recalled later, as quoted in the book "Going Too Far" by Tony Hendra, which was published in 1987. "I was a traitor, in so many words. I was living a lie."
In 1970, Carlin discarded his suit, tie, and clean-cut image as well as the relatively conventional material that had catapulted him to the top. Carlin reinvented himself, emerging with a beard, long hair, jeans and a routine that, according to one critic, was steeped in "drugs and bawdy language." There was an immediate backlash. The Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas terminated his three-year contract, and, months later, he was advised to leave town when an angry mob threatened him at the Lake Geneva Playboy Club. Afterward, he temporarily abandoned the nightclub circuit and began appearing at coffee houses, folk clubs and colleges where he found a younger, hipper audience that was more attuned to both his new image and his material.
By 1972, when he released his second album, "FM & AM," his star was again on the rise. The album, which won a Grammy Award as best comedy recording, combined older material on the "AM" side with bolder, more acerbic routines on the "FM" side. Among the more controversial cuts was a routine euphemistically entitled "Shoot," in which Carlin explored the etymology and common usage of the popular idiom for excrement. The bit was part of the comic's longer routine "Seven Words That Can Never Be Said on Television," which appeared on his third album "Class Clown," also released in 1972.
"There are some words you can say part of the time. Most of the time 'ass' is all right on television," Carlin noted in his introduction to the then controversial monologue. "You can say, well, 'You've made a perfect ass of yourself tonight.' You can use ass in a religious sense, if you happen to be the redeemer riding into town on one ” perfectly all right."
The material seems innocuous by today's standards, but it caused an uproar when broadcast on the New York radio station WBAI in the early seventies. The station was censured and fined by the FCC. And in 1978, their ruling was supported by the Supreme Court, which Time magazine reported, "upheld an FCC ban on 'offensive material' during hours when children are in the audience." Carlin, refused to drop the bit and was arrested several times after reciting it on stage.
Carlin released a half dozen comedy albums during the '70s, including the million-record sellers "Class Clown," "Occupation: Foole" (1973) and "An Evening With Wally Lando" (1975). He was chosen to host the first episode of the late-night comedy show "Saturday Night Live" in 1975. And two years later, he found the perfect platform for his brand of acerbic, cerebral, sometimes off-color standup humor in the fledgling, less restricted world of cable television. By 1977, when his first HBO comedy special, "George Carlin at USC" was aired, he was recognized as one of the era's most influential comedians. In the years following his 1977 cable debut, Carlin was nominated for a half dozen Grammy awards and received CableAces awards for best stand-up comedy special for "George Carlin: Doin' It Again (1990) and "George Carlin: Jammin'" (1992). He also won his second Grammy for the album "Jammin'" in 1994.
During the course of his career, Carlin overcame numerous personal trials. His early arrests for obscenity (all of which were dismissed) and struggle to overcome his self-described "heavy drug use" were the most publicized. But in the '80s he also weathered serious tax problems, a heart attack and two open heart surgeries. His greatest setback was the loss of his wife, Brenda Hosbrook, who died in 1997. They had been married for 36 years. Carlin is survived by wife, Sally Wade; daughter Kelly Carlin McCall; son-in-law, Bob McCall; older brother, Patrick Carlin; sister-in-law, Marlene Carlin and long time manager, business partner and best friend Jerold Hamza.

Replies to this message:
 Message 51 by Minnemooseus, posted 06-23-2008 3:33 AM Taz has not replied
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 Message 57 by BMG, posted 07-05-2008 12:54 AM Taz has replied

  
Minnemooseus
Member
Posts: 3941
From: Duluth, Minnesota, U.S. (West end of Lake Superior)
Joined: 11-11-2001
Member Rating: 10.0


Message 51 of 1282 (472538)
06-23-2008 3:33 AM
Reply to: Message 50 by Taz
06-23-2008 2:24 AM


Re: We will miss you, George Carlin!!!
IMO, a very important person.
I'll make his photo my avatar for a while.
Moose
Page not found - George Carlin

This message is a reply to:
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Replies to this message:
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 Message 53 by Percy, posted 06-23-2008 9:13 AM Minnemooseus has seen this message but not replied

  
Phat
Member
Posts: 18262
From: Denver,Colorado USA
Joined: 12-30-2003
Member Rating: 1.1


Message 52 of 1282 (472540)
06-23-2008 4:05 AM
Reply to: Message 51 by Minnemooseus
06-23-2008 3:33 AM


Re: We will miss you, George Carlin!!!
I always respected him.
Every time somebody dies whom we think is not supposed to die yet, it reminds us of our own mortality.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 51 by Minnemooseus, posted 06-23-2008 3:33 AM Minnemooseus has seen this message but not replied

  
Percy
Member
Posts: 22391
From: New Hampshire
Joined: 12-23-2000
Member Rating: 5.2


Message 53 of 1282 (472555)
06-23-2008 9:13 AM
Reply to: Message 51 by Minnemooseus
06-23-2008 3:33 AM


Re: We will miss you, George Carlin!!!
Minnemooseus writes:
I'll make his photo my avatar for a while.
A great idea!
One idea I've had that I haven't mentioned before is to have a tribute week every now and then where everyone changes their avatar to the person they admire most, but I fear that we'd end up with 1/4 Darwin, 1/4 Einstein, 1/4 Jesus, and 1/4 miscellaneous.
--Percy

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 Message 51 by Minnemooseus, posted 06-23-2008 3:33 AM Minnemooseus has seen this message but not replied

  
RAZD
Member (Idle past 1404 days)
Posts: 20714
From: the other end of the sidewalk
Joined: 03-14-2004


Message 54 of 1282 (472624)
06-23-2008 4:50 PM
Reply to: Message 50 by Taz
06-23-2008 2:24 AM


Re: We will miss you, George Carlin!!!
My favorite comment of his was that once you hear the truth about something you won't forget it.
Then he said that Nixon's face looked like a foot.
Enjoy.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 50 by Taz, posted 06-23-2008 2:24 AM Taz has not replied

  
subbie
Member (Idle past 1254 days)
Posts: 3509
Joined: 02-26-2006


Message 55 of 1282 (472650)
06-23-2008 8:46 PM
Reply to: Message 50 by Taz
06-23-2008 2:24 AM


Re: We will miss you, George Carlin!!!
One of the best ever.
One of my favorites of his routines is his comparison of baseball and football. It can be found here.

Those who would sacrifice an essential liberty for a temporary security will lose both, and deserve neither. -- Benjamin Franklin
We see monsters where science shows us windmills. -- Phat

This message is a reply to:
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Minnemooseus
Member
Posts: 3941
From: Duluth, Minnesota, U.S. (West end of Lake Superior)
Joined: 11-11-2001
Member Rating: 10.0


Message 56 of 1282 (474026)
07-04-2008 3:33 PM


Jesse Helms dies at 86
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080704/ap_on_re_us/obit_helms
Great? I don't know. Significant? Certainly.
A side note - Eugene Chadbourne's Jesse Helms Busted With Pornography.
Moose

  
BMG
Member (Idle past 208 days)
Posts: 357
From: Southwestern U.S.
Joined: 03-16-2006


Message 57 of 1282 (474071)
07-05-2008 12:54 AM
Reply to: Message 50 by Taz
06-23-2008 2:24 AM


Re: We will miss you, George Carlin!!!
Sorry for making a George Carlin sandwich by going back to him after someone posted of another death, but I feel the need to post about him. I had the privilege of seeing him for the first and last time just this May at the Orleans Casino.
He was, to me, one of the first I had seen on TV criticize, doubt, and analyze the existence of the Christian God, and the supernatural ,in general.
Moreover, I've noticed there is a label that he seems to have absorbed from several who have spoken of his death: wordsmith. I couldn't agree more.
Here are a few of my favorite quotes of his:
quote:
Reminds me of something my third-grade teacher said to us. She said, “You show me a tropical fruit and I’ll show you a cocksucker from Guatemala.”
quote:
I think it’s the duty of the comedian to find out where the line is drawn and cross it deliberately.
quote:
Atheism is a non-prophet organization.
and, of course...
quote:
There are 400,000 words in the English language, and there are seven you can’t say on television. What a ratio that is! 399,993 to 7. They must really be baaaad. They must be OUTRAGEOUS to be separated from a group that large. “All of you words over here, you seven . .baaaad words.” That’s what they told us, right? . You know the seven, don’t ya? That you can’t say on TV? Shit, piss, fuck, cunt, cocksucker, motherfucker and tits.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 50 by Taz, posted 06-23-2008 2:24 AM Taz has replied

Replies to this message:
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Taz
Member (Idle past 3291 days)
Posts: 5069
From: Zerus
Joined: 07-18-2006


Message 58 of 1282 (474073)
07-05-2008 3:00 AM
Reply to: Message 57 by BMG
07-05-2008 12:54 AM


Re: We will miss you, George Carlin!!!
To tell you guys the truth, I've actually never liked George Carlin.

I'm trying to see things your way, but I can't put my head that far up my ass.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 57 by BMG, posted 07-05-2008 12:54 AM BMG has not replied

  
Artemis Entreri 
Suspended Member (Idle past 4228 days)
Posts: 1194
From: Northern Virginia
Joined: 07-08-2008


Message 59 of 1282 (475526)
07-16-2008 2:45 PM


Charlton Heston.
quick grab the gun from his cold dead hands!

  
Minnemooseus
Member
Posts: 3941
From: Duluth, Minnesota, U.S. (West end of Lake Superior)
Joined: 11-11-2001
Member Rating: 10.0


Message 60 of 1282 (477513)
08-04-2008 6:36 AM


Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (Alexander Solzhenitsyn), died 8/3/08, 89 years old

  
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