Cheers: By George, Saturday Night Live's Got It
George Carlin courtesy NBC
Cheers to
Saturday Night Live for paying tribute to George Carlin by reairing the show's debut episode, which the comic hosted in 1975. Watching it again reminded me how the
SNL host's job has evolved: Carlin blessedly didn't have to dress up in silly costumes for sketches. He simply did four expert stand-up routines. It also made me realize how brave Lorne Michaels was to put Carlin on the air as his opening act - after he'd been arrested for his "Seven Dirty Words You Can't Say on TV." And it gave me a renewed appreciation for Carlin's fearless versatility, joking about topics from the sublime ("Everything God has ever made died... he's batting .000!") to the ridiculous (the timeless football/baseball bit). He may not have believed in an afterlife, but Carlin's comedy will live long after his death.
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