Brain Droppings
by George Carlin
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Grammy Award Winner! In Brain Droppings, Carlin brings to audio his singular brand of comedic satire that has made him a favorite of stage, screen and cable audiences. Witty word play, spirited commentary, sarcasm, monologues and in-your-face insights about everyday values appear randomlyliterally droppings from his fast and fresh intelligence. Carlin's challenging humor cuts through the superficial and smug assumptions behind our institutions - politics, race and social issues - exposing show more all as amusing fabrications. And unlike other comics who believe we've somehow misplaced the American dream, Carlin presents it as a great but incredibly funny myth. Brain Droppings was adapted for audio by Carlin himself and comes with the inimitable Carlin timing and delivery making it clever, laugh-out-loud humor. With its erudite appeal, Brain Droppings is perfect for listeners looking for a quick shot of brainy merriment as well as long-time Carlin fans seeking a bigger dose of his entertaining take on life. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
Way back in the early '90s I invited friends over to my place to watch a new Carlin special on cable. I think it was Jammin' in New York (1992). I was taken back when a nonbinary couple told me that they would not attend due to Carlin being homophobic. I was abashed and ever since have been critical of my appreciation of his talent, maybe overly so. This book had me laugh out loud multiple times. I read it cover to cover like a book, but full of short quips it's probably best for short reads in the smallest room of your house... So, at least twice to make something funny, like a hat, he calls it "fruity". Do really denigrate someone, they are a "c*cksucker". OK, I get it. "Unconscious bias" maybe? Stepping back, he often feels like show more Archie Bunker but with more wit and imagination. Also, he feels like Abbie Hoffman without the overt political theatre. He definitely attacks racisms, white Christians, and the establishment in general. Indeed, the whole attitude is very "punk" (as I would have seen it back then), which I learned is really often a bitter subculture with an aesthetic and not an effective counter culture.
I'm happy to tell you there is very little in this world that I believe in. Listening to the comedians who comment on political, social, and cultural issues, I notice most of their material reflects an underlying belief that somehow things were better once and that with just a little effort we could set them right again. They're looking for solutions, and rooting for particular results, and I think that necessarily limits the tone and substance of what they say. They're talented and funny people, but they're nothing more than cheerleaders attached to a specific, wished-for outcome.show less
I don't feel so confined. I frankly don't give a fuck how it all turns out in this country-or anywhere else, for that matter. I think the human game was up a long time ago (when the high priests and traders took over), and now we're just playing out the string. And that is, of course, precisely what I find so amusing: the slow circling of the drain by a once promising species, and the sappy, ever-more-desperate belief in this country that there is actually some sort of "American Dream," which has merely been misplaced.
I hated this book. HATED it.
I thought I liked George Carlin; I enjoyed his comedy routines, and I thought I liked his sense of humor, and his take on the world. But this book revealed him to be such a misanthropic a-hole that I almost couldn't finish the book. It tainted every memory I had of enjoying his other work.
I was literally glad he was dead by the end of it.
Maybe he was kidding and I missed the joke, but I'm not so sure.
I thought I liked George Carlin; I enjoyed his comedy routines, and I thought I liked his sense of humor, and his take on the world. But this book revealed him to be such a misanthropic a-hole that I almost couldn't finish the book. It tainted every memory I had of enjoying his other work.
I was literally glad he was dead by the end of it.
Maybe he was kidding and I missed the joke, but I'm not so sure.
Best for: Fans of Carlin’s clever and confrontational style of comedy.
In a nutshell: Comedian Carlin shares jokes, observations, and wordplay.
Worth quoting: “You could hear a pin drop. Well, you can’t hear a pin drop. Not even a bowling pin. When a pin is dropping, it’s just floating through the air. There’s very little noise. You might be able to hear a pin land but certainly not drop.”
“I hear ya.” “Wonderful. And are you picking me up visually as well?”
Why I chose it: I’m trying to read before bed (instead of staring at my phone) but didn’t want anything too heavy. Thought I’d revisit what I used to describe as one of my favorite humor books.
Review:
Some of you may know Carlin as the first host of Saturday show more Night Live. Others may know him from his famous ‘Seven Words You Can’t Say on TV” sketch. My guess is most of you know him as Rufus, the amazing supporting character from the Bill and Ted films, who will be sorely missed when Bill and Ted Face the Music is released this summer. I think of him as the author of this book, because I’ve read it (part or in full) probably a dozen times.
This isn’t a comedic memoir, or even a collection of humorous stories or essays. There are some slightly longer bits (say, 2-3 pages), but mostly it is a paragraph joke, or a one-liner, or even a collection of two-word phrases that Carlin thinks is interesting. Some of it makes me laugh out loud; some of it makes me think. A lot of it revolves around wordplay and the discussion of what certain words and phrases actually mean, if one really thinks about it.
There are definitely parts of this book that make me cringe. Carlin has a strong aversion to the idea of ‘political correctness,’ and claims to not be on any ‘side’ politically. This is evident, for example, in his justification for use of the word r*tard. However, he has a strong sense of justice, and recognized how poorly people of color (though he would hate using that term) and women are treated in society. I think he’s who people like Ricky Gervais think they are (edgy, cool, astutely observant) but they couldn’t hold a candle to him. They’re not in the same world as him.
Keep it / Pass to a Friend / Donate it / Toss it:
Keep it. show less
In a nutshell: Comedian Carlin shares jokes, observations, and wordplay.
Worth quoting: “You could hear a pin drop. Well, you can’t hear a pin drop. Not even a bowling pin. When a pin is dropping, it’s just floating through the air. There’s very little noise. You might be able to hear a pin land but certainly not drop.”
“I hear ya.” “Wonderful. And are you picking me up visually as well?”
Why I chose it: I’m trying to read before bed (instead of staring at my phone) but didn’t want anything too heavy. Thought I’d revisit what I used to describe as one of my favorite humor books.
Review:
Some of you may know Carlin as the first host of Saturday show more Night Live. Others may know him from his famous ‘Seven Words You Can’t Say on TV” sketch. My guess is most of you know him as Rufus, the amazing supporting character from the Bill and Ted films, who will be sorely missed when Bill and Ted Face the Music is released this summer. I think of him as the author of this book, because I’ve read it (part or in full) probably a dozen times.
This isn’t a comedic memoir, or even a collection of humorous stories or essays. There are some slightly longer bits (say, 2-3 pages), but mostly it is a paragraph joke, or a one-liner, or even a collection of two-word phrases that Carlin thinks is interesting. Some of it makes me laugh out loud; some of it makes me think. A lot of it revolves around wordplay and the discussion of what certain words and phrases actually mean, if one really thinks about it.
There are definitely parts of this book that make me cringe. Carlin has a strong aversion to the idea of ‘political correctness,’ and claims to not be on any ‘side’ politically. This is evident, for example, in his justification for use of the word r*tard. However, he has a strong sense of justice, and recognized how poorly people of color (though he would hate using that term) and women are treated in society. I think he’s who people like Ricky Gervais think they are (edgy, cool, astutely observant) but they couldn’t hold a candle to him. They’re not in the same world as him.
Keep it / Pass to a Friend / Donate it / Toss it:
Keep it. show less
Carlin is the king of the curmudgeons. His wry observations about the world are liberally laced with invective and a general sense of how pissed off it all makes him. This is amusing in small doses, but taken as a whole it might serve to make a reader as curmudgeonly as he is.
Ever since I first “discovered” him, I’ve been a big fan of George Carlin. I quite simply appreciate and thoroughly enjoy his brand of humour. This book, first published 23 years ago, has as much relevance today as it did then. And it is brilliant comedy.
I’m not a fan of most humor books. I can read humorous essays, and enjoy them, and I can read autobiographies and memoirs by comedians, but I really wasn’t a fan of this style of humor book. A lot of it is Carlin’s transcribed stand-up, and most of the humor is lost in the transition. It’s still funny, but without the inflictions and way that Carlin speaks, it’s lost and feels like a big laundry list of rants (ymmv on Carlin’s stand-up and humor). I really can’t recommend it, unless if you’re a big George Carlin fan.
Loved George (until he sort of just turned bitter), and I'll miss him dearly. His comedy didn't translate as well on the page, but if you want to read his work in print, I think "Braindroppings" is the place to start.
Honestly, just go buy "Class Clown" and "Occupation Foole" CDs and you'll have more laughs than this book could ever offer...
Honestly, just go buy "Class Clown" and "Occupation Foole" CDs and you'll have more laughs than this book could ever offer...
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75+ Works 7,591 Members
Comedian George Carlin was born on May 12, 1937 in Bronx, New York. He began his career at age 19 at the KJOE radio station in Louisiana. After making numerous appearances on TV, Carlin moved to radio and produced two albums, Take-Offs and Put-Ons, and FM & AM, which won a Grammy Award and was the first of four albums in a row to go gold. One of show more his best known routines was Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television. After performing this routine in Milwaukee in 1972, he was arrested for disturbing the peace and it also led to an indecency case after WBAI-FM radio aired it in 1973. Carlin also wrote three books and appeared on television and in movies. Besides his four Grammy Awards for best spoken comedy album, he was nominated for five Emmys. In 2002, Carlin was awarded the Freedom of Speech Award by the First Amendment Center in cooperation with the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Colorado, and he was the named 11th recipient of The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in June of 2008. George Carlin passed away at age 71 on June 22, 2008 in Santa Monica, California. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Awards and Honors
Distinctions
Work Relationships
Is contained in
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 1997
- People/Characters
- George Carlin
- Dedication
- This book is dedicated to my Big brother Patrick, who was kind enough to teach me attitude.
- First words
- Here is something I can do without: People ahead of me on the supermarket line who are paying for an inexpensive item by credit card or personal check.
Preface: For a long time, my stand-up material has drawn from three sources. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)I thought I'd die.
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)I guess the article I really need is "How to Extend Your Magazine Subscriptions Posthumously."
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- ISBNs
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