Customer Reviews

George Carlin - Life Is Worth Losing

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

This is the logical progression of Carlin's humor as the hippy dippy weatherman ages: he's gittin' cranky as he sees things becoming worse instead of better. We ain't evolving, we're becoming desensitized to all manner of atrocitae, and George is here to stick our noses in it.

Dark yes, funny yes, not perfect yes. But give the man props for having the balls to call it as he sees it, decade after decade.

{Edit-7/12/08: And now that he's gone, my guess is this show will be seen in the light it deserves: a truly intelligent and trenchant social commentator telling the truth about modern America...whether we like it or not.

Looking at some of the negative reviews here, I have to laugh at their complaints about how dark this is and proclaiming that GC's lighter side is where it's at. So an artist can't ever stray from what works for him and move into new avenues of perception? He can't simply tell the truth as he sees it, even if it's not always funny?

I think George more than earned the right to give us a dead-on rant like this. He made us laugh for over forty years. So at the end of his life he ain't allowed to call it precisely as he sees it...and as it truly is? Damn right he's got the right. He earned it. Plus, there is endless truth here. Too bad for those who can only handle jokey jokes. And hell, there are plenty of laughs, but they're aimed at those who dig Monty Python or Bill Hicks more than Andrew Dice Clay or Joan Rivers.

For those who appreciate a rare shaft of truthlight cutting through the cloud cover of 21st century bs, it doesn't get much more direct and correct than this.

Rest in peace, George. You did your job as well as any comedian who ever lived. Maybe better.}

Seriously, this incredibly precious slice-of-life-and-art from the never late but always magnificent George Carlin is an absolute thrill of a lifetime. One undoubtedly understands such a characterization as hyperbole and beyond. But - this performance of Life Is Worth Losing - sends the brilliantly paradoxical message (for the laughter that comes with near hysteria and an occasional gasp for breath...out of pure joy) because it says to someone like me (and others for sure) that life is worth living - if only to capture this courageous, groundbreaking genius-of-an-artist at work for all of us. And for anyone out there, who might shy away - for Carlin's trademarked, so to speak, political incorrectness - please consider that you have 3 choices, in my humble opinion: don't buy it which you will sadly come to regret when you are in dire need of a good laugh; or buy it with a glimmer of hope that you may find life more living via hilarity and the absolute remedy for these dire times, or seek help for perhaps not grasping how truly wonderful life is...George made that possible for most of my adult life in the bleakest of times. I am certain he can still do so (from Heaven, no doubt)...for anyone. Simply put, this is a 5-star keeper - for life!

Carlin has lost it. That's right; he's lost all inhibition and is willing to give his always topical subject manner both barrels. Is it funny, yes, but darkly so.

If you didn't think this show was funny it's probably because Carlin was talking about you.

This was one of George's last great wake up calls to a lazy and stupid American public that allows the crooked , powerful and few to loot our national treasure, abuse the poor, and kill our children. This isnt the hippy dippy weatherman of his earlier days nor is it the very funny things we all have in common of Brian Regan or Jerry Seinfeld...this is a LION IN WINTER!!! George loves this country and says so..he loves the freedoms we USED to have as well. George points out how this beautiful land has been turned into a coast to coast shopping mall and he hits couch potatoes hard (hence some of the negative reviews)...
If you want Goofy George..look elsewhere...if you want to be challenged to get off your butt...enjoy!

MAYBE BECAUSE SOME THINGS ARE NOT LAUGHING MATTERS ,ANYMORE,SOME PEOPLE DO NOT LIKE THIS SHOW.HE TENDS NOT TO BE AS GOOFY AS USUAL BUT A MORE SERIOUS COMEDIAN. A MUCH MORE PERCEPTIVE COMICAL PERFORMANCE HAS HE GIVEN US.TO ME HIS BEST EVER . DON'T GET ME WRONG , HE'S STILL FUNNY ,VERY FUNNY, BUT WITH A MUCH SHARPER BITE . HE'S PISSED OFF AND LET'S US KNOW ABOUT IT . HE SEEMS TO BE 'THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE';OF PEOPLE THAT UNDERSTAND WHAT IS GOING ON IN THIS COUNTRY & ARE JUST AS P/Off AS HE IS!IF THEY EVER CENSURE SUCH SHOWS ,OUR CIVIL LIBERTIES WOULD DROP TO THAT OF A FACIST STATE. I THANK GOD FOR GEORGE CARLIN , MAY HE LIVE FOREVER .A MUST SEE FOR EVERYONE.

Only George Carlin could be so dark and negative and get away with it. A one of a kind set. This comic had always pushed the limits and this time he raises the bar to infinity!

This would be one of George Carlin's most cynical shows ever (next to "You Are All Diseased"). But that doesn't mean that it isn't good. The first time I saw this show was online, and I'll admit, it kinda depressed me at first. It was really funny, but it was also really dark material. But the reason why it put me down slightly was because he was right on a lot of what he was talking about. I decided to buy it and after the second time I saw it, I found it to be even funnier. His opening skit, "Modern Man" is truly one of the best openers I've ever seen from a comedian. "Suicide Guy" was really eye opening in a sense that it dealt with suicide in a realistic, but hysterical way. "Natural Disasters" had me in stitches because I'm sure that many people have felt the same way as he discussed (whether you admit it or not). But I would not recommended this show to new Carlin fans, I would start off with "Back In Town" or "Complaints and Grievances" to warm you up for this one. This show truly captivates George Carlin at his best. I see this show as half comedy show, and half social commentary, and I bought it for both.

Out of all the Carlin specials I've recently seen with the "All My Stuff" boxset, I can safely say "Life is Worth Losing" is a centerpiece of George Carlin's catalog despite not being at the forefront of his performances. Prior to purchasing "All My Stuff," I had previously purchased the mp3 album of this show, and really, despite knowing/hearing all the material beforehand and considering it was pretty far from being my favorite outing by the comedian, the video recording of this show really caught me off guard in an unexpected way.

At the beginning of the show, Carlin announces his 341 days of sobriety, and that fact that 2006 will be his 50th year in show business. This shows in his appearance (his face is much, much fuller) and he doesn't really bounce around the stage as much as before. The man looks tired, and the four years between this show and 2001's Complaints and Grievances where obviously not kind to him. You just can't decipher this kind of stuff (as much) in the audio recording, and it adds to the darker nature of this material. Again, George has always been dark, but this is really dark, and as such isn't the Carlin album I listen to for a good, solid Chuckle. This is the Carlin album I listen to when I want to read between the lines and sense the pain that is present within the artist. In the end, this is a show that he had to do, to recuperate and move forward with his normal brand of comedy, which he did with 2008's "It's Bad For You."

Appropriately titled, "Life is Worth Losing" is an undeniably poignant performance of Carlin's, it's just far from being the most accessible. It's the last show I'd recommend to fans to watch, it won't become a staple for the right reasons but it should be seen regardless. It is kind of a downer that "All My stuff" concludes with such a somber performance, but it really is an important piece in the puzzle of a man we all knew, but probably never really knew.

Loaded with ideas and insights into the human condition. But this time with a twist of darkness. During this his 13th HBO special George definately makes it known just what an angry person he is. Like Lenny Bruce, George hates the world and everyone in it. He pokes fun at everything from people who commit suicide to how much he enjoys watching natural disasters kill hundreds of thousands of people...and always wishes thing get even worse for them.I dearly loved George and wil definately miss him. He was getting old here and this may have been his last concert. He had gained weight in this performance and he slips up several times. I once heard him say he comes up with all this stuff while taking vicodine and drinking wine and that he was wired during almost every one of his performances. He had kicked the habit here and it shows. Forever a George Carlin Fan!

Why do I like it -because Carlin tells it like it is-gives it to us straight-I like because he speaks the truth as sad as it is-but it is very funny -in a sick sort of way-He will be missed!!!