George Carlin’s Final Gift

Saturday Night Live aired a repeat, as scheduled. What changed was which repeat. This week was the first Saturday Night, episode one before they added the word “Live.” George Carlin was host.

snl-title.jpgIf I hadn’t read a story about George Carlin’s memorial, I wouldn’t have known what Lorne Michaels did this past Saturday. Saturday Night Live aired a repeat, as scheduled. What changed was which repeat. This week was the first Saturday Night, episode one before they added the word “Live.” George Carlin was host.

not-ready.jpgIt was 1975. Don Pardo mistakenly called them, “The Not For Ready Prime Time Players.” On they went. There they were–Chevy, Belushi, Dan Akroyd, Garrett Morris, Jane, Laraine, Gilda and George Coe. George Coe? Trust me, you’d recognize him in a second. He’s been in everything, especially commercials.

chevy.jpgBilly Preston and Janis Ian performed. So did Valri Bromfield and Andy Kaufman. Michael O’Donaghue, among the strangest people ever, was there too. Franken and Davis, Alan Zweibel and Herb Sargent were writers. Davey Wilson, later with Letterman, directed.

Maybe there’s something to be learned. The bits were shorter. That worked. On the other hand, there was less comedy and more music. The mix is better now.

The audio was awful and very hollow. From what I can hear on my speakers, it’s obvious the house PA was also terrible.

I love Albert Brooks. He had a film. Albert Brooks was a fixture of the early Saturday Night (Live). This was a takeoff of old newsreels. Very funny.

Valri Bromfield. Really? Terrible.

During “Weekend Update” Chevy said, “I’m Chevy Chase,” but not “and you’re not.” He also did a very old one-liner. To paraphrase, “The Post Office has a new stamp commemorating prostitution. It’s 15&#162. A quarter if you lick it.”

Jim Henson’s Muppets appeared. They were regulars on the first few shows. The bit was not a success. They were victims of the bad audio. The studio audience was silent as the bit played out.

This was by no means a perfect show. It was uncharted territory–a show unlike any other. The seeds were planted that night, October 11, 1975. Back then, it was amazing to watch.

Blogger’s note – Not that it matters, but I was at the next SNL, the following Saturday. My friend Paul, through his friend Jim, got me the tickets. Art Garfunkel was there and it was pretty terrible. At least I can say I was there.

George Carlin Dies

I only met him once. It was in New York City. I was in college. My friend Paul was working at WMCA for the summer.

george-carlin.jpgOh my God. George Carlin is dead. I cannot believe it.

I only met him once. It was in New York City. I was in college. My friend Paul was working at WMCA for the summer. I’m not quite sure what Paul did there, but he’d wangled his way inside. That would be the theme of Paul’s life. He was very good at it.

WMCA’s studio was large and white. There were signs, printed not handwritten, reminding guests that the mics were “always on.”

Carlin was intense.

I remember him first as the Hippy Dippy Weatherman and then watched as his modus operandi changed with time. Carlin’s strength was his use of language. He had a visceral understanding of its incongruities. His humor was lost on those who wanted to see comedy without thinking.

He seemed angry recently. His act sometimes even seemed a little mean. The Times called him splenetic. Perfect. I suspect he didn’t suffer fools gladly. It must have irked him to have people write second rate material in his name and then spread it across the Internet.

In the mid-70s I saw George Carlin at the Tower Theater, just outside Philadelphia. I was far from the stage. It was an awful way to see a comedian and I went home unhappy.

George Carlin leaves a huge legacy of comedy. I thought he’d live forever.