Commemorative Collection (2018)

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  • Box Set (8 DVD, 1 Blu-Ray, 1 audio CD)

  • Released June 12, 2018

About

The George Carlin Commemorative Collection is a 10-disc set. It includes all of Carlin’s “HBO Stuff” along with “Extra Bonus Stuff”. More specifically, you’ll find:

  • Discs 1 through 5 (DVD): All 14 of Carlin’s HBO specials. What’s especially notable about this is that it includes George Carlin: 40 Years of Comedy (1997), which had aired on HBO but had never been released on a home video format before. Nope, not even the All My Stuff (2007) DVD box set had this!

  • Discs 6, 7, 8 (DVD) include various unreleased performances:

    • George Carlin’s appearance from CBS Talent Scouts (1963). This is a short performance of his for television. Carlin mostly does some celebrity impersonations.

    • Carlin at The Hollywood Palace (1966-67). Jimmy Durante introduces Carlin.

    • Carlin on The Jackie Gleason Show (January 25, 1969). Jackie Gleason himself introduces Carlin.

    • The Real George Carlin (1973). This was the one and only George Carlin mainstream network special. Carlin does some public live performances near his old New York neighborhood, mixed in with live music performances from Kris Kristofferson, Rita Coolidge, and B.B. King. Carlin’s material includes routines heard on albums like Class Clown (1972) and Occupation: Foole (1973). Given that this was made for network TV, the material is very much “clean”.

    • Apt 2-C (1985), the unaired pilot for the 1985 HBO series that never happened. Finally released!!!

    • Personal Favorites (1996), a compilation that had been released before.

    • George Carlin Appearance from the Comedy Store (1999). This footage was collected from two shows Carlin performed on January 9, 1999 in the Main Room at the Comedy Store in Los Angeles, recorded for personal use. This was about a month before the live performance of You Are All Diseased (1999). Not surprising, the show’s material is very close to what became You Are All Diseased, though fellow Carlin fans may notice some of the different wording here and there in these earlier drafts. Also, there are a couple of routines in here that he had performed on tour (and I heard myself at some of the other live shows I attended) but never wound up on any of his albums or HBO specials, or even his books.

    • George’s Best Stuff (1997), another compilation of clips which had appeared in the Completely Carlin (2003) DVD box set.

    • George on George (2003). This interview was originally released as a bonus DVD in the Completely Carlin (2003) set.

    • George Carlin Appearance from The Comedy & Magic Club (2006). This club in Hermosa Beach, CA was one of the few that Carlin would perform at when not touring. The nights of June 6 and June 13 were advertised as “Workshops”, where Carlin tries out some new material. These were some of his first shows following Life Is Worth Losing (2006).

    • George Carlin: Too Hip for the Room (December 17, 2007). This is an abridged version of the 3-hour interview he did for the Archive of American Television.

  • Disc 9 (audio CD): An audio CD of the 2016 posthumous release album, I Kinda Like It When a Lotta People Die. (2016).

  • Disc 10 (Blu-Ray): The final two HBO specials, Life Is Worth Losing (2006) and It’s Bad for Ya (2008). These are already included on disc 5 in DVD format, but they’re additionally included here on Blu-Ray.

In addition to the discs, the box set includes:

  • 20”x28” poster of the front cover

  • A booklet which includes the following:

    • Descriptions of each of the discs

    • 10 different photos of Carlin

    • An essay by comedian Patton Oswalt. The heart attack routine which starts Carlin at Carnegie (1983) is mistakenly referred to as being from Carlin on Campus (1984).

    • The quotation about the duty of the comedian to “cross [the line] deliberately” is here, but as mentioned here on GeorgeCarlin.net’s bogus quotes list, it’s not clear if this is something he ever said.

    • A second quotation appears near the end of the book, which we do know is authentic because it appears in his book Napalm & Silly Putty (2001): “I think I am, therefore, I am. I think.”