I started listening and watching Carlin’s act at an age that’d make most uptight, baby proofing buzzkills condemn my parents as degenerates for allowing their young son to hear such filth.

Oh, but the filth was genius. Poetic. Honest and true. And my parents knew I'd be better off from listening to it. Carlin was a writer’s comedian, a cunning linguist. Yet, he was also an astute observer of human nature, often commenting on the darkest parts of it, the type of hard truths we seldom acknowledge exist within ourselves. He was a rare, half-crazed mutineer against the status quo, a man who could pry humor from chaos and nihilism.

Carlin heavily influenced my sense of humor and philosophy towards life. And I am truly upset by his death. Yet, he leaves a legacy of laughter and insights that few in our lifetimes will match.