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• Monday, June 23, 2008 03:34 PM

  Re:My Carlin memory & atheism - all tied together

  I have a particularly cherished memory of George Carlin, one because it was the first and only time I ever got to meet him, secondly because I got to share with him how his ideas about atheism had influenced me, and thirdly because I got to make him laugh, which to me was very special. Comedians hear it all, so if you can make one laugh with something original, it means you have the comedic spark.

  I was in Las Vegas with my family, celebrating my youngest brother's 21st, and therefore his legality to gamble, birthday. We all went to go see George Carlin together at one of the casinos, I forget which. A couple hours before the show, I happened to see him walking through the casino, in his particular loping gait, and I said hello. We started talking, and I mentioned my religious upbringing, and my eventual lapse into atheism. He mentioned something that brought up the topic of classifying atheism as just another belief system, and I said, "Calling atheism a belief system or religion, is just like trying to call bald a hair color." He laughed out loud at that one, and said to me, "That's pretty good, where'd you come up with that?" I responded with, "I was inspired by a comedian I used to listen to when I was younger." I used to have all of his comedy albums when I was in my teens, I think my parents actually gave me my first one for Christmas. We only spoke for about ten more minutes before he had to go, but I still remember it to this day, and I think his thoughts on the matter are the correct ones.

  —Stentor Read Stentor's other letters
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