What do you think?
Rate this book
3 x Carlin: An Orgy of George including Brain Droppings, Napalm and Silly Putty, and When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?
Three comedic classics in one, by the legendary George Carlin. Includes Brain Droppings, Napalm and Silly Putty, and When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?
For four decades, George Carlin has been one of America's favorite comics, known as much for his willingness to take on taboo subjects as for his absurdist wordplay. As an author, he has proved equally popular: With combined sales of more than two million copies, Carlin's three books of razor-sharp and hilarious observations have topped bestseller lists nationwide. Now, for the first time as an ebook, Hachette Books proudly collects all three volumes--When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?, Napalm and Silly Putty, and Brain Droppings--into one hilarious omnibus.
For four decades, George Carlin has been one of America's favorite comics, known as much for his willingness to take on taboo subjects as for his absurdist wordplay. As an author, he has proved equally popular: With combined sales of more than two million copies, Carlin's three books of razor-sharp and hilarious observations have topped bestseller lists nationwide. Now, for the first time as an ebook, Hachette Books proudly collects all three volumes--When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?, Napalm and Silly Putty, and Brain Droppings--into one hilarious omnibus.
752 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 31, 2006
226 people are currently reading
1459 people want to read
About the author
George Carlin
63 books2,947 followersGeorge Denis Patrick Carlin was a Grammy-winning American stand-up comedian, actor, author and philosopher.
Carlin was especially noted for his political and black humor and his observations on language, psychology, and religion along with many taboo subjects. Carlin and his "Seven Dirty Words" comedy routine were central to the 1978 U.S. Supreme Court case F.C.C. v. Pacifica Foundation, in which a narrow 5-4 decision by the justices affirmed the government's right to regulate Carlin's act on the public airwaves.
Carlin's mid-2000s stand-up routines focused on the flaws in modern-day America. He often took on contemporary political issues in the United States and satirized the excesses of American culture.
A disciple of Lenny Bruce, he placed second on the Comedy Central cable television network list of the 10 greatest stand-up comedians, ahead of Bruce and behind Richard Pryor. He was a frequent performer and guest host on The Tonight Show during the three-decade Johnny Carson era, and was also the first person to host Saturday Night Live.
Carlin was especially noted for his political and black humor and his observations on language, psychology, and religion along with many taboo subjects. Carlin and his "Seven Dirty Words" comedy routine were central to the 1978 U.S. Supreme Court case F.C.C. v. Pacifica Foundation, in which a narrow 5-4 decision by the justices affirmed the government's right to regulate Carlin's act on the public airwaves.
Carlin's mid-2000s stand-up routines focused on the flaws in modern-day America. He often took on contemporary political issues in the United States and satirized the excesses of American culture.
A disciple of Lenny Bruce, he placed second on the Comedy Central cable television network list of the 10 greatest stand-up comedians, ahead of Bruce and behind Richard Pryor. He was a frequent performer and guest host on The Tonight Show during the three-decade Johnny Carson era, and was also the first person to host Saturday Night Live.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
November 19, 2008
Predictably, he likes to use the F word a lot. And he hates humanity so unabashedly it's hard not to love him. I agree with those who've said this is repetitive; that can hardly be argued. When he hits, it's great. When he misses, it's easy to move on to the next vignette or rant.
June 2, 2010
READERS RESPONSE
(NOTE: During the process of typing this, I hit a key that reloaded the page, erasing the 5 paragraphs I had. I am one of extreme impatience, so I hope you'll excuse some of this seeming brief, as I am unwilling to retype ALL of that. Thank you for understanding, or as George Carlin would say "Understand or I will kill you and everyone you hold dear.")
3xCarlin: An Orgy of George is essentially an edited and organized comedians notebook. In no particular order, spanning all 3 books that make up the volume, is a long line of routines, single jokes, fake advertisements, skits, and the occasional poem. Granted, this can be tiresome after awhile. So I suggest that if you do read it, read it while your reading something else. Otherwise read a different book between each book contained in 3xCarlin.
Of course, I just read all 890 pages in order with no other literature to speak of in between, and I regret it somewhat. But most other people won't enjoy this book as much as me as I am a HUUUUGE George Carlin fan. I personally consider him to be the greatest comedian to ever live. So actually, another precaution when reading this book would be to make sure you're familiar with GC's comedy, as some of the routines seem a little odd if you can't picture how he might say it.
Unfortunately most of this book takes place in George's later years; his preachy phase. Now, don't get me wrong, I love all his comedy. But after awhile you get tired of hearing Georges ultimate message, which is "The whole world is f*&ked and we can't fix it." But he still manages to be funny, especially if you can recognize when and when he isn't being sarcastic.
But ultimately its a hilarious book that is actually thought provoking. For instance: at one point he explains his relationship with the concept of time, or rather why time does not exist. He also shares some of his opinions on religion (ie: Religion is the worst thing to ever happen to the world). I highly recommend it to anyone who loves comedy, and George Carlin in particular.
(NOTE: During the process of typing this, I hit a key that reloaded the page, erasing the 5 paragraphs I had. I am one of extreme impatience, so I hope you'll excuse some of this seeming brief, as I am unwilling to retype ALL of that. Thank you for understanding, or as George Carlin would say "Understand or I will kill you and everyone you hold dear.")
3xCarlin: An Orgy of George is essentially an edited and organized comedians notebook. In no particular order, spanning all 3 books that make up the volume, is a long line of routines, single jokes, fake advertisements, skits, and the occasional poem. Granted, this can be tiresome after awhile. So I suggest that if you do read it, read it while your reading something else. Otherwise read a different book between each book contained in 3xCarlin.
Of course, I just read all 890 pages in order with no other literature to speak of in between, and I regret it somewhat. But most other people won't enjoy this book as much as me as I am a HUUUUGE George Carlin fan. I personally consider him to be the greatest comedian to ever live. So actually, another precaution when reading this book would be to make sure you're familiar with GC's comedy, as some of the routines seem a little odd if you can't picture how he might say it.
Unfortunately most of this book takes place in George's later years; his preachy phase. Now, don't get me wrong, I love all his comedy. But after awhile you get tired of hearing Georges ultimate message, which is "The whole world is f*&ked and we can't fix it." But he still manages to be funny, especially if you can recognize when and when he isn't being sarcastic.
But ultimately its a hilarious book that is actually thought provoking. For instance: at one point he explains his relationship with the concept of time, or rather why time does not exist. He also shares some of his opinions on religion (ie: Religion is the worst thing to ever happen to the world). I highly recommend it to anyone who loves comedy, and George Carlin in particular.
January 9, 2009
This book is very fun, easy reading for those days you don't feel like picking up a book and surfing a chapter or two. You can basically pick it up, open it to any page and read a short very comical section. This is a great book for a bad day or a great book if you are one of those people that likes to rob George Carlin's skits and use his jokes in your everyday life. RIP George.
January 30, 2012
One of my favorite comedians, his cynical realism never ceases to help me chill anytime this world feels like too much to handle.
September 10, 2011
Riotous and brilliant, of course.
Read
September 19, 2024At first heard of George Carline through takeoff and put on in, I think, 1973. I've always enjoyed him as a performer and admit to a fair amount of 'borrowing'from his style and my own lecture deliveries. I can't help but feel across this main of these three books, however, that Carlin was slowly becoming the kind of person that, in the beginning, he was so good at mocking: the cranky white American guy who approves only of what matches his own tastes. I still find his analysis of imp precision and unnecessary language to be interesting. his gross out comedy tends to stop being comic and just be gross. We always have to keep in mind as assertion that anything could be joked about, therefore what we see is not necessarily to be taken seriously. Still, I can't help feeling a lot of people probably agreed with some of his more bizarre and extreme assertions, and that, again, a lot of these people were the people that he set out to mock.
June 11, 2020
An Orgy of George all a collection of three volumes--When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?, Napalm and Silly Putty, and Brain Droppings, plus Bonus materials. I first saw George Carlin in a "Dogma" movie. He played Cardinal Glick who promoted a Buddy Christ, hip and cool image of Jesus to attract young audience. This is a trademark of Carlin's humour--willingness to take on taboo subjects, explore it and bring it to absolute absurdity through razor-sharp and hilarious observations ("if crime fighters fight crime, and firefighters fight fire, what fight those freedom fighters?") The volumes in this compendium were published decade ago, but still are very relevant (perhaps increasingly so). Big part of Carlin's writing is focused on USA, so could not resonate that strongly with people outside USA. However, as Rammstein remind us, "We are living in America..."
September 4, 2025
incredible intelligence that is so relevant, especially today
February 5, 2018
This is the last of the three books by George Carlin that I read. (3/3)
This review will consist of parts of all three of the books and reflections on them.
I selected these George Carlin books after watching his comedy and seeing stuff that he had done in the past. These enticed me to look for more of his works and when I was told we had to find 10 books to read this year, I saw this as an opportunity to further discover his works. The first of the books I picked up was excellent and so I read more and more of his books, all of which followed that pattern. I selected these books because I assumed that he would be able to bring a unique perspective to his writing and that was something I would enjoy.
These books recanted stories, but mostly original material developed over the career of George Carlin. The books were crude, offensive, smart, and irreverent, each book zeroing in specific parts of the world we live in. The first book (Brain Droppings) was heavily political and as someone who enjoys history, the stories from this were incredibly interesting to me and I am sure anyone else who read them. The second book (Napalm and Silly Putty) was much more down in the weeds of daily life, it seemed like Carlin really tried to do something different than what he has done previously, and it worked. The third book (When Will Jesus Bring the Porkchops), is mostly focused on social commentary and it is the only of the three books that includes personal anecdotes, which I think was fitting because it was one of the last of his career. The way each book is unique is definitely a plus for these overall and shows how each book has something to offer for everyone.
Overall, these books worked very well, in the way they were written, in the what they contained, and in the style the author used. I read around 900 pages across the three books, and each offered something new, something better, and something different. The format of short, at most 2 page passages, enables the reader to pick up the book and read for any amount of time, whether it is 5 minutes or 5 hours, and not feel obligated to finish to get to the end of a chapter or finish reading about a part of the plot. Instead, readers can enjoy as many passages as they choose, drop the book, and return later to read completely new material. All of these characteristics make the books both an interesting and a fun read.
But with 900 pages written, not every joke was a winner. Having read all of this over 3 months, I can easily say that I did not appreciate all of the humor. Some of the humor was something I could not have enjoyed, with Carlin having lived from the 1930s to the 2000s, some references were out of date and readers would miss the humor entirely. Some jokes were just not that funny, at least to me, but I think it speaks to a larger point: not everyone is going to enjoy every joke. This is an important point, meaning that if you read this book, you will not be able to enjoy every part of it because it is so diverse and different throughout, it is not written for the tastes of one specific person, but rather many different people.
This review will consist of parts of all three of the books and reflections on them.
I selected these George Carlin books after watching his comedy and seeing stuff that he had done in the past. These enticed me to look for more of his works and when I was told we had to find 10 books to read this year, I saw this as an opportunity to further discover his works. The first of the books I picked up was excellent and so I read more and more of his books, all of which followed that pattern. I selected these books because I assumed that he would be able to bring a unique perspective to his writing and that was something I would enjoy.
These books recanted stories, but mostly original material developed over the career of George Carlin. The books were crude, offensive, smart, and irreverent, each book zeroing in specific parts of the world we live in. The first book (Brain Droppings) was heavily political and as someone who enjoys history, the stories from this were incredibly interesting to me and I am sure anyone else who read them. The second book (Napalm and Silly Putty) was much more down in the weeds of daily life, it seemed like Carlin really tried to do something different than what he has done previously, and it worked. The third book (When Will Jesus Bring the Porkchops), is mostly focused on social commentary and it is the only of the three books that includes personal anecdotes, which I think was fitting because it was one of the last of his career. The way each book is unique is definitely a plus for these overall and shows how each book has something to offer for everyone.
Overall, these books worked very well, in the way they were written, in the what they contained, and in the style the author used. I read around 900 pages across the three books, and each offered something new, something better, and something different. The format of short, at most 2 page passages, enables the reader to pick up the book and read for any amount of time, whether it is 5 minutes or 5 hours, and not feel obligated to finish to get to the end of a chapter or finish reading about a part of the plot. Instead, readers can enjoy as many passages as they choose, drop the book, and return later to read completely new material. All of these characteristics make the books both an interesting and a fun read.
But with 900 pages written, not every joke was a winner. Having read all of this over 3 months, I can easily say that I did not appreciate all of the humor. Some of the humor was something I could not have enjoyed, with Carlin having lived from the 1930s to the 2000s, some references were out of date and readers would miss the humor entirely. Some jokes were just not that funny, at least to me, but I think it speaks to a larger point: not everyone is going to enjoy every joke. This is an important point, meaning that if you read this book, you will not be able to enjoy every part of it because it is so diverse and different throughout, it is not written for the tastes of one specific person, but rather many different people.
February 1, 2015
When I was nine years old, I first picked this up at my local Barnes & Noble. At any page I opened, I laughed my ass off with my back against the bookshelf because there are only four chairs taken up by fat losers who sit there sipping their soy lattes that never empty all day. Each short comical section is cleverly constructed, some that came from Carlin's standup, others that he had sitting around for this form of publication. This is a collection of his three books and you really couldn't ask for more if you're a fan of Carlin. Anybody who could deconstruct enormous establishments like religion bit by bit yet still say nonsense like "Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things" is a true master of the English language.
When I actually bought it at such a young age, I was forced to return it because laughter of course = Satan. Later on, however, I bought it again out of a completist and redemptive attitude. I usually don't buy books but for any lover of comedy and philosophy this one is a keeper.
When I actually bought it at such a young age, I was forced to return it because laughter of course = Satan. Later on, however, I bought it again out of a completist and redemptive attitude. I usually don't buy books but for any lover of comedy and philosophy this one is a keeper.
May 11, 2013
I used to be a fan of George, but after reading this trilogy in one volume I have changed my mind.
His incessant reference to bodily functions, sexual activities of every sort, and his liberal slant extended to over 800 pages was just too much. So much, especially of the last one, was not even funny, just intended to make one uncomfortable.
I have rarely read a book with such little to take away. I often make notes of things I encounter while reading; one of the others I'm in process with I've already found a couple of quotes from, and I'm only on page 100 or so. After 800 pages of this tripe I only found two things I wished to keep. If this were prospecting for gold I would still be broke.
It is now obvious to me that the censors had it right when they made George clean up his act for television. He is much funnier when he's done so.
Stay away from this book.
His incessant reference to bodily functions, sexual activities of every sort, and his liberal slant extended to over 800 pages was just too much. So much, especially of the last one, was not even funny, just intended to make one uncomfortable.
I have rarely read a book with such little to take away. I often make notes of things I encounter while reading; one of the others I'm in process with I've already found a couple of quotes from, and I'm only on page 100 or so. After 800 pages of this tripe I only found two things I wished to keep. If this were prospecting for gold I would still be broke.
It is now obvious to me that the censors had it right when they made George clean up his act for television. He is much funnier when he's done so.
Stay away from this book.
February 11, 2009
This is a very good collection of George Carlin's books. If you have not read his stuff before, you get a lot of bang in this book, so to speak. If you have read some of it before, it is nice to revisit. For example, the famous routine about stuff is here. That is one of my favorites. There is a lot of stuff you may have seen performed, so it is nice to go back and read it. For me, I had read two of the books in this collection, so it was revisiting. It was still a funny experience. Carlin is truly the thinking person's comedian, and he is certainly missed. This collection assures he will be remembered, and that his material will keep us laughing and thinking. I definitely recommend this one, and it will be a volume I will reread soon.
October 23, 2011
I bought this massive tome in boulder 2011 for my 16 1/2 year old son to read, but then I stole it from him, so he has never gotten very far into it. I, on the other hand, have managed to read about 1/3 or 1/2 of it. I discovered GC was actually very dissapointed in america, as I am. I have added GC to my list of leading american lefties. Its a real honor to be on this list, scoffers.
December 17, 2011
If you love George Carlin you'll love this book. It's a marathon of a read, took me forever but was well worth it. He was one funny, sarcastic man and one of a kind. He is missed.
June 15, 2009
Fuckin funny!
April 15, 2021
George Carlin will always go down as one of my favorite comedians of all-time. His wit and intellect combined make his fifteen HBO specials all worth watching and celebrating. Its Carlin Season, the time where all those specials get a rewatch, but among them also comes this large collection of George Carlin's written work. His three full-length books, BRAIN DROPPINGS, NAPALM AND SILLY PUTTY and WHEN WILL JESUS BRING THE PORKCHOPS? is met with 30 more pages of new material to make a Carlin fan's wet dream of nearly 900 pages of George.
Anybody wildly familiar with George's HBO shows will find a lot of material in these pages ripped right from those routines, with sporadic updates to represent updated times or original versions of routines eventually honed into their final product. This might be disappointing to some expecting the pages to all be fresh material, or stuff that was book exclusive and never made it on a special. Trust me, there is plenty of that as well, making for an enjoyable read. Even as a well-versed Carlin HBO Special veteran, its still fun to read the routines you know and love most. It's hard to not hear the routines in his voice as you read.
Some of the original material is a bit spotty and predictable, but that's also why it didn't make it to the final shows. There's a lot of freeform wit included, so it can seem a lot to take in. Take your time and bask in one of the best comedic minds of history, someone who transcends comedy often to remind us about just how much we've sunk as a society. Maybe if we all gave this a read, we'd work to do better...but I doubt it. We'd probably just recycle the fart jokes.
Anybody wildly familiar with George's HBO shows will find a lot of material in these pages ripped right from those routines, with sporadic updates to represent updated times or original versions of routines eventually honed into their final product. This might be disappointing to some expecting the pages to all be fresh material, or stuff that was book exclusive and never made it on a special. Trust me, there is plenty of that as well, making for an enjoyable read. Even as a well-versed Carlin HBO Special veteran, its still fun to read the routines you know and love most. It's hard to not hear the routines in his voice as you read.
Some of the original material is a bit spotty and predictable, but that's also why it didn't make it to the final shows. There's a lot of freeform wit included, so it can seem a lot to take in. Take your time and bask in one of the best comedic minds of history, someone who transcends comedy often to remind us about just how much we've sunk as a society. Maybe if we all gave this a read, we'd work to do better...but I doubt it. We'd probably just recycle the fart jokes.
December 30, 2017
A wonderfully amusing collection of George Carlin humor. A few of these are bits that I had heard before or at least was familiar with. There is new stuff in there though I am not familiar enough with Carlin's work to know which ones they are. The books are ordered chronologically, so the earliest one is the first one put in the book. I suppose this goes without saying but it is difficult for me to tell how it is all organized.
October 3, 2022
I love Carlin's standup comedy, but I read 95 pages before asking myself, "Why am I still reading this? I barely got through the long rant about the difference between baseball and football." When it's not long rants, it's a bunch of one-liners. This wasn't funny even though I imagined him delivering these words while on stage. George Carlin is much funnier when you watch his stand-up. It doesn't translate well into writing.
March 3, 2019
I'm sure George Carlin was innovative and influential for his time, but his material didn't age that well. I would describe the comedian as obscene, cynical, misanthrope, nihilist and technophobe. The book definitely fall under category of black humour, but I personally wouldn't call the gags humorous. My advice is to stick to the YouTube videos we know Carlin from.
November 7, 2023
A good collection of Carlin’s amazing comedy artistry. A variety of topics, calling out the absurdity of everything from soft language to people’s behavior to his disdain of human groups.
Don’t expect everything to be at the HBO comedy specials level intensity, there are quite a few “simpler” jokes, observations and rants along with the intense ones. Some expected repetition from his aired specials on TV.
Some jokes might be very triggering if you think there are some topics that can’t be joked about.
Don’t expect everything to be at the HBO comedy specials level intensity, there are quite a few “simpler” jokes, observations and rants along with the intense ones. Some expected repetition from his aired specials on TV.
Some jokes might be very triggering if you think there are some topics that can’t be joked about.
August 26, 2018
funny in black and white.
December 17, 2019
Loved it, we think alike. Left it in the bathroom for future light rereading!
September 2, 2020
George Carlin has been one of my favorite comedians. Watching his shows is great, but just reading them without hearing his voice or seeing his expressions does not work for me.
May 2, 2021
Still the greatest comedian, imo. Wish he were still around to comment on the last few years.
June 18, 2021
Some of his best "stuff" (pun intended) LOL
July 24, 2021
Αν είχα ποτέ μέντορα σίγουρα θα ήταν αυτός.
June 26, 2022
I LOL’d every other page, sometimes long enough to put the book down. Sometimes doing the “false restart.” Golden Jerry, golden.
May 9, 2023
A very talented & funny man!
July 19, 2019
This is a collection of Carlin's three books, Napalm & Silly Putty, Brain Droppings, and When Will Jesus Bring the Pork, bound into a single book and therefore quite thick and heavy. It is not something you can easily carry around.
The materials range from "just meh..." to quite hilarious, but some politically charged topics have gotten out of date as they are from the Clinton/Bush Jr. eras which by now feels like days of yore. For example, his brutal critique of the religious right sounds a bit dated by now, as the political climate has shifted so much since his time. It is now the social justice left which sounds even more dogmatic and aggressive; they would make a better target of Carlin's free-thinking style, if he were alive today. (I am afraid a few of Carlin's more extreme materials might violate free speech code as defined by political correctness nowadays... I hope not.)
I ended up listening to the audio version instead of reading, as for the comedy to be funny delivery really matters and it is best done by the comedian himself. Yet even better is to listen to the recordings of Carlin's live performances, instead of him reading out of the book in a recording studio, as done for these books in the collection. (He has delivered elsewhere some of the same materials out of this book collection). Being able to hear audience reactions does add to the experience and is more engaging overall.
The materials range from "just meh..." to quite hilarious, but some politically charged topics have gotten out of date as they are from the Clinton/Bush Jr. eras which by now feels like days of yore. For example, his brutal critique of the religious right sounds a bit dated by now, as the political climate has shifted so much since his time. It is now the social justice left which sounds even more dogmatic and aggressive; they would make a better target of Carlin's free-thinking style, if he were alive today. (I am afraid a few of Carlin's more extreme materials might violate free speech code as defined by political correctness nowadays... I hope not.)
I ended up listening to the audio version instead of reading, as for the comedy to be funny delivery really matters and it is best done by the comedian himself. Yet even better is to listen to the recordings of Carlin's live performances, instead of him reading out of the book in a recording studio, as done for these books in the collection. (He has delivered elsewhere some of the same materials out of this book collection). Being able to hear audience reactions does add to the experience and is more engaging overall.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews