A Carlin Home Companion Review

A Carlin Home Companion

Performed by: Kelly Carlin

Theater: Santa Monica Playhouse

    Following in the footsteps of one's parents is a natural part of life. Despite what some may think or do, we all eventually end up like our parents in some respect. For some, this transition is easy and welcomed; for others, it can be incredibly painful and drawn-out. Regardless of how you feel about it, you are who raised you, and Kelly Carlin was raised by George and Brenda Carlin.

    A Carlin Home Companion is a one-woman show by Kelly Carlin, daughter of the late George Carlin. In it, Kelly recounts tales of growing up in a household filled with drugs, brilliance, strength, turbulence, and love. The show is approximately two hours long with a brief ten minute intermission. Kelly takes advantage of the smaller theatre to create a strong connection with her audience and seemingly looks every person in the eye. Throughout the show, Kelly uses a video screen to show videos of her father at various points in his career and then adds context to those bits by providing the audience with her take on life in the Carlin household at that time. 

    Kelly is a natural born story teller with a very distinct voice from her father that needs to be heard. With that being said, the two hours flew by and, like many people in the audience, I didn't want the tales to end. Kelly shares the stories in such a natural way that it feels like she's talking to friends, and in a room full of people who grew up idolizing her father, she was. Kelly delivers a compelling performance from beginning to end that will make you laugh and cry (there is a strong chance you will shed a tear). You may enter the theatre a fan of George with an interest in Kelly, but by the end you will also be singing the praises of Kelly.

    Finally, a brief word of warning to any artist or aspiring artist: This show will make you question your own motivations and likely cause a great deal of personal reflection. Kelly talks a lot about not being sure what to do in her own life and having to follow your inner voice until finally reaching that pinnacle moment in life where you are happy with who you are. I cannot imagine a painter, a comedian, a writer, or an actor who will leave the show not questioning where they are in life and how they can get to that next level. It truly was something I will never forget.

"Carlin Home Companion" Sizzle Reel from Kelly Carlin on Vimeo.

The Big Electron

    Today a very funny comedian friend of mine(Sean Quinlan or @seanquinlan17 on Twitter - follow him!) posted a video on Facebook that inspired this post. The video contains clips from Bill Hicks and George Carlin linked together through auto-tune in an inspiring song that should be heard by all.

    First some background on the video for some context before the main event. The video was produced by John D. Boswell AKA melodysheep(@musicalscience) who produces YouTube videos aimed at hitting the viewers soul. This video was posted one week ago and has garnered over 53,000 hits and with a good word of mouth campaign we can make this his most viewed yet. 

    The first clip is from Bill Hicks' comedy special "Revelations"(1993) in which he closed the show with the bit "It's Just a Ride". 

The second clip is from George Carlin's comedy special "Jammin in New York"(1992) in which he is talking about how the planet is fine and will continue to be fine long after the human species is gone.

    Finally Mr. Boswell added some inspirational music and wonderful scenes from around the world to complete, in my opinion, one of the best videos on YouTube.

     There is not a single living human being who can say that they know with 100% certainty what is waiting for us on the "other side". It is foolish to think otherwise. We need to treat each other with love and respect today, not because some book told us to, but because it's the right thing to do.

Love All The People - Review

Bill Hicks: Love All The People

Author: Bill Hicks

Publisher: Constable & Robinson

Release Date: 2004

    Okay, now I get it. I'll start with a small confession before I go too far into my review of "Bill Hicks: Love All The People". Truthfully, before I started reading "Love All The People", I knew very little of Bill Hicks. He had become something of a mythical creature to me because I could never seem to find any recordings of his at the local record store. His name, while often mentioned as being a "Legend" in the comedy world, is rarely highlighted to the same extent of say a Carlin, Pryor or even Bruce. All I really knew about him was that he was considered a "Legend" and that he had a no-nonsense approach to comedy and getting his message across.

    "Love All The People" opens with a brief foreword/biography of Hicks life that is incredibly beautiful and moving. Although I had just started learning about the man, by the time I had reached the description of his death there was a tear in my eye. I realized at that moment this book was going to do more than just make me laugh. "Love All The People" is essentially a collection of transcripts highlighting some of the more memorable performances of Bill Hicks career. As someone who was diving head first into my first exploration of Hicks style of comedy I found it to be incredibly satisfying. Although you do miss out on his timing and delivery the words themselves force you to understand where this man was coming from. 

    "Love All The People" has only one major flaw and that is it can be repetitive. Often times two shows that are transcribed as back-to-back chapters may contain only a single "joke" that appears to be different or that the order of the material is now being used differently. While the idea of being able to see how a comedian(especially someone of Hicks status) evolves his material and performance was fascinating for myself as a comic I'm not sure how much the average reader would enjoy this.

   "Love All The People" truly shines when Hicks is responding to questions from fans or interviewers,  it is at these moments where he is speaking from the heart and with passion that you get the sense that this man was not operating on the same level as the rest of us. He had a vision for the world and all it's surroundings that speaks to your inner voice as being sound and reasonable requests from humanity. You may not agree with everything he said or the manner in which he chose to say it but you cannot disagree with the overall theme of his comedy, his writing or his life: Love All The People.

In God We Rust - A Review

In God We Rust

Filmed at the State Theater in Minneapolis

Premiered March 17, 2011

     Lewis Black is probably best known for his work on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and his popular "Back in Black" segment where he rants on something that is bothering him and hurting society. If you have never seen a Lewis Black comedy special before it is very much a unique experience compared to what you are used to and he warns the audience of this before the show gets started. First off, Lewis does not move around much while on stage. With the exception of his occasional "outburst" of anger it is very much just a man with a mic. Secondly, Lewis is not simply up on stage telling a "traditional joke" with a set-up and punchline, no, Lewis is a truth teller and his aim is to make you use your mind.

    In "In God We Rust" Lewis tackles everything from Valentine's Day to iPhones and nearly everything in between touching on the War on Terror and Facebook. Watching Lewis share his thoughts, ideas and experiences is as captivating as it is funny. He keeps the energy up and slams home emphasis where it's needed. However this special will not be for everyone. As I eluded to earlier this is not a traditional comedy special. You will not be laughing with tears in your eyes and quoting it later with your friends. You will be a better person for seeing it though and your brain will thank you.

    I found writing this review to be incredibly challenging for the simple fact that there are so few comedians like Black performing these days. He is an original. In "In God We Rust" Black comes across as much as a preacher or prophet as he does a comedian. Are there other comedy specials out there that will make you laugh more? Sure, but I'll doubt you'll find one that makes you think and feel more. In the vein of Hicks and Carlin, Black simply tells truths and forces you to laugh at the absurdity of the world we live in.

Phyllis Diller - July 17th, 1917 - August 20th, 2012

July 17th, 1917 - August 20th 2012

    As I'm sure you have all heard by now we lost another clown this week. I found out while on a break at work and I have to say it affected me for the rest of my shift. Whenever we lose someone who makes people laugh the world, as a whole, suffers.

    If Rodney Dangerfield was the King of self-deprecating humor Phyllis was surely the Queen. Her style of comedy was straightforward and pure. Her humor was quick one-line punches that always felt fresh and could entertain for hours.

    Since her passing all the major media outlets have had pieces run about Phyllis and while all have put emphasis on her place in comedy history and have been informational I have found that the best article/quote on the matter has come from TMZ. TMZ spoke with Joan Rivers who said " The only tragedy in [Diller's] entire life is that she was funny in an era when you had to look funny to be funny." 

    The pioneers of modern comedy are slowly passing away and with each one the world becomes a sadder place. All we can hope for is that with the advent of YouTube their images, their words, their thoughts and their ideas continue to live on and inspire generations of clowns for years to come.

A SeinLanguage Review

SeinLanguage

Author: Jerry Seinfeld

Publisher: Bantam Books

Release Date: 1993

    There are few people in North America who have not heard of Jerry Seinfeld. He was a wildly popular stand-up comic during the stand-up comedy boom of the 80's and early 90's. He found his way to success the way every comedian dreams of - he honed his craft in the clubs, he got on the tonight show and then got his own sitcom - during those boom years this was every comedians goal. Seinfeld just did it better those before him and it's arguable that no one has done it better since.

    During the early stages of his incredibly successful sitcom "Seinfeld", Jerry capitalized on his fame and released a book filled with his material.(This also became a common step in the stages of success for comedians, Drew Carey, Jeff Foxworthy and Chris Rock to name a few put out books when their popularity hit a certain level). I was only nine years old when this book came out and while I was familiar with Seinfeld the show, I was not familiar with Seinfeld the comedian. When I finally reached that peak age of obsession I decided this would be a book that I would one day own and read however this turned out to be a rather exhausting experience. Trying to find a book that was initially published in 1993 in a genre that the bookstores do not generally offer much shelf space to even the new releases proved to be difficult. I did manage to find a copy in a downtown Toronto bookstore and I promptly read the hell out of this book.

    "SeinLanguage" is as exactly as I described it earlier, it's a collection of Seinfeld's material in written form. If you are even remotely familiar with Seinfeld the comedian, many of the bits will be familiar but there are tons of material that you will likely have not heard. Based upon how many jokes are based off of antiquated technology it's not wonder much of this book felt like fresh material to my eyes. He jokes on answering machines and car phones and these bits do not hit as hard today as they would have when people still used answering machines and car phones. Regardless, "SeinLanguage" is at it's best when Seinfeld is talking about the mundane and ordinary. It's what Jerry has made his career off of and its those bits that still have an element of truth almost twenty years later that will make you laugh out loud or lol. So be forewarned if you plan on reading this on the subway or in a crowed cafeteria.

    Many(or all) of these bits have since been retired by Jerry in his comedy special, "I'm telling you for the last time." and his return to stand-up with all new material was wonderfully documented in the movie "Comedian." I have since had the opportunity to see Jerry perform live and loved his new material. It's very family oriented and geared toward the "joys" of having a family and family responsibilities.

   SeinLanguage is one of the easiest reads I have ever had and truth be told, because I was so excited to read it, I plowed through it which I know affected the timing and delivery of the jokes in my mind. So my recommendation would be to find yourself some time when you can read it slowly and hear Seinfeld reading the book to you. Unless of course you have enough money then just hire him to actually read it to you.

An excerpt from the introduction of SeinLangauge:

"But the pressure is on you now. This book is filled with funny ideas but you have to provide the delivery. So when you read it, remember - timing, inflection, attitude. That's comedy. I've done my part. The performance  is up to you."

George Carlin: On Comedy - A Review

George Carlin on Comedy

Release Date: March 12, 2002

    Some years ago when I first began to start taking comedy seriously and was thinking about giving it my first go at an "open mic" I stumbled across "George Carlin on Comedy"(GCOC). "George Carlin on Comedy" is an audio CD that was released on the Laugh.com record label and it's website boasts "You'll find out how Carlin became a star, and how you can be one too." As an aspiring comedian, who better to learn from than the person I idolize most I thought?

    I can remember listening and re-listening to this CD back then as I prepared and practiced my routine and this week as I was preparing to go back on stage for the first time in five years, I found it, dusted it off and gave it a listen for some last minute inspiration.

  What I found was some interesting insights from arguably the greatest comedian of all time. The interview is conducted by Larry Wilde over the course of several separate interviews that were edited together to produce something comprehensive and helpful. In the liner notes it states "This interview was recorded long ago on analog tape in the subject's office, home or dressing room and therefore may contain background noise, tape hiss and other anomalies associated with early recording equipment." Which does help explain why the interview appears, broken or scattered and there are times when the sound is far from ideal.

    GGOC is divided into two parts: Part One is mostly a brief biography of George's life and his take on growing up and how it affected his future on stage. Part Two is mainly his take on the industry, his habits, routines and his advice for a new comedian. Part One is for the comedy nerd in all of us. Part Two is for those of us who dare brave the blinding lights and risk hearing crickets after spending hours crafting a joke that we believe will change the world like Carlin's "7 Dirty Words".

    It's hard not to recommend listening to Carlin do anything let alone provide some candid insight into what he feels are prerequisites to becoming a comedian and how the industry works. Will you find out how to become a star comedian as the website claims? No, because as with anything the only way to get better is to practice, practice, practice but if your looking to aide your motivation along, this is as good a place to start as any.

This is normally where I would put a clip of some kind from the said item being reviewed however finding any additional information about this CD proved to be very difficult instead I have chosen a clip of Carlin being interviewed by Jon Stewart. Two of my idols on the same stage.