Partial Bullshit

This blog is in the memory of George Carlin and all that he meant to me.  Carlin was a master of the English Language.  Carlin could take words like Parkway and Driveway and ask questions like "Why do we drive in the parkway and park in the driveway?"  We laughed  out loud at first because of the silliness involved. Later we laugh to ourselves because of the genius of his wit and wisdom, and how damn smart he was. I was 11 when I learned who Carlin was.  I might have heard his "Seven Dirty Words you can't say on Television" when I was nine eavesdropping in my brothers room while he was playing the record.   I learned who George Carlin was when I saw him host the very first Saturday Night Live 10/11/75.  When he did his routine for Baseball and Football in the opening monologue I was forever no good.

That year back in 1975, I am in NYC visiting my mom as my parents split that year prior.  Mom had rented a place near 52 Ave and Broadway. If you have visited Times Square in the last 20 years you may not know what I am talking about, but where my mom lived was a god forsaken hell hole.  If you had the pleasure of visiting the summer of '75 you would remember the stench from the garbage strike that occurred as NYC laid off 3000 garbage workers.  You have never witnessed a garbage strike until you have seen, smelled, and stepped in one like in the Big Apple.  Not only was the garbage bad, but anywhere near Times Square you were rolling into serious drug use, prostitution, and theft to pay for it all.  I remember seeing some things on 42 street which I had no business seeing.  Whores taking care of Johns right in the alley, people shooting up heroine right out in the open, and XXX on every movie house one could see.

Now, these memories are still as fresh for me, but I will never forget visiting my mom during Yom Kipper holiday that October when I was in 5th grade.  I got to watch the Today show on Friday morning with Jane Pauley and Gene Shalit.  That Friday they were interviewing the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players", consisting of John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, Gilda Radner, Jane Curtain,Garrett Morris, and Laraine Newman.  Saturday Night Live was going to debut that weekend.  I had no idea who any of them were at the time, but have rarely missed an episode of SNL in 35 years.  Watching Carlin open that first show, I never missed much of his material either.  I always caught him on his yearly HBO specials, and watched him live once or twice.  The master started it all on SNL, the prime time players kept it going for 5 years.  Chevy Chase left for crappy movies, Bill Murray took over his spot, but the rest of the cast stayed the same, and I was right in the midst, not too far from 30 Rock.  Thanks George, I miss you everyday!