Brain Droppings - Hardcover

Carlin, George

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0786863137 ISBN 13: 9780786863136

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing, 1997

Synopsis

Sometimes, a little brain damage can help.

A book of original humor pieces by beloved comic George Carlin. Filled with thoughts, musings, questions, lists, beliefs, curiosities, monologues, assertions, assumptions, and other verbal ordeals, Brain Droppings is infectiously funny. Also included are two timeless monologues, "A Place for Your Stuff" and "Baseball-Football."

Readers will get an inside look into Carlin's mind, and they won't be disappointed by what they find:
 

• I buy stamps by mail. It works OK until I run out of stamps.
• What year did Jesus Christ think it was?
• A tree: first you chop it down, then you chop it up.
• Have you ever noticed the lawyer is always smiling more than the client?
• I put a dollar in one of those change machines. Nothing changed.
• If you ever have chicken at lunch and chicken at dinner, do you ever wonder if the two chickens knew each other?

Carlin demolishes everyday values and yet leaves you laughing out loud. 

About this title

About the Author

George Carlin (1937-2008), a celebrated stand-up comedian, actor, social critic and author, was best known for his irreverent, dark comedy and reflections on American society. Carlin was once dubbed “the dean of counterculture comedians” and has been regarded as one of the most influential stand-up comics of his time. He filmed his first HBO special in 1977 and appeared on The Tonight Show over 130 times. 

From the Back Cover

The thinking person's comic who uses words as weapons, George Carlin shares all-new, cutting-edge opinion and observational humor in Brain Droppings. Filled with thoughts, musings, questions, lists, beliefs, curiosities, monologues, assertions, assumptions, and other verbal ordeals, Brain Droppings is infectiously funny. Carlin unleashes his opinions on "People Who Should Be Phased Out" (guys with creases in their jeans, people who know a lot of prayers by heart) and "Seven Things I'm Tired Of" (geeks with Walkmans, clothing with writing on it, having to read cloud descriptions in a book). He even offers the never-before-revealed "Guide to Dining Out" (order unusual things: a chopped corn sandwich with diced peas and rye potato chips). From nonsense such as "Eventually there will come a time when everyone is in a band" to the ultimately profound "It is impossible to dry one hand", you'll get a look inside Carlin's mind, and you won't be disappointed. Carlin demolishes everyday values and yet leaves you laughing out loud. You'll learn what he thinks of sports fans, how he would improve the TV networks, his suggestions for Legal Murder Once a Month, and his plan for World Peace Through Constant Dancing. Also included are two classic Carlin monologues - "A Place for My Stuff" and "Baseball and Football".

Reviews

Abounding yuks, chuckles, guffaws, rip-snorts--though few side-splitters--in this free-form compendium of Carlin's comedy stylings. A growing number of modern comics, from Bill Cosby to Tim Allen, have enjoyed a profitable sideline in adapting their shtick (with varying degrees of success) to the exigencies of the written word. Now veteran stand-up comic Carlin takes his own shot at authorship. Unlike many niche comics, who focus on a limited range of subjects built around an easily typecast persona, Carlin has a protean talent, and his book is a kind of mini-encyclopedia of humor, ranging from wretched puns (``The lazy composer still has several scores to settle''), to Steven Wrightstyle one-liners (``I put a dollar in one of those change machines. Nothing changed''), to classically structured jokes (``I got a chest x-ray last month, and they found a spot on my lung. Fortunately, it was barbecue sauce''). He also offers a number of longer comic meditations on subjects as diverse as sports and grief, while avoiding such stale stand-up staples as airline food and 7-11s. Carlin has an unusual concern with language, combining a grammarian's precision with a sharp eye for the absurd: ``Favorite oxymorons: nondairy creamer, death benefits, holy war.'' He is less successful when he examines things he deeply cares about, like politics and justice. His anger is too close to the surface, his otherwise latent didacticism too blatant. Many of the jokes, taken straight from Carlin's act, suffer from being reduced to the printed page. With the right timing, the right droll delivery, they would be hilarious, but here, without help, they fall flat. Carlin succeeds admirably, though not without qualification. (Author tour) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Carlin, the thinking man's comedian, is known for his fresh and weirdly funny take on life. This book's title accurately describes what's inside; these bits seem to have come tumbling out of Carlin's brain in random order. Some are laugh-out-loud funny and some are . . . well, just droppings. Among the funnier bits are Carlin's musings on names. He perceptively notes that one day nursing homes will be filled with Tiffanys, Ambers, and Ashleys--a scary thought. Then there's Carlin's ruminations on verbs. People used to take drugs, now they do drugs, although some people do lunch and take meetings. The book is also periodically interrupted with lists of Carlin's signature oxymorons and redundancies: new tradition, uninvited guest, and standard options are among the former, and close proximity and serious crisis among the latter. The book is rather annoyingly designed with bold headings that don't mean much ("F*** Al Jolson," for instance). Bad words, by the way, abound, but if you know Carlin's work, you'd expect that. A few of the bits are outright clunkers, but maybe we should cut Carlin a little slack. As one of his headings notes, "Most people are not particularly good at anything." Ilene Cooper

Edition details

• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
• Publication date: 1997
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0786863137
• ISBN 13: 9780786863136
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 272