Like a Cast of Thousands

George Carlin need only be heard to be appreciated. You remember him pacing and gesturing as he crouched on the stage, delivering rapid-fire, surgical observations on the follies of humankind. Maybe it's his early days in radio, but the voice is among the most expressive anywhere. He leaps from rage to rant to sotto voce, from lecturing to confiding, as he plays a whole range of the characters who populate his wildly imaginative essays. You could listen to him for hours--and you will. Along the way you'll remember that Carlin was never just a comic. He was an articulate, informed, educated, and always opinionated eyewitness to the human condition. Hilarious and off-color, of course, but he covers an awful lot of ground in this collection, and really makes you think.

77 people found this helpful

wonderful

great from start to finish would highly recommend a must for George Carlin fans a+

6 people found this helpful

For the George Carlin Fan

Some of the readings in this book came right from George's stand-up but that is perfectly fine with me! Full of short stories, thoughtful sentences, and vulgar comments, this audiobook is definitely for the George Carlin Fan.

33 people found this helpful

Hilarious!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes! I and all my friends miss George Carlin big time. He was so funny!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Laughed until I cried.

12 people found this helpful

Concentrated Carlin

This is George reading his books. His books that were largely based on his years of stand up. If you like George Carlin's sense of humor then this is the right book for you. Drop a credit and have some laughs

If however, you are easily offended by words that begin with a harsh F and end with a hard K then this might not be the book for you.

23 people found this helpful

Very Similar to His Stand-Up Material

What made the experience of listening to George Carlin Reads to You the most enjoyable?

George Carlin read this when he was older so his voice is better, I think. In fact, he read it at the perfect time - when he was old enough to develop a certain kind of comedic voice without getting too old like he was during his last HBO special.

What other book might you compare George Carlin Reads to You to and why?

Any of his stand-up material. In fact, too often he repeats the exact same things from his stand-up material. There is new material, but half of the time the new material is one-liners. There's no real transitions besides a piano roll at the end of each chapter, and what's even worse, is that the chapters aren't even very coherent themselves sometimes.

Have you listened to any of George Carlin’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Much of this is exactly the same as his stand-up material. I have seen all his stand-up stuff as well as seen interviews with him, so not much is different than what I already know. There are a few major differences, however, between this and his stand-up comedy. For instance, there is no audience, he doesn't have the exact same passion as he does in his stand-up (although it is close), and as stated before, there are piano rolls at the beginning of each new chapter.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

"Listen to George Carlin's jokes for over seven hours!"

Any additional comments?

If you like his stand-up material, you'll like this. This is a bargain of a price for over seven hours worth of jokes. However, if you've already seen all his stand-up, you probably won't need this. But for this is a must for any die-hard Carlin fan (as myself), and anyone looking for a good quote.

18 people found this helpful

Highly recommend George Carlin's works

His humor has lived on and I'm grateful for the recordings. They lift my spirits and make me laugh at ourselves.

2 people found this helpful

Great listening material

Pretty much it's hisstand up in book form, but it's still Great listening material for sure

2 people found this helpful

Hard Not To Smile While You Listen!

Would you consider the audio edition of George Carlin Reads to You to be better than the print version?

I would simply for the reason that it's akin to getting another 7 hours or so of George Carlin's standup. He doesn't simply read the words on the page but brings life to them and it's easy to feel like you're watching him do a set.

What other book might you compare George Carlin Reads to You to and why?

I can't think of another book that compares to this one.

What does George Carlin bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His pace, tone, and attitude as he reads the books. It's in between a live show and just a standard narration but as a big George Carlin fan it was great to hear him read these books.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I found myself coming back to his book after every wook interruption or short break to rest my ears. It's easy to listen to in chunks because there is no major over-arching storyline but prolonged listeneing just left me smiling like a fool at my desk.

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed this book! Any fan of Carlin's stand up would probably enjoy this audio book!

13 people found this helpful

Tiger Woods is not Black

According to George Carlin, Tiger Woods is not black, skin color has nothing to do with it. I believe Carlin thought he was black. Pipe smokers should just suck d#@k, People who walk around listening to walkmans are arrogant pricks. As I was walking my dog listening to Carlin on my headphones, thinking about smoking my pipe when I got home, I found this a strange way to start out a book. Oh just before that he talked how other comedians where idiots who had hope and always offered advice to fix things and how they are political and he is not. I then listened to seven hours of how he could make the world better and his views on politics. He starts out by pretty much bashing everybody. He thinks people in the midwest are soft and boring, the people in the South are all bigots, etc. The only ones worth a sh@t are the New Yorkers, cause they live everyday knowing they can get mugged.

Ignoring the constant put downs, negativity, and trying to make himself seem different by just saying off the wall things he thinks might piss someone off, I find him to be very, very funny and smart. (Although anybody can bitch, that does not take smarts.) I love almost all his routines on the English language and how Americans use them. Like the routine about getting on an Airplane. He is getting in, not on and all the terms used in flying, like the Terminal, etc. I love how he describes baseball, how he feels about those who want to save the planet, his comments on dogs, prostitution, time, germs, what true sports are, cats, etc.

He puts down yuppies (he who wore a pony tail for how long?), businessmen, people with money, (he was probably a millionaire), whites (he who was lily white), anyone who lives anyplace other then New York ( he moved to California). He calls several people arrogant, yet to be a comedian or a writer don't you have to believe you are so important other people will pay to hear you or buy your books or buy the audible versions of your books that you read. When your busy being arrogant and putting everyone else down it is hard to see your own faults.

I gave this four stars, cause he is entertaining and gives you plenty to think about. You just need to be prepared to have your self put down in some way, it will happen, brush it off and listen to what he really has to say.

62 people found this helpful