Jon Stewart once said: "There are two things that comedians of all stripes have in common. One: the belief that someone not as funny as they are is doing better than they are; and two: a sincere love and respect for George Carlin."
Kelly Carlin. Photo by Dan Dion
Four years ago, I realised that George Carlin's would-be 75th birthday was coming up. I was barely starting out in journalism, but thought it would be magnificent to mark the occasion by interviewing his daughter, Kelly Carlin for an audio feature. I contacted her and she said yes immediately. It was such a sincere joy to speak to her. Not just because we were talking about my favourite topic, but because talking to her was my first exciting interview, a real high point before a year of going into hiding as an anonymous jobseeker.
Now, four years later, and with George's would-be 79th approaching, I have better editing equipment and no one telling me to keep it under five minutes – so I decided to revisit this chat.