Napalm & Silly Putty (Hardcover)

by George Carlin (Author) "You wanna go for a ride?..." (more)
Key Phrases: safety lecture, Social Security, United States, Cracker Jack (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Standup comic George Carlin follows up his dark-horse smash bestseller Brain Droppings with another compendium of cranky meditations, cinching his reputation as the Andy Rooney of boomer hepcats. "Road rage, air rage," Carlin rails. "Why should I be forced to divide my rage into separate categories? To me, it's just one big, all-around, everyday rage. I don't have time for fine distinctions." Carlin is not into the lengthy essay--he's a sprinter of the mind. Most sentences in the book could be lifted out to stand alone and provoke deep thought: "How can it be a spy satellite if they announce on television that it's a spy satellite?" Good question. "Why do they bother saying 'Raw sewage'? Do some people cook that stuff?" Yuck, but yes, Carlin's got a point.

He can do an extended bit too, most memorably the transcript of Jesus on a talk show plugging his new tell-all memoir about the Trinity, Three's a Crowd. Carlin is funny, but genuinely angry and poignant at times: "You live 80 years and at best you get about six minutes of pure magic," he says. Sad, but about right.

And how did Carlin get into his line of business, "thinking up goofy s---," as he puts it? There's a clue in one entry in this book: "As of 1995 the number of people who had lived on earth was 105,472,380,169 ... it means that at this point there have been almost 1 quadrillion human bowel movements and most of them occurred before people had anything to read. These are the kind of thoughts that kept me from moving quickly up the corporate ladder."

Thank god Carlin stayed low on the corporate food chain and high on his own utterly idiosyncratic ideas! --Tim Appelo

From Publishers Weekly
Politically incorrect comic and Grammy winner Carlin has shown no signs of burnout during a four-decade career arc as solo stand-up, TV writer and sitcom actor (That Girl; The George Carlin Show), with 18 hit recordings and 10 solo HBO specials, plus film roles (Dogma; The Prince of Tides). Living in L.A. and Vegas, he continues to take his act to stages across the country. Four years ago, Carlin's huge fan following kept his Brain Droppings on the New York Times bestseller list for 40 weeks, so it's no surprise he's back for another round of acrid and oblique observations on modern mores. He covers a wide range of issues from rape and religion to the homeless: "There's no war on homelessness... it's because there's no money in it." And any topic is fair game: abortion, airport security, cars, funerals, language, organ donors, sports, technology, TV and war. On the latter, he says, "Men, insecure about the size of their penises, choose to kill one another." Over 100 scintillating short pieces are interrupted by loony lists and hundreds of clever one-liners. The fragmented format and colloquial style of writing suggest that much of this laugh-out-loud book is drawn directly from Carlin's stage act. Several satires here ("A day in the life of Henry VIII," a nine-page interview with Jesus, an avant-garde play program) indicate a different direction Carlin might consider for future books. (May 1)Forecast: HighBridge's abridged audiocassette and CD might lead some to peruse the book, which splashes in the wake of a massive Carlin retrospective ("From Class Clown to Social Critic") two months ago at the Museum of Television & Radio (N.Y./L.A.). With a 10-city author tour and national publicity, sales could equal those of Brain Droppings (700,000 copies).

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion; 1 edition (April 24, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786864133
• ISBN-13: 978-0786864133
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (143 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #630,762 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic Carlin....at his BEST!, May 28, 2002

By	Joel L. Gandelman (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Napalm & Silly Putty (Paperback)

During George Carlin's four decades long comedy career he has been hailed as a comedic genius who has constantly pushed the envelope...and he is at his outrageous BEST in Napalm & Silly Putty.

If you are a Carlin fan, you will LOVE this 269-page book, take it with you and re-read it often. If you don't know who he is and want to find out what all fuss is about after reading
books on comedy, this will give you a good idea of who he is. You don't get his hilarious facial expressions here, or his act-enhancing body language, but you'll clearly see why he
has been hailed as the true successor to Lenny Bruce....except for the fact that Carlin is more often than not hilarious. If you're upset by x-rated language, this book isn't for you.

Napalm & Silly Putty is actually divided into three sections throughout. His various routines on various subjects such as driving, cats, dogs and Jesus, his Short Takes, and his
bits on the news. One of my favorites routines is his bit on the fear of germs, where he notes that "in prisons before they give you a lethal injection they swab your arm with alcohol...And you can see their point: wouldn't want some guy to go to hell AND be
sick..."

Then there are many riffs on the news. and his Short Takes. Short Takes are in the form of hilarious one liners, short jokes and blunt-but-true observations ("Joan Rivers has turned
into one of the people she used to make fun of.")

This book is GREAT for a)anyone who loves to laugh, b)fans and collectors of comedy books, c)Carlin's fans, d)anyone interested in comedy writing or comedy. I always highlight comedy and joke books, then re-read the ones I like -- and when I re-read
Napalm & Silly Putty I laugh out loud, all over again. Carlin is a treasure...and so is this book.

24 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars If you know what you're getting, you'll love it, May 10, 2001

By	"tomthedog" (San Bruno, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Those people who are offended by the humor in this book: do you even know who the hell George Carlin is? Why on earth would you buy his book, and then complain about angry, profanity-laced, pro-drug, anti-religion humor? It's like buying a gallon of milk when you know you're lactose intolerant. That's who George Carlin is! Why are you surprised?

For those sane people who expect George Carlin humor when buying a George Carlin book, you will find an awful lot to laugh about in Napalm & Silly Putty. Sure, he's got a few old routines in here (not nearly as many as others have suggested), but if, like me, you haven't heard them in 20 years, you'll find them funny all over again. The sections on sports and death are particularly hilarious, and the Short Takes have many gems ("The reason I talk to myself is that I'm the only one whose answers I accept;" "When Ronald Reagan got Alzheimer's Disease, how could they tell?").

It may not be as good as Brain Droppings, but this is still a very funny book by one of the most creative comic minds of the past century. Read it and laugh.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars PERFORMING LIVE, OR IN WRITING, CARLIN'S THE BEST!, July 12, 2001

By	Michael Crane (Orland Park, IL USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

George Carlin is without a doubt one of the best comedians of all time. If you enjoy hearing his comic mayhem on CDs or seeing him live, you'll fall in love with "Napalm & Silly Putty".

Filled with humor, both new and old, this book has just about everything from airplane announcements to expressions that make no sense; from life to death; from organ doners and random thoughts; and a whole lot more! Also, this book contains short takes just like from "Brain Droppings". This book will have you laughing out loud and begging for more.

This book will offend people who dispise others for thinking on their own and voicing their openions, hypochondriacs, and people with no sense of humor. As for the rest of you, buy this book!! It's a must have for any Carlin fan.