Tonight's Forecast: Dark

Hey there 'Redheads... This one might ramble a bit. I still can't get over that George Carlin is gone. Not only is he a giant, one of the heads on the Mount Rushmore of comedy, but I count him as one of my biggest influences. He was equal parts silly and subversive, clever and caustic, absurdist and acerbic. In one breath he could convince you that God doesn't exist and in the next list off five kinds of farts and why each one was funny. And he was a ninja with words. One of my favorite lines of his is "Backwards words say to used I. Again go I there. Shit oh." That's off the A Place For My Stuff album. It's one of his funniest and it sets the benchmark for observational comedy. One of the great sketches on the album is a game show called Asshole, Jackoff, Scumbag, where one of the contestants' hobbies is "calling up the Red Cross and telling them to go fuck themselves." Keeps getting funnier every time I hear it. Do yourself a favor, click the link, and press play. Thank me later. He first caught my ear when I was 11, listening to a Comic Relief cassette. I got a chance to see him live at the Warner Theater about 8 years ago, before I started doing stand-up. I remember being slightly disappointed because he was reading off of note cards, not realizing that he was using the performance as a tune-up for an upcoming HBO special. The second half of the show was essentially an infomercial for a six CD boxed set of all of his classic albums on the Little David record label (get that). At that show, I got a t-shirt. On the front is a picture of him making a contorted face. On the back it says, "Simon says... Go fuck yourself." It's a shame that his Mark Twain Prize will be posthumous. I would've liked to see him accept that. Thank you, George. You will be missed.

For those of you who've been itching to see me locally, this weekend is the ointment for that itch. I'm featuring at the Baltimore Comedy Factory with Vince Morris. Seven shows for your viewing pleasure this Thursday - Saturday. Click the link for tix and info. Sure, Baltimore was just rated the most armed and dangerous city, but don't let that keep you from checking out the show. Let a smile be your kevlar vest. Did I forget to mention... DRINKS ARE ON ME!! Just print out the coupon below and drink for free, thus making me funnier.


See you in Charm City...