For a great many of my generation the first time that we encountered George Carlin was probably as Rufus in the Bill and Ted Movies. A cool and memorable character without doubt. But if that is where you left your experience of this clown then you have not even scratched the surface of his great talent.

Upon his death in 2008 one Ohio newspaper referred to him as “The dean of counterculture comedians” and when you look at his breadth and body of work, the clowns that have been influenced by him and the fact that one of his routines became lead evidence in a landmark US Supreme court censorship case it’s hard to argue with that moniker.

That routine is probably Carlin’s most famous. It is known as ‘Seven Dirty Words’ and I thought it was worth adding the clip to this review. Enjoy…

The show that I have decided to review is “It’s Bad for Ya”, recorded just 4 months before this great clown’s untimely death. It features a performance that showcases his razor-sharp power and wit. Unlike the beautiful swansong from Bob Monkhouse, this clown doesn’t have that knowing twinkle in his eye. This was not a last stand, this was fire, brimstone and f*ck you like every other performance George Carlin chose to give.

Our clown appears on stage wearing all black apart from a pair of grey kicks. His set has been designed to look like a classic yet comfy home office, there’s the solid wood furniture, the leather chair, books everywhere and even what I think may be an original Apple Mac 2 poking its head out of the chaos. He doesn’t reference his backdrop – I guess it’s a nod to the fact that he has spent 3 years solidly working on the material for this show. But our clown is about the words, not the props.

He begins with a series of incredibly fair f*ck yous for Lance Armstrong, Tiger Woods and Dr Phil. This instantly sets the tone that we are going down – the old man rant route –  long before he declares that he has just turned 70 and is enjoying every second of it. One particular routine explains that he is a actually a specific type of old: he is an old f*ck, ‘which is a bit like being a fat f*ck’… but old.

A real highlight, and my favourite section, of the show is actually where he begins to talk about death and the reactions to it from all manner of well-meaning yet, in his eyes, misguided or naive people. Pointing out the ridiculousness of it all certainly isn’t a new topic for comedy and yet somehow he manages to keep it fresh and put his own delectable spin on it.

At its core this show is all about the bullshit that we are force-fed on a daily basis by areas of society that should be reliable sources of information… parents, religion, government.

I try not to plagiarise full sections of work but I feel like I had to include this passage as it always amazes me how something that was written well over a decade ago can not only still be true but possibly more accurate and relevant regarding the state of US politics and society today.

“Bullshit is the glue that binds us as a nation. Where would we be without our safe, familiar, American bullshit? Land of the free, home of the brave, the American dream, all men are equal, justice is blind, the press is free, your vote counts, business is honest, the good guys win, the police are on your side, God is watching you, your standard of living will never decline… and everything is going to be just fine.”

This is a fantastic set that actually made me laugh out loud on a number of occasions and I can’t recommend checking it out highly enough – particularly to those who only remember him as the ‘dude’ shoving Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter in a phone box!

I truly wish that we’d had the chance to find out what observations an 80-year-old George Carlin would have made about life today.

Be excellent to each other.

Clown Stars: * * * * *

@Wells Fargo Centre: Santa Rosa, California