Thank you Tony Hendra for keeping George alive with a fresh look at his material and what went in to creating it!  Carlin's life was always on the edge and this book shows how many times he nearly bought the farm and never "evolved" from someone who could give you gut wrenching laughs to being able to keep the audience entranced for several minutes listening intently to something you always knew but never thought of.

For someone who was almost aborted at birth and really had no father to know, it is amazing that George mastered the ability to make people laugh taking what he learned from Lenny Bruce to unexplored heights.  We learn why George did so much controlled variety style tv (like forcing Elvis to go away from rock to a white rhinestone suit in Vegas).  Some of George's best stuff was between drug and alchohol stupors.  The myriad of heart attacks he had and the experimental procedures that he just happened to get almost each time to bring him back.

For any fan of George, this book is the most have one to own!