He's the ice-box man at our house. He's "Ice-box man!" -- he delivers a call whenever there's a need at the ice box.

I used to listen to his "ice-box man" routine on the Dr. Demento Show. It's one of the few Carlin routines that Demento could play verbatim without bleeps, but it's a really good one, full of inventive humor about a subject everybody can relate to: leftovers, funny food names, funny eating practices, etc.

Carlin also has a brilliant routine called "A place for my stuff," which is a really insightful look at human habits of accumulation, and our strange way of equating the acquisition of "things" with success. Of course, Carlin didn't state this in such heavy terms -- he just let the comedy flow from the concepts. He was a very light-on-his feet comedian, who really worked his material into high-quality, solid stuff that maintained inventiveness and ideas throughout.

Another favorite Carlin routine of mine is his extended news report, which parodies every part of an evening's TV newscast, from weather to sports: "The forecast for tonight is.....DARK."

Carlin got a lot angrier and more political in the last decade or so, and I think his comedy suffered for it -- he wasn't quite able to pull off the "sane man in a crazy world" shtick, which is often a dead-end for comedians (my favorite of that group is Bill Hicks, who was mediocre until he found politics -- George Carlin was sublime until he found politics, which in my opinion turned him somehwat mediocre....though he still maintained a high-quality, high-volume work ethic).

I also enjoyed the way Carlin branched out into movies, usually if not always choosing good material. His turn in "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" was among his best.

The man can't be dead, because if he was that would mean that I'M dead. It would mean that MY sense of humor - and the sense of humor of a whole generation - was likewise dead!! AND THAT CAN'T BE! Why did he choose NOW to die?! Was it the damn FISA decision? I bet it was, I bet it was the straw that broke his camel's back!!!

Actually that's not a fair statement, because I just remembered that Carlin was extremely political in his stand-up routine on the debut episode of "Saturday Night Live" -- so political, in fact (wearing his atheism on his sleeve), that they decided not to have any more politically themed comedians on the show!

I grew up - literally - with Carlin. He was the father figure I never had... which explains a lot about me, I guess.

All I have right now is "shit, piss, fuck, cunt, cocksucker, motherfucker, and tits."

I too felt it might be FISA, Mister Marker, because nothing has made me feel as close to Carlin's position - why vote? - as that news. I will reject that urge and I will vote, of course, but this has been a sobering weekend.

Thanks, XH, for your memories, and also for telling me to close that html tag! Even editors need copy editors.

Love the Pablo Cassals reference ... my childhood hero since I started cello at age 5. I used the lovely Karsch photo of Pablo viewed from the back as an avatar years ago ... how lame is that?

Interesting reach from GC. Sad for me at age 60 for many reasons. It's time for all of us to treasure every day. GC was my favorite cynical bastard ... you know the optimistic type who is right most of the time and waits in vain for the rest of the world to get it.

Thanks Joan Walsh

and frightening intelligence - one of the few people in the country who broke through the bullshit and told the truth without fear.

George Carlin was one of the greatest, and most underrated American thinkers available, and when he died, a unique perspective died along with him.

Every time I heard Carlin spoke, I heard a story I couldn't get anywhere else. He was not only one of the few to keep telling the truth, but one of the few who could still make me feel uncomfortable and complicit in the lies.

Who can take his place? No one.

It's very difficult to overestimate the size of this loss - he was not only a comedian, but an intellectual of the first rank. Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart, I feel, are brilliant and sympathetic to truth, but did not have his giant intellect or willingness to violate our cherished norms and pretension.

I would put Carlin in the front rank of American thinkers, along with Pinker, Chomsky, et al. None of them, however, had his style or his precise and cruel wit.

There will never be anyone remotely like him again, ever. I'm glad that we were fortunate enough to have him with us for the time that we had. Starting today, we now have fewer defenses against the lies, stupidity and hypocrisies than we did.

Do I understand that there is agreement here that FISA broke GC heart and it is Barak Obama's fault. Didn't notice that nuance before I thanked Joan Walsh. Can't resist a dig? Why not mention Nancy Pelosi. This has not reached the senate yet. If he is elected president he will rewrite FISA already. Sheesh.

This one hurts. I was lucky enough to see him when I was a kid. My dad took me. Imagine how many lives Carlin touched--the single memory of bonding with my cool father only one gift among thousands more.

Nobody ever made me laugh as hard and think as hard at the same time.

You will be sorely missed.

I think thou dost protest too much. FISA couldn't have had any causal relationship to Carlin's passing. Seeing G.C.s last few HBO specials and especially reading the H.H. interview it seems pretty clear to me--since George was never one to mince words--the he "didn't give a fuck"! That was his raison d'etre, for-chrissake!

It also seemed clear that he had a desire to write a sort of irreverent memoir. The "ineffable" as he referred to it called in his chips; it's as simple as that. The world is worse off for his parting. I can't stop crying.