“That’s why they call it the American Dream, because you have to be asleep to believe it.” – George Carlin

Referred to as “the dean of counterculture comedians”, George Carlin was an inconloclast and a pioneer, whose biting political stand-up established him as one of the most important comedians of all time with a career that spanned over 50 years. Now, legendary US comedy director Judd Apatow (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Superbad, Bridesmaids – need we go on?) has revealed plans to produce a documentary on Carlin, together with his partner Michael Bonfiglio.

Carlin, who died in 2008, centred much of his sketches on socio-cultural critiques of American society, with overt anti-establishment material. Among his now widely referenced routines was a famous skit on the inane fuzz of marketing language, which Carlin considered to be “by and large, a tool for concealing the truth.” His stock rose sharply during the mid-70s after he became embroiled in a cencorship dispute with the US government over the use of expletive on air. The “seven dirty words routine” led to the 1978 U.S. Supreme Court case F.C.C. v. Pacifica Foundation, in which a majority decision affirmed the government’s power to censor indecent material on the public airwaves.

Carlin’s influence on comedy cannot be underestimated. He was a man people continually looked towards for an unerring sense of reason and critical thought at a time when the world was undergoing rapid change. Apatow’s decision to revisit his genius could not come at a more apt time, when the values Carlin placed above all others are under threat like never before. Speaking to the Boston Globe on the project, Apatow said, “The way the world works now, if you don’t organise someone’s history it disappears down the digital drain. There are other people out there with a similar strong interest, like Marc Maron, who are part of the podcasting world and the stand-up world. Maybe I’m just the most obsessed.”

Stay tuned for further info.