Carlin comes back to New York in this 1992 comedy special and I actually liked it. This time, anger comes into him like never before and it fuels his comedy as he rants about the Persian Gulf War/Penises, Universal moments we share, The planet and environment, flying on the airplanes and the best part, Golf Courses for the homeless. Terrific entertainment with a added incentive: comes to Madison Square Garden to perform and makes the crowd rolling. Excellent, for Carlin fans. Best line: "What about those passengers traveling with large children? Suppose you have a 2 year old with a pertuitary disorder, you know a 6ft infant with an oversized head?" A++
10 Reviews
Sound and the Fury
nycritic25 November 2005
If George Carlin has been known to use outrage and combine it with a razor-sharp wit to express his comedy, and if in his previous outing: DOING IT AGAIN, he was his usual manic, curmudgeonly self, JAMMIN' IN NEW YORK finds him just this shy of pure rage.
It comes to no surprise to anyone who has seen Carlin on stage that he isn't one to shy away from telling it like it is for better or for worse. He begins his routine by immediately going political: about the Persian Gulf War, he says, "It's first war we've had that was on every news channel, plus cable. We like war because we're a war-like people (...) We're good at it. And it's a good thing we are, we're not very good at anything else anymore!" With this he begins his attack on how we as a nation can bomb other countries, especially "brown people" (except Germans, and only because they were trying to 'cut in on our action.'). He talks about being his own person, someone who thinks for himself, and about how war is about "prick-waving" and nothing else. And seeing it today as yesterday it makes sense: all he's pointing the finger at is on the general situation and where we're headed, and no one is better than he in making war as a concept a sexual thing and an issue of manhood.
But he soon gets the political stuff out of the way, and goes into dissertations on embarrassing situations -- the trivial things we go through -- which are flat-out funny. No one better than Carlin to talk about how when there are times when you're coming up the stairs and think there is one extra step, or when you've woken up and not known which day it was. And of course, his forte: language, and our misuse or over use of it for things that don't need such technicality. Who better than he to talk about the minutiae of airplane instructions? Carlin, with his wonderful language and powerful wit, makes it happen. Often, it's funny, sometimes, a little cringe-inducing, but give me someone who does not like his humor and his incursions into the darker side of humanity and I will give you a liar. What is comedy, than a reflection of people's foibles and human tragedy?
It comes to no surprise to anyone who has seen Carlin on stage that he isn't one to shy away from telling it like it is for better or for worse. He begins his routine by immediately going political: about the Persian Gulf War, he says, "It's first war we've had that was on every news channel, plus cable. We like war because we're a war-like people (...) We're good at it. And it's a good thing we are, we're not very good at anything else anymore!" With this he begins his attack on how we as a nation can bomb other countries, especially "brown people" (except Germans, and only because they were trying to 'cut in on our action.'). He talks about being his own person, someone who thinks for himself, and about how war is about "prick-waving" and nothing else. And seeing it today as yesterday it makes sense: all he's pointing the finger at is on the general situation and where we're headed, and no one is better than he in making war as a concept a sexual thing and an issue of manhood.
But he soon gets the political stuff out of the way, and goes into dissertations on embarrassing situations -- the trivial things we go through -- which are flat-out funny. No one better than Carlin to talk about how when there are times when you're coming up the stairs and think there is one extra step, or when you've woken up and not known which day it was. And of course, his forte: language, and our misuse or over use of it for things that don't need such technicality. Who better than he to talk about the minutiae of airplane instructions? Carlin, with his wonderful language and powerful wit, makes it happen. Often, it's funny, sometimes, a little cringe-inducing, but give me someone who does not like his humor and his incursions into the darker side of humanity and I will give you a liar. What is comedy, than a reflection of people's foibles and human tragedy?
Aging like Wine.
Son_of_Mansfield30 March 2005
Warning: Spoilers
George Carlin has only become more angry and bitter, making his comedy all the more funny. It also makes his comments on humanity, such as the state of the earth, all the more insightful and cutting. You can hear a pin drop during some of this show, people are not sure if it is safe to laugh. The best comedians can do this. The heavy war and earth stuff is counterweighted with lighter fare such as the stupidity of airline safety speeches. The golf course jokes are somewhere in between. Take this and Robin Williams joke about drunk Scotts creating golf to truly revel in the inanity of the most frustratingly boring sport ever imagined. George Carlin isn't for everyone, the old structure loving will be unpleased, but he is an intelligent man who is one of the most consistently amusing and relevant comics in the mainstream.
he kicks ass
departed0710 August 2003
George Carlin has been talking about the way Americans act, talk, what should be taken out, and why are we sensitive. In Jammin in New York, he goes all out in a way I had never seen him. I had seen his special on HBO in January of 2002, which I got to say made me laugh more than anybody on the planet. Some of the lines like: somebody got f*ck in the ass! BLTPT! BLTPT! made me laugh my ass off. I only wish Sam Kinison were alive to see it
From the specials i have seen George Carlin in, Jammin in New York is the best one
From the specials i have seen George Carlin in, Jammin in New York is the best one
Music to my ears
take2docs5 December 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Truth be told, I don't watch George Carlin in order that I might succumb to a few chortles, but because I've always admired this man's incisive and forthright social commentary, which was usually spot-on. This guy knew how to tell it like it is. It is what made this particular stand-up comedian so unique. GC was not just about making his audience laugh. Any personified whoopee cushion atop a stage can do that. Carlin has been dubbed the thinking man's comic, and rightly so.
I was curious to see how much of Carlin's material in JAMMIN' IN NEW YORK has stood the test of time and so re-viewed it in order to find that out. Much to my surprise, very little of it is outdated. About the only talk that is is the stuff about war in the Persian Gulf. This was one of his earlier live events, back when men wore pleated pants and ponytails. The latter happens to be a pet peeve of mine, but I digress.
In the news of late, in certain parts of the globe, is this politicized clampdown on -- forget political graft, deceit, and corruption for a moment -- plastic of all things, which brings to mind one of the monologues contained here, titled "The Planet Is Fine." Very timely, this.
Carlin also goes on about syntax and the hairsplitting of terminology as it applies to air travel, and as one who chooses to occasionally ignore conventional grammar himself for common sense, this bit was both identifiable and much appreciated.
Superfluous wording. Ah, yes. Carlin notes how some people prefer to use highfalutin terms in order to make something sound more important than it actually is. Like the other week when I passed by a "hydration station" (i.e. water cooler). A mouth-watering term to any language-loving enunciator, but needlessly uppity-sounding to say the least.
There is some constructive criticizing of the government, which is what democratic dissent is all about. The part about how those in power often seek to divide the people is something very few comics would go into, but Carlin does. He also has some unflattering things to say about environmentalists.
Not every joke or observation goes over well. At least not with me. As one who likes to golf, I found Carlin's derisive remarks in regard to this particular pastime way off the mark. But considering we're both into free speech, I would rather he be free to voice erroneous and unfunny comments from time to time than be censored.
Incidentally, I think Carlin's incorrect when he says that the term pre-recorded is a redundancy. This HBO special, for instance, was recorded in real time whereas, say, episodes of televised sitcoms are usually recorded beforehand, to be aired at a later date -- that is to say, they are pre-recorded. Getting analytical here, I know. Just saying.
Overall, JAMMIN' IN NEW YORK is quite groovy and for the most part remarkably dateless. I can do without all the observational humor and there is some of that here as well. Carlin is at his best whenever he's on a riff or a rant and the least interesting when he resorts to body English and the making of funny faces. But I suppose some in the audience who are only amused by slapstick-like fare would find this entertaining and such ones are not left out from enjoying the show. Bravo!
I was curious to see how much of Carlin's material in JAMMIN' IN NEW YORK has stood the test of time and so re-viewed it in order to find that out. Much to my surprise, very little of it is outdated. About the only talk that is is the stuff about war in the Persian Gulf. This was one of his earlier live events, back when men wore pleated pants and ponytails. The latter happens to be a pet peeve of mine, but I digress.
In the news of late, in certain parts of the globe, is this politicized clampdown on -- forget political graft, deceit, and corruption for a moment -- plastic of all things, which brings to mind one of the monologues contained here, titled "The Planet Is Fine." Very timely, this.
Carlin also goes on about syntax and the hairsplitting of terminology as it applies to air travel, and as one who chooses to occasionally ignore conventional grammar himself for common sense, this bit was both identifiable and much appreciated.
Superfluous wording. Ah, yes. Carlin notes how some people prefer to use highfalutin terms in order to make something sound more important than it actually is. Like the other week when I passed by a "hydration station" (i.e. water cooler). A mouth-watering term to any language-loving enunciator, but needlessly uppity-sounding to say the least.
There is some constructive criticizing of the government, which is what democratic dissent is all about. The part about how those in power often seek to divide the people is something very few comics would go into, but Carlin does. He also has some unflattering things to say about environmentalists.
Not every joke or observation goes over well. At least not with me. As one who likes to golf, I found Carlin's derisive remarks in regard to this particular pastime way off the mark. But considering we're both into free speech, I would rather he be free to voice erroneous and unfunny comments from time to time than be censored.
Incidentally, I think Carlin's incorrect when he says that the term pre-recorded is a redundancy. This HBO special, for instance, was recorded in real time whereas, say, episodes of televised sitcoms are usually recorded beforehand, to be aired at a later date -- that is to say, they are pre-recorded. Getting analytical here, I know. Just saying.
Overall, JAMMIN' IN NEW YORK is quite groovy and for the most part remarkably dateless. I can do without all the observational humor and there is some of that here as well. Carlin is at his best whenever he's on a riff or a rant and the least interesting when he resorts to body English and the making of funny faces. But I suppose some in the audience who are only amused by slapstick-like fare would find this entertaining and such ones are not left out from enjoying the show. Bravo!
I miss George Carlin!!
Edsain27 May 2022
Warning: Spoilers
"Do you ever find yourself standing in one of the rooms in your house and you can't remember why you went in there?"
This is a great special, most things he talks about can still be related to what's going on today.
This man was a genius, wish he was still alive!
This man was a genius, wish he was still alive!
Classic cutting and intellectual humour
christian9423 November 2022
Politics, media manipulation, environmentalism, war-mongering, social issues, airplanes are well explored. The wit is evident and the wordplay stellar. Delivery is slightly uneven in the middle as the words are much stronger than any physical comedy. Then George steps up the sarcasm about a rant of sensational media macabre reality and brings it home with the Save The Planet concept flipped around.
A precious standup with a few quirks and amazing content. Highly recommended. 30 years later it works well, except maybe for the fashion (lol). A timeless funny classic with lots of deep social truths!
A precious standup with a few quirks and amazing content. Highly recommended. 30 years later it works well, except maybe for the fashion (lol). A timeless funny classic with lots of deep social truths!
Radicalism?
REXNE29 May 2020
Nasty Miserable Guy
Johnny_West20 September 2023
This guy spends an hour complaining about everything in his sarcastic tone. Just like Andy Rooney on 60 minutes, nothing is good enough for this nasty little dwarf. Complain, complain, complain.
Thirty plus years later, the stuff he complains about is dated and pathetic. It is hard to believe that this guy was ever popular, taking his whining from town to town and making HBO specials.
Just amazing to see what utter crud passed as entertainment back in 1992. Kudos to the nasty little guy for passing off his miserable life as comedy, and for making millions of dollars off of people who paid for it.
Thirty plus years later, the stuff he complains about is dated and pathetic. It is hard to believe that this guy was ever popular, taking his whining from town to town and making HBO specials.
Just amazing to see what utter crud passed as entertainment back in 1992. Kudos to the nasty little guy for passing off his miserable life as comedy, and for making millions of dollars off of people who paid for it.
8.8
Mainhoonfilmpremi26 September 2022
This is my favorite george carlin special thus far. This feels cohesive in a way none of his other specials gave felt. I wonder if his idea of converting golf courses into affordable housing for the homeless can be done for real. If not then i can't see why.
When George Carlin is asked which HBO concert is his favorite, his answer is always, "Jammin' In New York." The reasons are several: It was his first HBO show done live; it was the first he had done in his hometown, New York City; and it was the largest audience he had ever worked before: 6,500. But Carlin says it also represented a newfound sophistication in his writing. "It was the first time I had done truly extended pieces consisting of separate sections all flowing together. It was a big leap for me."
When George Carlin is asked which HBO concert is his favorite, his answer is always, "Jammin' In New York." The reasons are several: It was his first HBO show done live; it was the first he had done in his hometown, New York City; and it was the largest audience he had ever worked before: 6,500. But Carlin says it also represented a newfound sophistication in his writing. "It was the first time I had done truly extended pieces consisting of separate sections all flowing together. It was a big leap for me."
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