George

  My parents and I took a trip to Anniston, Alabama for a wedding, after I graduated high school.  I found a store selling records, and I bought a George Carlin comedy record called "Take-Offs and Put-Ons".  It was very funny.  I had seen him on TV and really liked his humor.  My mother liked the record, too.  Although, I can't say the same for my father.  His sense of humor wasn't as off the wall as my mother and me.  During my days in college and on, I bought every Carlin album.  Yes, some of the language was pretty dirty, but most of it was still funny.

 When I moved to Ft. Worth, there were a lot of acts and theatre that came to that city.  One of them was George Carlin.  I was very excited, because I always wanted to see him in person.  I bought a ticket close to the stage.  He opened his act with some classic bits from his albums.  About 35 minutes into his performance, he excused himself and went offstage.  A few minutes later, a man came out and made an announcement that George couldn't continue.  Some said it was heart-related, while others thought it was drug-related.  I was bummed out, and they wouldn't give our money back.  I don't know the real reason he stopped performing, but it probably was a combination of both heart and drugs.  He was doing a lot of cocaine back then.

 About 30 years later, it was announced that he would be doing a show in Columbia.  By then, he had done several HBO specials along with more records.  It was 2007 at the Township Auditorium.  He had aged a lot, but he was clean of any drugs or alcohol.  Some of his act was very funny, but some was not.  He was having problems standing, so he had a stool for most of the show.  He died about nine months after that show of a heart attack.  He had really bad heart problems.  I have seen a lot of comedians perform.  George was the best.  He had a lot of demons throughout his life, as many of us do.  He overcame them, even though they took a toll on his body.  He was a survivor.