The Rhetorical Genius of George Carlin

Work in progress

Abstract

Over a five decade career of testing and pushing boundaries through comedy, George Carlin earned his place as one of the most important stand-up comics of all time. No comedian was better at maintaining broad, popular appeal through intentionally crossing and invalidating arbitrary lines of decorum. Carlin was also meticulous, passionate rhetorician with a radical, aggitational agenda—to use comedy as a means by which to expose the paradigmatic bullshit of late capitalism and radically detox Americans out of the powerful sedative of mindless consumerism.

American Bullsh!t provides the first extended scholarly treatment of Carlin and his work, a treatment long overdue and particularly relevant to both academic and popular audiences. By examining Carlin’s stand-up comedy through a transdisciplinary, humor studies-oriented approach anchored in rhetorical theory and performance studies, American Bullsh!t contends that Carlin’s canon is a clear, cathartic testament to the value of treating stand-up comedy not just as rhetoric, but as a rhetoric of agitation to ignite cultural change.

Chapter Outline

1. Introduction: Shoot, Shit, and Bullshit
“Shoot” (FM/AM; 1972) > “Class Clown” (Class Clown; 1972) > “American Bullshit” (You’re All Diseased; 1999) 

The introduction provides background on Carlin—biography and his position within the historical spectrum of stand-up comedy. It establishes his ethos as comedian, writer, and rhetorician. This background highlights key moves Carlin made with regard to the establishment of his comedic persona, and draws attention to his rhetorical stance as “rebel” comedian. This chapter makes the case for Carlin’s persona as “appropriately indecorous,” the idea that he challenged audiences and convention in a way that was culturally inappropriate but contextually appropriate, paving the way for his popularity and success despite his countercultural imperatives. The rhetorical concept of decorum serves as the overarching principle for this discussion of Carlin. The introduction also details the book’s methodological approach (addressing the value of the five canons of rhetoric in relation to Carlin), and provides brief summaries of the main chapters.

2. “Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television”: Carlin, Commonplace, and Invention 
“Seven Words” (Class Clown; 1972) > “Filthy Words” (Occupation: Foole; 1973)

This chapter engages the conversation in an effort to apply and reconsider contemporary understandings of invention with regard to Carlin’s most infamous bit. The comedian saw himself as writer first, performer second, and this approach to comedy (while not unique to stand-up) speaks to Carlin’s understanding of his role as rhetor, his approach to invention, and his audience awareness. 

3. “Baseball and Football”: Arrangement and Comedic Distortion
“Baseball-Football” (An Evening with Wally Londo; 1975) > “Baseball and Football” (Carlin on Campus; 1984)

In an interview with Richard Zoglin, George Carlin observed, “distortion is one of the most important things in comedy. You look at an ordinary event, an ordinary tableau, and you say, what element can I distort in this? And suddenly you have at least the potential for a joke.” This chapter considers one of Carlin’s most famous bits, “Baseball and Football,” in terms of distortion and rhetorical arrangement (taxis). “Baseball and Football” appeared on two albums nearly ten years apart. An early version was included on Carlin’s seventh album, An Evening with Wally Londo Featuring Bill Slaszo (1975). It appeared again, in a more refined, longer form, on the comedian’s tenth album, Carlin on Campus (1984). By exploring this bit’s history and evolution, this chapter serves as a case study of Carlin’s rhetoric, suggesting Carlin’s sense of comedic distortion drives the development of his joke’s statement (prothesis) and proof (pistis). Furthermore, this chapter contends Carlin’s sense of distortion drives his distinctive arrangement and serves as the foundation of his theory of a joke.

4. “Rape Can Be Funny”: A Most Indecorous Rhetorical Style
“Rape Can Be Funny” (Parental Advisory; 1990)

Arguably, what separated Carlin from his peers was his rhetorical style—a mixture of careful attention to, even obsession with language, distortion, and decorum. This chapter digs into Carlin’s courting of controversy by focusing on some of his most controversial bits—“Rape Can Be Funny.” Featured on his 1990 album Parental Advisory: Explicit Lyrics, “Rape” is a representative bit from Carlin’s 1990s era. The chapter traces the evolution of Carlin’s rhetorical style from his early work with comedy partner Jack Burns, to the late 1990s when Carlin was, arguably, in his prime as a writer and performer—and when his comedy was most provocative.

5. “Uncle Dave”: Memory and Carlin’s Treasure House of Eloquence
“I Kinda Like It When a Lotta People Die” > “Uncle Dave” (I Kinda Like It; 2001) > “Coast-to-Coast Emergency” (Life is Worth Losing; 2006)

In the fall of 2016, George Carlin’s estate released a posthumous collection of recordings under the title I Kinda Like it When a Lotta People Die. The alarming phrase was the original title for Carlin’s eleventh HBO special, which was slated to air in November of 2001. The title, along with some of the special’s essential material, was shelved in the wake of 9/11. The centerpiece of Carlin’s special was “Uncle Dave,” a shocking tour de force that pushed far beyond established lines of  taste— challenging his audience’s understanding of terms like disaster, catastrophe, and apocalypse. This chapter from my monograph on Carlin, explores three versions of Carlin’s “Uncle Dave” material with a twin purpose: to explicate Carlin’s comedic ethos—to locate and name the source of Carlin’s comedic/rhetorical power—and to better understand the function of (rhetorical) memory in stand-up performance. Carlin’s ethos was fundamentally anti-authoritarian and his chosen method of ideological critique was comedy. When three performances of his most exemplary material are lined up and examined, we get a rare glimpse into Carlin’s workshop; we also see how his most salient, anti-authoritarian statements emerge as a result of performance and audience reaction/interaction.

6. “A Modern Man”: Performance, Poetry, and Delivery
“A Modern Man” (Life is Worth Losing; 2006)

7. Conclusion: Agitation, Catharsis, and a Problematic Legacy

Legal scholar Christine Corcos dubbed Carlin a “legal scholar” in her 2008 piece, “George Carlin, Constitutional Law Scholar,” primarily because of Carlin’s influence on legal definitions of indecency (FCC v. Pacifica). Corcos’s argument is compelling, especially since Carlin himself joked about being a “footnote in legal history.” But what lasting impact has Carlin had on American consumers of comedy? More pointedly, how has his legacy morphed over time? How has his comedy been used by others? In this concluding chapter, I survey the years since Carlin’s death in 2008, paying specific attention to how his material has circulated and been remixed in digital spaces. While a number of comedians took their cue and inspiration from Carlin, engaging what Rebecca Krefting termed “charged humor,” a sea of comedy consumers have sliced up his bits, recirculated quotes and clips, and wholly repurposed Carlin’s incisive commentary as the very bullshit he so passionately railed against. Worse still, during the Covid 19 pandemic and the years following the Trump presidency, his words have been used to support ideologies antithetical to the comedian’s most firmly held positions.