Gotham Comedy Club
208 West 23rd St. between Seventh & Eighth Aves.
Wednesday, July 17, $35 (plus two-drink minimum) or $75 (with preferred seating and open bar during show), 7:30
212-367-9000
www.gothamcomedyclub.com
www.georgecarlinway.com
No stranger to controversy during his remarkable career, comedian George Carlin is still shaking things up in death. The creator of hippy-dippy weatherman Al Sleet and the “Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television” (Sh*t, P*ss, F*ck, C*nt, C*cksucker, Motherf*cker, and T*ts) died in 2008 at the age of seventy-one, but his fans and colleagues continue to fight the power in his memory as they attempt to get a portion of West 121st St., between Amsterdam Ave. and Morningside Park (around the corner from where George Denis Patrick Carlin was born and raised), named George Carlin Way in his honor. As the petition itself reads, “George Carlin, brilliant and prolific comedian, lived and went to school on this street. He loved this street and crafted many of his most famous routines around it. We the legions of fans, admirers, and fans of George Carlin believe that a street should be named in honor of the greatest comedian of all time in his hometown, the greatest comedy city of all time!” There’s one final legislative hill to climb, so on July 17, Gotham Comedy Club is hosting Reverence for the Irreverent, when a group of comics will show their debt of gratitude to Carlin and raise necessary funds as they try to influence the city council to get enough votes to rename the street. Among the participants are Eddie Brill, Rory Albanese, Nick Dipaolo, Todd Barry, Dave Attell, Lizz Winstead, and Kevin Bartini, who has spearheaded the three-year initiative, with more comedians to come. The evening will be hosted by Judah Friedlander. “New York has energy, and all I can say is this: If you can’t handle it, stay the fuck out,” Carlin once wrote about the city, comparing it to California, where he moved for professional reasons. “Living in New York is a character-builder; you must know who you are, what you’re doing, where you’re going, and how to get there. No bullshit tolerated! New York people are tough and resilient. All the rest of you are varying degrees of soft.” There was never anything soft about George Carlin, one of the most provocative, socially conscious, and funniest comedians of the last fifty years.