Carlin did see his work as art as well as entertainment. As much as some things he said made me squirm, I too will miss what he brought to the table. I disagree with John, though, on his criticism of Carlin as being too in love with his own wordplay (if I got it right). I think that was where he was the most brilliant and memorable, from his relatively recent "Alpha Male" essay/poem way back to his poem about hair: "I'm aware / Some despair / of my hair...." Brilliant! And still funny, 35 or so years later. As a preacher, I had to admire the care he took in crafting his use of the English language.

I also liked his most recent HBO special, "It's Bad For Ya". There was a line in it, unrepeatable really, that hit me at just the right time, when I was deeply hurting over something in my work, and it made me laugh harder than I had in years. There was redemption and healing in that. I also agree with what he said about how kids get too many awards, trophies and ribbons at things like spelling bees and karate tournaments just for showing up, whether they win or lose. I agree that it's bad for kids not to be allowed to know what it's like to truly lose, and that it builds character to lose and to have to find a way to deal with it.

All that said, what made me a bit sad was his love for religion-bashing. Not that it wasn't funny or true. It was usually funny, sometimes painfully so, and it was often true. What makes me sad is how lazy it is. I've said this before in previous comments, that Carlin was one of the more skilled practitioners of it, but it's still lazy. It's taking a cheap shot at too easy a target, a target that usually doesn't shoot back, at least not in a way that's equally funny. It also had a part in making religion-bashing fashionable in comedy; a way to get a quick, cheap laugh like using the F-bomb used to be.