George Carlin Dies at Age 71

"The whole problem with this idea of obscenity and indecency, and all of these things - bad language and whatever - it's all caused by one basic thing, and that is: religious superstition," Carlin told the AP in a 2004 interview. "There's an idea that the human body is somehow evil and bad and there are parts of it that are especially evil and bad, and we should be ashamed. Fear, guilt and shame are built into the attitude toward sex and the body. ... It's reflected in these prohibitions and these taboos that we have."

Yep.

George Carlin had alcohol and drug problems during a large chunk of his career as well as heart problems. It is a miracle that he lived as long as he did. But when I was a kid back in the 1960's and 1970's, he was the baddest man out there. Sure, Cheech and Chong were derided by a lot of conservatives for their drug humor, but they were a kind of counterculture Foster Brooks act, ultimately safe and cute more than dangerous.

George didn't take anyone's bullshit and he lived to poke holes in a lot of our hypocrisies and foibles. He was a kind of street philosopher and not just a mere entertainer like your Jerry Seinfelds, your Carlos Mencias, your Jeff Foxworthys or your Jay Lenos.

He was a linguistic subversive and in this age of the dumbed down douchebag dopiness that passes for comedy, he was the voice that said, "wait a second you motherfuckers!" Without him there is arguably no Saturday Night Live in the form we originally knew it, no Daily Show, no Stephen Colbert and no Bill Hicks. He carried on the rebellious spirit of Lenhy Bruce, who was his inspiration, and actually made people think.

Goodbye George and thanks.