[.ca] Napalm and Silly Putty (ISBN 0786864133)

From Amazon.com:
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

The ultimate non-PC contrarian continues to rock!:
This one is one of the best George Carlin books in my judgement, alongside his "Braindroppings." Carlin, a favorite of the college lecture circuit, is one of my favorite comedians for his calculated non-PC attack on all our sacred cows and taboos. We need sharp-tongued devil's advocates like Carlin to periodically shake us off of our complacency and slumber. Don't read this book if you are offended by the F-word, because he is famous for using it liberally. But the pay-off for enduring his profanity is considerable. For me, he is just another Richard Pryor. There are no half-way measures with Carlin. You either like him or hate him. I happen to be one of those who like his mega-watt jolts and sharp takes on social reality, such as: >> "Golf courses for the homeless..." >> "Your children are overrated..." >> "Sports should be fixed..." >> "Interview with Jesus..." Carlin takes no prisoners. I highly recommend these 260 pages of fierce, bleeding-edge social satire and humor. Proof positive that there is true freedom of expression (thank God!) in this country. In any other country they probably would have locked him up a long time ago!

Side Spliiting Laughs:
It has been a really long time since I have laughed so hard. George Carlin has to be one of the funniest comics ever. The book doesn't deal with any one subject in particular. He covers everything from, airport security, dogs & cats, germs, driving and so much more. There's nothing fancy in this book, it's just superb adult humor. He tells it like it is. I don't think anyone or anything is safe from the mockings of Carlin. If you haven't read or heard any of his material, I highly recommend it. It's a surefire cure for those days when you're down in the dumps.

No-Holds-Barred Humor From A Comic Master:
First of all, I want to say that when I first came across this book, I had very little idea of who George Carlin was. My brother bought it, and I happened to pick it up one day and read "A Day In The Life Of Henry VIII," and was absolutely floored. After finishing the book, I was floored again. Here is a pithy, cynical man who has no regard to political correctness, one who constantly questions everything in today's society. I love it!!! Although the book does bounce haphazardly from topic to topic, most of Carlin's observations are dead on. Like Airline Announcements, Sanctity Of Life, The Royal Family, and Don't Blame The Leaders. Pure genious. Now I can understand why old Carlin fans would be disappointed, but as a newbie the material was completely fresh to me. But this book isn't for everybody, as the reviews indicate. Don't buy this book if you are into political correctness, take life too seriously, or are detached from reality. Problem is, when reading this book people tend to forget that it is intended as humor. Well if you don't think its funny because the topic is "how America is one big bullsh*t story", you either need to move on with your life or get an enema. Because if George tells us that the founding fathers were full of sh*t because they said "All men are created equal" (except Indians, Blacks, and Women), it's not being said because it's shocking. Or for humor's sake. It's being said because it's true. Like it or not, people, it's just a book. Don't take it so seriously. Recommended rants: all on Sports, Children, Seven Death Wishes, Euphemisms, Capital Punishment

George Carlin - Napalm and Silly Putty - 3 / 5:
George Carlin is one of the best known comics in the world, and parts of this book are very funny. However, there are two things that may deter you from buying this. First of all, for those not familiar with Carlin, he is extremely vulgar. I'm one who does not mind, and feels that it can and does often add to the humour. However, I also feel Carlin takes it a little too far. Sometimes he seems to swear just because he can, and it adds nothing to what he's trying to say. Second, if you are a long time fan of Carlin, you'll be familiar with many of these rants, as many are taken from his stand up shows. Thus, a good portion of the book may seem old, and not worth it. Don't get me wrong, there are some very funny parts, but there are also some parts that makes you wish it would just stop. Borrow this book from a friend, but spare yourself 10 bucks and don't bother buying it.

Even better then Brain Droppings:
Brain Droppings was a great book, but this one is even better and a bit funnier. I don't know why this book is given 3.5 stars overall, if you don't know who George Carlin is or don't like him why would you buy his book anyway. If you've seen Carlin's stand up then you should like the book.