The American Mind

Twitter is buzzing with news of comedian George Carlin’s death:

Comedian George Carlin, a counter-culture hero famed for his routines about drugs and dirty words, died of heart failure at a Los Angeles-area hospital on Sunday, a spokesman said. He was 71.

Carlin, who had a history of heart problems, died at St. John’s Health Center in Santa Monica about 6 p.m. PDT (9 p.m. EDT) after being admitted earlier in the afternoon for chest pains, spokesman Jeff Abraham told Reuters.

In 1972 Carlin was arrested for performing his comedic act at Milwaukee’s Summerfest. He used his infamous “seven words” and never had any qualms about it:

Carlin, who was freed on $150 bail, was unapologetic. In an on-camera interview at the time (and included in the excellent documentary “Summerfest Stories” that recently aired on Milwaukee Public TV), he said, “I wouldn’t have changed anything I did if I had known there were children in the audience. I think children need to hear those words the most because as yet they don’t have the hang-ups. It’s adults who are locked into certain thought patterns.”

“I find it kind of funny to be hassled for using them [the words that I can’t repeat here in a family newspaper even in 2007] when my intention is to free us from hassling people for using them,” said Carlin, who recently turned 70.

He began calling the words “the Milwaukee Seven.” When Carlin appeared on “The Dick Cavett Show” shortly after his arrest, he walked out to the sounds of “On, Wisconsin!” He told a Milwaukee Journal reporter 15 years later that the incident was like being sent to the principal’s office, and added, “I didn’t knowingly try to exploit it, but it gave a lot of people a hook for who I was and a focus.”

Carlin was entertaining enough, although I wasn’t a real fan. If I caught one of his acts while surfing HBO I’d watch a few minutes and laugh. He certainly found unique ways of looking at the world. He’ll be missed.

[picture via sarahinvegas]