George Carlin’s When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops is an exceptionally humorous book for the open-minded person. It consists of a compilation of some of Carlin’s better known comedy routines and some new material. Covering topics from religion and politics to how people speak the American language, Carlin’s radical views become apparent in his amusing satire. Carlin’s droll, extremely funny writing makes very evident his annoyance at one topic most discussed in this book: the increased amount of euphemisms that are employed in the English language. Carlin is unafraid to make known his controversial opinions on religion, politics, and everyday life, criticizing everyone equally. The title and front cover design are two examples of this; the jacket design is a picture of the Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci, but with a twist: the addition of Carlin holding a fork and knife impatiently awaiting the arrival of “Pork Chops.” Despite this bitterness, Carlin presents a funny, witty classic; a must-read for the freethinking reader. ( )

I read this in 2008 after Carlin passed away. While reading, I remembered a television show, Thomas the Tank Engine, from my childhood, in which Carlin starred. When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops is Carlin's humorous and satirical take on religion, politics, and life in general. ( )

Parts of this book are incredibly funny, other parts seem to cross the line into just angry...but I can't help but think if I could just hear and see him reading it then it would all be funny...that it is just missing his timing and emphasis and those expressions. RIP George Carlin.

This is another hilarious book by George Carlin. This one centers around language and the way people use it. Being the very literal person that I am, I found this so so funny! I highly recommend this to anyone who is a fan of Carlin's. Warning: If you find him offensive, you will also find this book offensive! ( )

I dilly dallied on writing this review and then Carlin up and dies on me and now I feel as if I can't write about his last-published collection without in some way dealing with his legacy. So let me get that aspect of this out of the way: Carlin was one of the greatest stand-up comedians of all time. He was a superb stylist, combining the almost clockwork timing of an old-school traditionalist with the pointed social observations of a counter-culture maverick. He become more bitter and angry in his latter years and subsequently his work suffered. His later albums don't wear nearly as well as his early works, which is a shame since it gives newbies a false perception of his abilities while making purists overlook some of the great work he did accomplish in the last couple decades of his life.

The three books he published between the late 1990s and 2005 are indicative of his later era. They consist of almost equal parts new material and transcripts of his established comedy routines. The new material is generally in the form of lists, scattered thoughts and off-the-cuff observations, all of it material that Carlin noted down during his long career but couldn't use in his acts since they come off better on paper. Much of the material, old and new, is brilliant and very funny. Much of it is bland and too familiar to be of interest to anyone other than a neophyte. Much like his routines at the time.

"When Will Jesus..." is the last collection he published. The quota of original material is smaller this time around, and it feels as if much of the book is simple transcripts of acts that fans would already know. They make good reading (Carlin's later era routines were more spoken essays than a traditional stand-up act) but they're still just retreads. The original material here is still the highlight, showing off his obsessions with the English language and its various contortions (he continues his breakdown of euphemisms to their true meanings, a hobby he first displayed in "Brain Droppings"). It's a funny enough collection, but the work of a faded talent. And that's coming from a devoted fan.

(This review originally appeared on zombieunderground.net) ( )