"Scratch at any cynic and you'll find a disappointed idealist." - George Carlin

George Carlin is my favorite comedian of all time. Bill Hicks, Richard Pryor, Patton Oswalt, Sarah Silverman - they all come close, but Carlin remains my favorite. What I love about him is that despite all his anger, all his cynicism and righteously hilarious bile directed at all hypocrites, idiots, bigots and oppressors, he still retained an element of hope. He wasn't all darkness and bitterness - his misanthropy was borne out of frustration with how screwed up the world is. That's what made him awesome. That's what made him one of the greatest comedians ever.

I woke up this morning and checked the news and was truly shocked and saddened to see that he'd died. I remember watching his HBO specials with my Dad. I often put on one of his albums while I'm puttering around the house, and even though I've heard them multiple times I still laugh. The truth is funny; it has to be, or else it hurts. Thanks, George, for making reality bearable. We'll miss you.

Here are a couple of his classic routines.

The difference between Football and Baseball:

The Seven Deadly Words.

(Now, as the Supreme Court told us, this is obscene and can't be said on television or the radio. And this is the Bangor Daily News, which does not print such foul language. But this is also the Internet, and you're a person that's capable of making their own decisions, right? So: don't click on this if you're going to be offended by swear words. I warned you. Let it be known, however, that if you're the type of person that's offended by stuff like this, we will probably never be friends. And you should probably watch it anyway, if only for the fact that it's such an important part of both popular culture and contemporary society.)