George Carlin, R.I.P.

I really like this Carlin quote from an interview he did with the Miami Herald in late 2006, quoted in his obituary in the Herald.

Unlike many comedians who "turn it off" when they're not on stage, Carlin's humor wasn't an an act. In an interview with The Miami Herald in late 2006, Carlin ripped through rapid-fire rants that weren't rehearsed, but sounded so.

On his tendency to skewer human behavior, Carlin explained:

"I like people one at a time -- I don't like the f------ grouping. It's when they group that bothers me -- the clotting. People-clotting is what causes the trouble. As soon as it's about eight or 12 guys, they start having a fight song or a f------ slogan, or they give themselves a name and buy baseball hats, or they get jackets with their name on it and they wear little arm bands, and pretty soon they got a list of people they don't like, and pretty soon they're marching over in the park -- and it's a f------ danger. Groups are a danger.

"They sacrifice their individual beauty for the sake of the group. And the loss of the individual is tragic."

Here's the link to the full obituary: http://www.miamiherald.com/511/story/580353.html.