Last Words

too few last words

I love everything about George Carlin.
A true loss.
The book is a bit disappointing.
Not too much new information, some small
tidbits about his past.
Especially how he got his start in showbiz.
Still, a MUST read for all CARLIN fans
to get one last WORD, from the Master.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

*STILL* MAKING US LAUGH AND THINK

George Carlin is as honest and uncompromising in his final book as he was in his comedy, and he comes across as intelligent, whimsical, perceptive, and self-aware -- even if that last attribute took a while to reach him. This book was a revelation in many ways, and made me even sorrier that I had never had the chance to have a conversation with this extremely fascinating human being.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Carlins' brother sounds much like George himself, very entertaining

According to Carlin his journey to stardom began in New York of the 1940s and '50s, however, his professional start was on AM radio in Fort Worth, TX. Included are the origins of some of his most famous stand up routines including the notorious "Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television." George Carlin's life told with the same unblinking honesty that defined his comedy from the high points on stage to the low points few knew about. Read by his brother, Patrick, it almost sounds as if George is reading the tale of his life to you. Anyone over thirty should enjoy this since Carlin politically activism comedy you most likely remember.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

just as I remember him!

I am old enough to have seen him and heard his early work, and have therefore been a lifelong fan. When I saw the video clips during his Kennedy Center award on PBS, I laughed until my sides hurt. This book is very enjoyable but, as always with Carlin, there's intelligent & thought-provoking material to ponder.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

A splendid rememberance of an American Classic

George Carlin changed comedy. It is not a stretch to say that he changed the national dialogue on 'acceptable' language. Carlin was a master of the twisted insight, the sudden epiphany and the mind-wrenching realization. He will be missed. This book does an excellent job of filling in the background on Carlin and his struggles with plastic fame, family difficulties and drugs. It also lays out his evolution as a comic and a thinker. If you're a Carlin fan, this book belongs in your library. If you're not a Carlin fan, read this book and you'll be a convert.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

This can't be his 'Last Words'

Being a fan of someone who's views of life are not the most popular is tough enough. And the book does help to make the reader understand how he became what he was (still is, in my opinion). But it doesn't seem to be finished. There's a whole lot more to his story. It's not entirely complete. The time line seems to be a little off, and certain passages seem to have been written by someone other than George. It could've been wittier and more condenscending, agitating, provacative and all around rude as heck. But I guess for those who only just became of fan of George, this is what they might have expected. All in all, it's still a good read. I can't help but wonder if there might be a second book. Call it George Carlin: Last Words (no I mean it this time).

1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Very Good Book for Fans

I bought this book along with 2 other best-sellers. Of the 3, this was the only one I truly enjoyed. Not only was the writing excellent but the subject matter was intriguing. As a conservative, some of the liberal leanings were a little hard to digest but I understand...

As a life-long Carlin fan, I appreciated the glimpse behind the curtain. While I knew some of his history, the majority of the book was fresh information to me. In the same vein as Losing My Religion: How I Lost My Faith Reporting on Religion in America-and Found Unexpected Peace, I found it to be brutally honest (but then again, would it have been so honest in its details if George had been alive to approve the final edit? - just wondering)

I can highly recommend this book to my friends. Readers of Last Words might also enjoy Brother Sam: The Short, Spectacular Life of Sam Kinison and Pryor Convictions.

I hope you find this opinion helpful.

Michael L. Gooch
Author of Wingtips with Spurs

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Not bad

Ok

Too wordy

He is funnier on stage

Ok

It was ok. I was expecting more about his life more details.

A Wonderful Autobiography!

I cannot fully express how wonderful this autobiigraphy was to read. George Carlin never held back in his act nor does he here. Speaking intimately of drug use, family crises, the harshness of touring, and encounters with famous people... George Carlin pulls you into his life as he led it. He also spends a great deal of time toward the end of the book discussing political ideas. In fact, so much time is spent on political filler, it makes one wonder if this is where George left us and the ghostwriter took over. Besides that minor complaint, the rest of the book if fabulous! Reading Carlin's playfully humorous memories of a childhood in NYC brings a new aura to the man. Despite his comedic brilliance, those memories make Carlin seem just like many of us...a person that never really grew up...and that's a wonderful thing.

Boring...

What a boring book.

I would not have thought that a George Carlin biography could have been as banal as this, but this is without a doubt one of the most uninteresting autobiographies I've ever read. Parts of it are okay, but most of it is written in a style that is as exciting as reading a shopping list. I've enjoyed George Carlin as a comedian, even though in recent years I found him to be too angry and judgmental. I thought at least the book would provide insight as to where the anger came from, as Carlin's earlier work was far more inclusive, but it wasn't there.

If you miss Carlin, listen to the records or watch the videos-steer clear of this book.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Last Words were a few too many

While the part about his early life is interesting, way too much time was spent on that and not enough on what made the George Carlin we all know tick.
There aren't too many bigger Carlin fans than me, and once again I feel, as I usually do about celebrities, the less we know about their personal lives the better. A little mystery is not a bad thing.
If you are a fan of George Carlin, I'd leave this one alone.

What an interesting book!

I bought this book because I just knew that George Carlin would absolutely tell it like it was -- and he did (for better or for worse-- and there was a whole lot of worse thrown in). Amazingly, he seemed to have kept meticulous records throughout his life (even through his drug years) and kept his career very organized, which was surprising to me. He was always seeking a new "game plan" for his career and, for the most part, his game plans allowed him to continue to make a good living in the entertainment industry. Whether you loved his work or hated his work, George Carlin was a force to be reckoned with. I found his book to be intriguing and enthralling and I wish he had lived long enough to write a sequel.

Unique in Every Way

Carlin was a unique and gifted man. This may not have been the best of his books but it gives the reader an interesting insight into his life. The book is interlaced with stories about him and his family as well as his humor. If you are a Carlin fan, you need to read this book.

Great book

I was a huge fan of George Carlin and one more glimpse into his life was well worth this read. If you are into the wit of George Carlin one-liners I would also highly recommend the book "Did You Ever Wonder..." by Brendan Lynch as it contains many of George Carlin's famous jokes and sayings.

Interesting insight into the mind of old George

Some insight into the mind of the man but...what happened? The book has some order at the start but quickly falls into the ramblings of a slightly mad man.

Finally I Know My Favorite Comedian

Thank you Tony Hendra for keeping George alive with a fresh look at his material and what went in to creating it! Carlin's life was always on the edge and this book shows how many times he nearly bought the farm and never "evolved" from someone who could give you gut wrenching laughs to being able to keep the audience entranced for several minutes listening intently to something you always knew but never thought of.

For someone who was almost aborted at birth and really had no father to know, it is amazing that George mastered the ability to make people laugh taking what he learned from Lenny Bruce to unexplored heights. We learn why George did so much controlled variety style tv (like forcing Elvis to go away from rock to a white rhinestone suit in Vegas). Some of George's best stuff was between drug and alchohol stupors. The myriad of heart attacks he had and the experimental procedures that he just happened to get almost each time to bring him back.

For any fan of George, this book is the most have one to own!

Stuff

What else can you say ...it's George Carlin.

0 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

The Life of a Comic Genius

Leads to a better understanding of what made Carlin tick.
Skip the foreword, written by the self-important editor, which detracts from the book.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.