George Carlin: Jammin' in New York

If George Carlin has been known to use outrage and combine it with a razor-sharp wit to express his comedy, and if in his previous outing: DOING IT AGAIN, he was his usual manic, curmudgeonly self, JAMMIN' IN NEW YORK finds him just this shy of pure rage.

It comes to no surprise to anyone who has seen Carlin on stage that he isn't one to shy away from telling it like it is for better or for worse. He begins his routine by immediately going political: about the Persian Gulf War, he says, "It's first war we've had that was on every news channel, plus cable. We like war because we're a war-like people (...) We're good at it. And it's a good thing we are, we're not very good at anything else anymore!" With this he begins his attack on how we as a nation can bomb other countries, especially "brown people" (except Germans, and only because they were trying to 'cut in on our action.'). He talks about being his own person, someone who thinks for himself, and about how war is about "prick-waving" and nothing else. And seeing it today as yesterday it makes sense: all he's pointing the finger at is on the general situation and where we're headed, and no one is better than he in making war as a concept a sexual thing and an issue of manhood.

But he soon gets the political stuff out of the way, and goes into dissertations on embarrassing situations -- the trivial things we go through -- which are flat-out funny. No one better than Carlin to talk about how when there are times when you're coming up the stairs and think there is one extra step, or when you've woken up and not known which day it was. And of course, his forte: language, and our misuse or over use of it for things that don't need such technicality. Who better than he to talk about the minutiae of airplane instructions? Carlin, with his wonderful language and powerful wit, makes it happen. Often, it's funny, sometimes, a little cringe-inducing, but give me someone who does not like his humor and his incursions into the darker side of humanity and I will give you a liar. What is comedy, than a reflection of people's foibles and human tragedy?

Carlin comes back to New York in this 1992 comedy special and I actually liked it. This time, anger comes into him like never before and it fuels his comedy as he rants about the Persian Gulf War/Penises, Universal moments we share, The planet and environment, flying on the airplanes and the best part, Golf Courses for the homeless. Terrific entertainment with a added incentive: comes to Madison Square Garden to perform and makes the crowd rolling. Excellent, for Carlin fans. Best line: "What about those passengers traveling with large children? Suppose you have a 2 year old with a pertuitary disorder, you know a 6ft infant with an oversized head?" A++

A successful comedian has good determinations, but I think he exaggerates some topics.

This is my favorite george carlin special thus far. This feels cohesive in a way none of his other specials gave felt. I wonder if his idea of converting golf courses into affordable housing for the homeless can be done for real. If not then i can't see why.

When George Carlin is asked which HBO concert is his favorite, his answer is always, "Jammin' In New York." The reasons are several: It was his first HBO show done live; it was the first he had done in his hometown, New York City; and it was the largest audience he had ever worked before: 6,500. But Carlin says it also represented a newfound sophistication in his writing. "It was the first time I had done truly extended pieces consisting of separate sections all flowing together. It was a big leap for me."

This guy spends an hour complaining about everything in his sarcastic tone. Just like Andy Rooney on 60 minutes, nothing is good enough for this nasty little dwarf. Complain, complain, complain.

Thirty plus years later, the stuff he complains about is dated and pathetic. It is hard to believe that this guy was ever popular, taking his whining from town to town and making HBO specials.

Just amazing to see what utter crud passed as entertainment back in 1992. Kudos to the nasty little guy for passing off his miserable life as comedy, and for making millions of dollars off of people who paid for it.