Seinfeld on Carlin
Jerry Seinfeld has a poignant piece about George Carlin on the op-ed page of the New York Times today. It’s brief, and worth quoting in full:
THE honest truth is, for a comedian, even death is just a premise to make jokes about. I know this because I was on the phone with George Carlin nine days ago and we were making some death jokes. We were talking about Tim Russert and Bo Diddley and George said: “I feel safe for a while. There will probably be a break before they come after the next one. I always like to fly on an airline right after they’ve had a crash. It improves your odds.”
I called him to compliment him on his most recent special on HBO. Seventy years old and he cranks out another hour of great new stuff. He was in a hotel room in Las Vegas getting ready for his show. He was a monster.
You could certainly say that George downright invented modern American stand-up comedy in many ways. Every comedian does a little George. I couldn’t even count the number of times I’ve been standing around with some comedians and someone talks about some idea for a joke and another comedian would say, “Carlin does it.” I’ve heard it my whole career: “Carlin does it,” “Carlin already did it,” “Carlin did it eight years ago.”
And he didn’t just “do” it. He worked over an idea like a diamond cutter with facets and angles and refractions of light. He made you sorry you ever thought you wanted to be a comedian. He was like a train hobo with a chicken bone. When he was done there was nothing left for anybody.
But his brilliance fathered dozens of great comedians. I personally never cared about “Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television,” or “FM & AM.” To me, everything he did just had this gleaming wonderful precision and originality.
I became obsessed with him in the ’60s. As a kid it seemed like the whole world was funny because of George Carlin. His performing voice, even laced with profanity, always sounded as if he were trying to amuse a child. It was like the naughtiest, most fun grown-up you ever met was reading you a bedtime story.
I know George didn’t believe in heaven or hell. Like death, they were just more comedy premises. And it just makes me even sadder to think that when I reach my own end, whatever tumbling cataclysmic vortex of existence I’m spinning through, in that moment I will still have to think, “Carlin already did it.”
The Brooks Paradox
He is a Keyboarding Cabbage, declares the indispensable Barbara O’Brien (indispensable, not least of all because, feeling nauseous after reading Brooks’ column, I turned to Maha’s post and experienced the healing laughter):
David Brooks has a column in the New York Times today in which the Keyboarding Cabbage waxes philosophical about President Bush’s genius in ordering the surge, which as you know has accomplished its main goal of enabling the forging of a stable and sustainable government in Baghdad.
Oh, wait …
Barbara cites two articles — Derrick Jackson’s “Big Oil and the War in Iraq” and James Glanz’s “Government Study Criticizes Bush Administration’s Measures of Progress in Iraq” — as further evidence of the surge’s success.
With a sense of logic this bad…
One wonders if there’s any job David Brooks is more suited for than a hack news columnist.
Somewhere, John McCain Is Alone, Crying
Barack Obama has decided his version of public financing is better than the government provided one.
Defining Michelle
Changes. With the beginning of the general election, there must be changes, and among the many alterations that must be made, apparently there is Michelle Obama’s image that must be addressed.
Annals of Idiocy
Of all the fools, he breaks the rules (emphasis mine):
On the one hand, I have to give the Washington Post some credit for its biased June 16 story about a new pro-life pharmacy set to open in northern Virginia this summer. Even with its less-than-fair treatment, it informs pro-life readers of a new pharmacy they may wish to patronize. Of course the store opening is worthy of news coverage for a number of reasons, such as the intersection of faith and professional ethics in health care, but unfortunately, staffer Rob Stein started right off the bat slanting coverage in a way to disparage the enterprise.
Take, for example, Stein’s lead paragraph in “‘Pro-Life’ Drugstores Market Beliefs: No Contraceptives for Chantilly Shop.”:
When DMC Pharmacy opens this summer on Route 50 in Chantilly, the shelves will be stocked with allergy remedies, pain relievers, antiseptic ointments and almost everything else sold in any drugstore. But anyone who wants condoms, birth control pills or the Plan B emergency contraceptive will be turned away.
“Turned away”? Really? It’s not like the customers seeking condoms or birth control will be blacklisted, they just won’t find those items in stock, and are more than free to purchase cold medicine, rubbing alcohol, or any number of over-the-counter or prescription items at the store.
Turned away doesn’t mean blacklisted, it means turned away. I’m sure a woman who walks into Robert Semler’s pharmacy needing emergency contraception after being raped will be pleased to know that the pharmacist doesn’t stock it and won’t refer her to any pharmacy that does, but he’ll be happy to sell her rubbing alcohol or cold medication.
Diva: Netroots to the AP…
Following up on the SCOTUS Habeus Decision
People have been asking what are the long-term implications for detainees still at Gitmo. Emptywheel addresses that question:
Barack Obama on Tim Russert
Ben Smith posted a video of Barack Obama being asked for his thoughts about Tim Russert’s death. The sound quality on the video is terrible (Obama is standing outside at the Columbus, Ohio, airport; he’s near the planes, it sounds and looks windy, and I don’t think he was miked), but even though it’s difficult to hear his words, everything is written on his face. He says that he’s grief-stricken, and he certainly looks it. (There is a transcription of the video just below it).
Thoughts on Tim Russert
Joe Gandelman calls Tim Russert’s passing “the end of an era”:
Anyone with any news background or passion for traditional news reporting has to feel a special sharp stab to their hearts today with the news that NBC’s Tim Russert — one of the early 21st century’s towering news figures and a journalistic descendant of 20th century journalism greats — died suddenly of a heart attack while on the job at the NBC News bureau at age 58. It’s a day they will remember with tremendous sadness.
To those of us who are old enough to remember, there were similar days of sadness when news figures passed away or passed from the working news scene. When CBS’s Edward R. Murrow died of lung cancer in 1965 many wondered whether it was the end of an era. It was. When CBS forced Walter Cronkite’s retirement in 1981 many wondered whether it was the end of an era. It was.
Will this be the end of yet another era? He may not have been completely appreciated when he was alive, but in fact Russert was one of the last giant figures in journalism with broad-based credibility. And although there are some similar news people with great potential, his particular kind of working journalist isn’t easy to find.
Also, if you’re looking for a roundup of reaction to Russert’s death, Joe’s is quite comprehensive.
OMG: Tim Russert, Dead at 58!
Have a Good Weekend
And all you dads out there do something nice with your kids. I don’t know what I’m doing with my daughters yet, but believe you me, it’s going to be me, my two girls, and a whole load of awesomeness.
But before then, I must cram for a biannual test I have to take in…
…shit…
two hours.
This is why I’m so quiet right now. Have a good weekend.
Baby Boston Dreams
Boston Dreams, a personal favorite blogger of mine, has some good news that I wanted to help spread around.
Her name is Meghan, and she’s quite adorable.
Concern Trolling As Fine Art
As a rule, I don’t like just posting a link and leaving it at that, but I really, truly, have nothing to add to Clif’s takedown of Anne Applebaum.
I guess now would be when I say indeed…
58 Bases But Nothing’s Going On
Not to worry; nothing to see here:
“Look, there is going to be no occupation,” said U.S. spokesman Adam Ereli. “Now it’s perfectly understandable that there are those that are following this closely in Iraq who have concerns about what this means for Iraqi sovereignty and independence. We understand that and we appreciate that and that’s why nothing is going to be rammed down anybody’s throat.
“It’s kind of like a forced marriage. It just doesn’t work. They either want you or they don’t want you. You can’t use coercion to get them to like you,” he added.
Americans with European Parents Can Claim Dual Citizenship
I never knew this was possible before I saw this article, and as a first-generation American (father born and raised in Holland; mother born in France and raised there and in Belgium), I must say I’m intrigued.
For millions of Europeans who braved the Atlantic Ocean for a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty and dreams of a lavish life, there was little thought of ever emigrating back.
Yet for a new generation of Americans of European descent, the Old Country is becoming a new country full of promise and opportunity.
The creation of the European Union and its thriving economy is very appealing for Americans in a global economy.
“With an EU passport, I can live and work in 27 countries,” said Suzanne Mulvehill of Lake Worth. “With a U.S. passport, I can live and work in one.”
Americans can claim citizenship in any of the 27 European countries that are in the EU based on the nationality of their parents, or in some cases, grandparents and great-grandparents. Citizenship in one of those countries allows you to live and work in any EU nation.
Since the United States doesn’t keep statistics on dual citizens, it’s impossible to know exactly how many people have applied for citizenship in Europe. But it’s estimated that more than 40 million Americans are eligible for dual citizenship, and a growing number of Americans want to try their luck elsewhere.
Not Only Did Bush Lie, But Fred Hiatt Lied, Too
Someone should tell Fred Hiatt that supporting your position by omitting crucial parts that undercut your point is lying. That’s what Hiatt did in this editorial defending the integrity of the Bush administration’s use of prewar intelligence to justify the invasion of Iraq.