While everybody's tributes to the influential comic who died last weekend mentioned his "seven dirty words" (including
mine), most of us forgot about a different side of this "adult" performer.
Carlin was likely best known to a younger generation not for his counterculture comedy but for his lengthy '90s stint as Mr. Conductor on public TV's kids fave Shining Time Station. (Watch an episode here.) His collaborator on the show, Britt Allcroft, wrote movingly this week about Carlin's "gentle invitation to kids to explore a safe, accessible fantasy world," in an anecdote-filled appreciation that's beautifully written and definitely worth reading. Find it here.
Also note that NBC has scheduled its own fitting salute, filling this week's Saturday Night Live slot (Saturday at 11:30 p.m. ET, NBC) with an encore of the series' very first episode, from Oct. 11, 1975, when guest host Carlin delivered three vintage monologues. If you just can't wait, watch 'em online via Hulu.