Cl*ss Cl*wn

George C*rlin still has plenty of words to teach us

When comedian George Carlin first delivered his infamous monologue “Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television” in 1972 (leading to his arrest on indecency charges), it was met with as much shock and protest from the decent, moral public as it was embraced by the forward-thinking hippies and rebellious youth who either knew the taste of soap very well or would come to know it. But it wasn’t only the seven dirty words that made Carlin the mega-comedian he is today (ranked as the #2 greatest stand-up comedian of all time, according to a Comedy Central poll, just behind Richard Pryor)—controversy is where Carlin has always excelled. Acting as the ceremonial torch of taboo’s fire, this comedy legend, now 70, is able to strike the nerves with hysterical, scathing criticisms and barbs on politics, religion, and God-knows-what-else, in ways the long-haired, earring-wearing, pot-smoking, 35-year-old Carlin only could’ve dreamed (or hallucinated).

Fri., Sept. 28, 8 p.m., 2007