George Carlin was a comedian who was never afraid to push boundaries. He was a natural storyteller who could swear like a sailor and make people laugh at jokes that no other comedian could possibly deliver at the time he was doing it. Still, even he knew that there can also be a wrong time and place for outrageous humor to push the envelope. In the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Carlin cut some jokes that he had planned for his twelfth HBO special, and we'll finally have to chance to hear those jokes for the first time. A recording of Carlin's 2001 comedy routine will soon be available for purchase and download.
The new comedy album of sorts comes eight years after George Carlin's death, so it's an unexpected treat for fans who have been missing his brand of humor in recent years. The unreleased material was recorded over two nights: September 9 and September 10, 2001. The album will be called I Kinda Like It When a Lotta People Die, and the name is really enough of a clue as to why Carlin would have wanted to rework his act after 9/11. Some of the jokes were not cut entirely; rather, Carlin tweaked them and included them in his Complaints and Grievances HBO special/album. I Kinda Like It When a Lotta People Die will be the first time that the entire act will be released without the post-9/11 changes, and it will be available on CD, vinyl, and digital.
Ten tracks are slated to be included on the album, one of which will actually be a home recording of a young George Carlin in 1957 already demonstrating his distinctive willingness to say just about anything as long as it was funny. Additionally, the album will feature an interview with both Jerry Hamza and Rocco Urbisci. Hamza was Carlin's manager for many years, and Urbisci directed ten of Carlin's twelve HBO specials, so their insights into Carlin's life and career should definitely be worth a listen. Take a listen to a preview of Carlin's jokes:
George Carlin may not have mentioned any terrorist attacks that would have really made a post-9/11 release distasteful, but I still imagine that people might have found it hard to laugh about Carlin praying for a lot of people to die shortly after the national tragedy. But even though that event is still heartbreaking 15 years later, we could all use some Carlin-inspired laughter these days. I Kinda Like It When a Lotta People Die will be available on September 19, 2016. Any of the three formats can be pre-ordered on Amazon right now. Check out our fall TV premiere schedule to see what you'll be able to watch on the small screen once you've managed to memorize all of the new material from the dearly departed George Carlin.
