Here’s Carlin* on the current impasse.
And now, in the interest of equal time, here is a message from the National Institute of Pancakes: It reads, and I quote, “Fuck waffles.”
How do we know that if God does exist She had her sense of humor amputated? Carlin’s dead while Dennis Miller yet lives.
More thread…
*Number 70 on that list of comedy gold.
Image: Pieter Cornelisz van Slingelandt, Breakfast of a Young Man, before 1691.
kindness
It’s karma. I have to figure Carlin is at peace and that Miller is a really unhappy constipated individual. I mean just look at the shit Miller says. That isn’t the hallmark of inner serinity.
Go with the FSM George. We thank you.
Linda Featheringill
I’ve often said that the universe has a sense of humor, frequently directed at me.
Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism
Don’t be silly. Carlin’s doing command performances.
Bill E Pilgrim
A reminder that Carlin was incredibly funny practically from birth. A young, clean-cut comedian making fun of “hippies” before he became one, and already screamingly funny.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nTItILnLYE
WereBear
I’ll never forget a few years ago, when he was the interview guest on The Daily Show. They just looked at each other across the desk for a bit, and Stewart said, “What happened?”
Miller looked about as miserable as a human being can, and made a tiny shrug, and then the two of them went into their act.
He went Republican, and he got the Republican disease of never admitting he made a mistake. So he’s going to spiral down and down and down and down, all while having to maintain that THIS IS GREAT and IT’S ALL PART OF THE PLAN.
Much like the rest of the party he’s now in. That’s very clear to me now. Sure, they can still hurt people in their death throes, but that’s where they are.
Poopyman
Huh. Dude in the painting has denim lining in his waistcoat. Who knew?
Fuck Dennis Miller.
OzarkHillbilly
#16. Just when I discovered the meaning of life, they changed it.
The story of my life, summed up in 11 words.
OzarkHillbilly
36. When you’re born you get a ticket to the freak show. When you’re born in America, you get a front-row seat.
Nailed it….
MazeDancer
Barely Day 3 and Morning Joe is already caliing it the Ted Cruz shutdown and villifying the GOP crazies. I was just checking in to hear how the MSM was supporting the Republicans this time, thinking I would tolerate 30 seconds. Watched first half hour amazed at the unity against the GOP hostage taking.
MattF
WaPo has a front-page article about the trials and tribulations of poor little John Boehner. Lots of quotes from ‘sensible’ Republicans about how becoming a psychopath was his only option. But… I’m just not persuaded.
Poopyman
@Poopyman: It’s really probably linen like the shell, but you never know.
Still, fuck Dennis Miller.
WereBear
Oh, we don’t have to. His own stupid, self-serving choices have done that for us!
Emma
Carlin is God’s last hope for remaining sane. Pray he succeeds.
Poopyman
#8: You can’t fight City Hall, but you can goddamn sure blow it up.
Still, Dennis Miller.
OzarkHillbilly
#43. Catholic — which I was until I reached the age of reason.
shortstop
Pieter Cornelisz van Slingelandt is the most awesome name of all time.
@WereBear: Plus, people remind him every day that the other SNLer of his era who went winger is the indescribably crazy and not at all intelligent Victoria Jackson. Yes, we do lump you two together, thanks to your political choices.
Suffern ACE
@MazeDancer: but yesterday, Obama was an extremist showing no leadership or direction?
I believe the Bankers have spoken. Their influence over the t party may be crap, but over pundits is another story.
fka AWS
Regarding comedy, just saw a story somewhere yesterday about Gallagher. Dude has apparently had 5(!) heart attacks, been in a medically-induced coma, and is on his farewell tour. There’s a lot of Gallagher hate out there, but I thought he was pretty decent for his time and his schtick.
sparrow
@Suffern ACE: Huh, hadn’t thought of that but I think you’re right.
beltane
@MazeDancer: I didn’t watch, but people were saying yesterday’s ABC evening news was unusually critical of the Republicans. The cocktail weenie circuit must have had enough with the GOP’s poorly crafted clown show.
SatanicPanic
@shortstop: Oh that’s got to burn. Dennis is probably bitter because he thought he was on the Jimmy Fallon track (and maybe he was) but he couldn’t keep his mouth shut.
The Snarxist Formerly Known as Kryptik
I want to say that Carlin was prescient in so many ways, but I realize it’s more that these fuckers have been at it for entirely too long and have distilled ratfuckery down to a science.
Bex
God always has the last laugh. Dennis Miller is still alive, but he’s not funny anymore.
Joey Maloney
@shortstop: It’s not like Dennis is some kind of genius. His former writing partner who split when Miller went full-metal wingnut was the one responsible for all the oddball literary references in his schtick. Still, Miller:Jackson::Cruz:Gohmert.
WereBear
OMG, that’s the only reason I liked him at all!
Figures :)
MomSense
@mazedancer
Then they let Jeb Hensarling repeatedly lie that ObamaCare exempts Congress. This has been debunked since 2010 by factcheck.org and yet everyone on the show acted as if it were true.
It just bothers me that they act as if trying to repeal a law by blackmail is somehow a legitimate means of Congress. If Congress wants to repeal the ACA then they can write legislation, get it passed in both houses, and get the president to sign it. That is the constitutional process. Nowhere in the constitution does it establish defunding the entire government in order to undo a law.
I am so sick of the media enabling crazy behavior by one branch of congress.
Poopyman
I love whatever electronic elf it is that determines which ad to put on my BJ page!
Pillsbury Heat-N-Go Pancakes
MomSense
@SatanicPanic:
I never really found Dennis Miller funny. He would start a joke and then it turned into a Russian Doll of tangents with smaller and smaller tangents popping out of tangents until the original joke was forgotten.
Hal
Al Franken has said that Miller was always conservative on some issues. He basically is one of those libertarians that claim to support personal freedom then vote for people who clearly do not.
the Conster
@MomSense:
No one on that show has any policy knowledge, AT.ALL. On Tuesday, Joe was still sneering that it’s government provided health care because people were advised to go to healthcare.gov, like that was dispositive of his assertion, and then proceeded to talk loudly over everyone. Today he was trying to claim he alone is the sane Republican saving the “brand”. Even Fournier seemed to blame Republicans for letting the nutballs run the asylum, so my guess is that the money guys have let the Villagers know that the Frankenstein monster is coming for all of them. Now that the ACA is law, people will learn and understand what it means for them no thanks to any of the media idiots, and the jig may now be up as everyone is getting a clearer picture of what’s happening and what’s at stake.
virginia
Funny — Glad to see Carlin remembered this week. Spent last Saturday night with an old, good friend, drinking tequila, and watching him for several hours on YouTube. Absolutely brilliant — and prescient beyond measure. Dennis Miller is an asshole. Once upon a time he was really goodlooking and no doubt that helped.
virginia
@the Conster: From your mouth to God’s ear!
MomSense
@the Conster:
This is what pisses me off more than anything else. It is completely irresponsible to have a news program and discuss one of the most important policy matters facing our country without even a basic grasp of the facts of said policy.
Feudalism Now!
Dennis Miller was always conservative, he just kept his predilections towards the people in power, who happened to be Republicans. The comedy didn’t change the targets did. He has shifted to mocking the powerless, which is never funny. Plus, that stint on MNF sealed the deal I think for his shriveled soul.
Omnes Omnibus
@Feudalism Now!: IIRC he was a Perotista back in ’92.
shelly
Young man doesn’t look all that young. Too much beer for breakfast?
WereBear
@MomSense: Yet, that is the plan: to confuse and outright lie so people will not wake up to what is being done to them.
I knew that the Internet would allow end-runs around this strategy. It seems to be bearing fruit, now.
MomSense
@WereBear:
I hope you are right that the internet is allowing us to get accurate information in spite of the media lies or laziness. I wonder what would have happened in 2010 if people hadn’t been so misinformed.
Redshirt
I saw Dennis Miller live in 94. It was troubling. He mumbled and rambled for a bit, complaining about stuff. People in the audience started heckling, and then he focused on attacking the hecklers. About 20 minutes into the show, he dropped the mic and left the stage, insulting everyone in the crowd first.
Comedy!
SatanicPanic
@MomSense: I didn’t either, but then I don’t think most late night talk show hosts are funny. I mean, I don’t know what Dennis was planning with his career, but that seems like the way I would’ve tried to go if I were him.
WereBear
@MomSense: End of 2010/first of 2011 was when the tide turned; more people getting news online than from traditional sources.
Now, Yahoo can be just as stupid and misleading as the NY Times, but the mere act of googling up information mixes things up; a blog can come up on the front page, Media Matters can become a top story, people get exposed to different views without even trying.
I was midway through W’s first term when I found stuff like Skippy the Bush Kangaroo and Daily Kos… it was incredible to know that I wasn’t insane, that it really was that bad. So I’ve got more than a decade of experience now, “doing my own research” and I’ve developed places to go and people to trust.
Just as the Right Wingers got a firm grip on Old Media, New Media rose up. I hope it will save us.
GregB
Little known fact, George Carlin’s comedy career began in NH. He went to summer camp at Spofford Lake and won drama awards for his first performances.
His family spread some of his ashes at Lake Spofford after his death.
Felonius Monk
No. 54 on the Carlin list:
He had an uncanny ability to see through human bulllshit and makes us laugh about it. He is still missed.
ETA: Dennis Miller was NEVER funny (in the comedic sense).
Elizabelle
@MomSense:
Whoever said that Morning Joe exists to produce “manufactured consent” got it right.
MJ is too stupifying to watch. Parade of Villagers.
Russell Brand pegged them. Superficial. Purveyors of conventional wisdom and none of their own.
maurinsky
I watched one of Carlin’s HBO specials a month or so back, and it was so true it almost wasn’t funny…but of course, it was funny, it was just “laugh until you realize the truth and then cry” funny.
catclub
@MomSense: ” It is completely irresponsible to have a news program and discuss one of the most important policy matters facing our country without even a basic grasp of the facts of said policy. ”
Next you will be asking that ‘middle east experts’ know where Syria is on a map.
That way lies madness.
Guy
Since this is an open thread, if you haven’t mocked Redstate recently you have to check out today’s featured headline and accompanying photograph. I almost spit coffee all over my laptop. Wolverines!!
shelly
Well, he hosts a radio show now where he has a sidekick to laugh at his jokes.
Bill Arnold
@Poopyman:
Go to amazon.com and shop around for stuff that you like the pictures of. I currently have amazon ads for wall-mounted dinosaur trophy heads.
drkrick
You only get so much funny in life, and Carlin went through his. Miller’s on pace to live to 250.
I used to like Russian doll tangent routine, but it was pretty clearly a minority taste, further limited by need to get at least some of the references. When he was announced for the MNF gig, he said something about going home to break out his “Gifford-Bednarik chess set” and Bob Ley looked at him and said “the five people who got that are really laughing right now.”
Jebediah, RBG
@shortstop:
A little while ago the LA Weekly did a story/interview with Victoria Jackson. One of her pronouncements was that most people aren’t as politically aware and well-informed as she.
Trollhattan
@WereBear:
I think I remember that episode. Circa post-2006 eleection when the Dems grabbed both houses of congress, Pelosi was speaker and Miller’s “hilarious” riff was on how much she blinked. Seriously.
StewBeef treated him (appropriately) like a special needs child and I’ve never seen him back.
Paul in KY
@fka AWS: I never liked him wasting all those vegetables.
Paul in KY
@Hal: He is a nut about Eretz Israel.
Paul in KY
@shelly: Back then, if you made it to 25, you looked 45.
Cris (without an H)
Look at the bold stance taken by my local paper’s editorial board!
(By “editorial board” I’m pretty sure we mean “one guy named Frank.”)
LanceThruster