Louis CK on George Carlin and brushback pitches
CK: "A lot of comedians would get every last clap...[Carlin's] trying to make them shut up so that he can do the bravest, boldest opening joke ever."
Just published 15 lessons in comedy creativity from George Carlin over at my Rubesletter.
It’s chock full of good stuff from famous comics talking about Carlin. More to come next week too.
Below is a bonus one that didn’t make the cut. It’s from Louis CK’s tribute to Carlin after his death.
Open with a brushback pitch
Louis CK:
George walks straight off of the street onto the stage. A crowd of 3200 people is going apeshit. A LOT of comedians would take that in, stand there looking proud and get every last clap and holler on tape before saying "Thank you. Thanks. Alright. How we doin? This is great!" But George is SO eager to get his first thought out, he's trying to make them shut up so that he can do the bravest, boldest opening joke ever. "Why is it the people who are against abortion are people you wouldn't want to fuck in the first place."
Whoa. What a brushback pitch. Amazing. Any comedian with a joke like that would bury it inside of an act full of goodwill so that they wouldn't lose the audience. George is DYING to tell it to a primo special taping audience. He OPENS with it.
This was a great man. An honest man. I loved him. His courage inspires me forever. It was from him that I learned to just say what is on my mind on stage and to stop worrying about who might not like it. As long as it's true and it comes from a real place, you have to say it and not mince words. I got that from him.
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