craftyanty's review against another edition
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
mamalemma's review against another edition
5.0
This is the best "sortabiography" I have ever read (and the only!) Tony Hendra has done an excellent job compiling George Carlin's own words to tell the tale of a brilliant satirist and his struggle for identity. Deeply personal and honest, this book presents Carlin as the complex creature he was. As I read the book, I realized his struggles for identity felt like those with which all of us struggle. Ironically, he spends much of the book talking about how different he is from the rest of us, how he wanted to belong, but didn't (either belong or want to, on some level.) He might be surprised at how similar we really are.
Some biographies, particularly of those people whom one admires, are a let down. The person you thought you loved was someone quite different. For example, one might not guess from Carlin's performances what a loner he actually was. However, this book left me feeling closer to one of my heroes. While I don't know that we would have ever been friends had we ever met, my appreciation for him and his art has only deepened. It is definitely a "sortabiography" worth reading.
Some biographies, particularly of those people whom one admires, are a let down. The person you thought you loved was someone quite different. For example, one might not guess from Carlin's performances what a loner he actually was. However, this book left me feeling closer to one of my heroes. While I don't know that we would have ever been friends had we ever met, my appreciation for him and his art has only deepened. It is definitely a "sortabiography" worth reading.
mschlat's review against another edition
4.0
I picked this up after watching the HBO documentary series George Carlin's American Dream, and I felt like the autobiography did a better job of explaining and exploring the nuances of Carlin's life, mostly because it's in his own words. When he screws up, he tells you, and that honesty illuminates many of his career transitions. (I loved his use of the term "micro-world material" to describe his less than stellar late seventies and early eighties routines, and he excellently acknowledges how he had gone astray and why.)
You can tell that the older Carlin is the primary voice in the book, and the nihilistic character he either espoused or put on as a show is very present. That made reading the end of the book somewhat tougher, and the last few sections in particular moved into the realm of preaching instead of comedy. I would also add that I think the documentary does a better job of showing Carlin's relationships with his first wife, his daughter, and his second wife. But, if you want to get a strong sense of how Carlin's upbringing informed his comedy and how he viewed his various transformations, I think the book is invaluable.
You can tell that the older Carlin is the primary voice in the book, and the nihilistic character he either espoused or put on as a show is very present. That made reading the end of the book somewhat tougher, and the last few sections in particular moved into the realm of preaching instead of comedy. I would also add that I think the documentary does a better job of showing Carlin's relationships with his first wife, his daughter, and his second wife. But, if you want to get a strong sense of how Carlin's upbringing informed his comedy and how he viewed his various transformations, I think the book is invaluable.
chadstep's review against another edition
3.0
An engaging look at a 40+ year career of a unique American voice in comedy. Struggles within himself, his family, and in his career, Carlin was paints himself as dedicated to his craft above all else.
k8iedid's review against another edition
4.0
This book is a DELIGHT. I know Carlin's biggest hits, but I can't say I've listened to any of his comedy albums. I loved learning about his back story, and how his comedy changed over the years. I loved his frank self reflection and ownership of his mistakes.
And since I did the audiobook version: I loved that they casted a narrator with a Carlin-like voice.
And since I did the audiobook version: I loved that they casted a narrator with a Carlin-like voice.
asherwatsonlaw's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
alright__fine's review against another edition
4.0
Besides how poorly the word "cocksucker" has aged as an insult, Carlin's voice is just as relevant in 2019 as it ever was, if not more so. If he were alive, a Trump presidency would have either killed him or coalesced his corporeal body into an elemental blast of laser-focused rage, and it's a shame we didn't get to hear what he had to say. If you're interested in reading this, definitely find the audiobook, which is voiced by his older brother Patrick, a phlegmy but impressive vocal doppelganger. Once it really settles in, he becomes George, which is a trippy thing for a posthumous memoir.
punkrockingnerd's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
spoonerreads's review against another edition
4.0
Very funny man, good story. Was shocked about his intense drug use, glad he was honest about it.
I wish I would have been able to see his comedy live.
I wish I would have been able to see his comedy live.