George Carlin's Last Words: A Memoir was released recently. I haven't bought it yet, but knew that it was well worth mentioning here. I remember seeing Carlin back around 1997 when he was mentioning his first book, Brain Droppings. That night he said, "It's not an autobiography...that shit comes later."
Here's some info on the book from GeorgeCarlin.com:
For more than ten years prior to his death in June 2008, George Carlin had been working on his autobiography with Tony Hendra, one of the original editors of National Lampoon magazine and author of the bestselling memoir Father Joe. When Carlin died, Hendra approached Carlin’s family about releasing the book. Based on hours of taped interviews, drafts, and polished chapters from their sessions, LAST WORDS is George Carlin’s life story as it has never been told before.
LAST WORDS is pure, unadulterated Carlin—full of the wit, charm, and mischievous insight that made him one of the most iconic and admired comedians of the past 50 years. The book is an irreverently funny, yet deeply honest, story about George’s life, from birth to his childhood in Manhattan to life on the stage. It is told as only Carlin could. Carlin has published three New York Times bestselling books, including When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?, Brain Droppings, and Napalm and Silly Putty. LAST WORDS is a fitting addition to his long list of accomplishments.
Carlin is candid about both his career and his personal life throughout the book, addressing his 20-year tax battle with the IRS; a decades-long struggle with cocaine, marijuana, and alcohol; and his run-ins with the law. Carlin also writes intimately about his family life, stemming from his nonexistent relationship with his father, and the inevitable complications that led to with his mother. His 36-year marriage to first-wife, Brenda, is discussed with honesty and vulnerability, and his relationship with their daughter, Kelly, is threaded throughout the book, giving readers a glimpse into what George was like at home as both husband and father.
LAST WORDS also delves into Carlin’s work as a stand-up comedian, and his acting aspirations, in which he offers a frank account of his talent: “I was devastatingly inept! There were no Oscars in sight.” In the end, the book is a celebration about a boy from Harlem who knew how to make people laugh and forever changed the face of comedy in America and the world.
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