Nobody steals “material” from anyone else. If Carlin uses material similar to what Hicks used, this may mean that Carlin was inspired by it, and is putting his own spin on it.
If I tell a Carlin bit at the office, have I stolen it from Carlin? or have I put my own spin on it? What happens if Carlin’s bit is slightly different from Hicks — is it still “stealing”? How much different would it have to be?
“pretending it’s yours” - You’re talking about 2 different things here. Going on stage and performing a bit is different than going on stage and saying you created the bit. If you say you created it, you’re a liar. Did Leary say he created it? If not, then it’s a question of whether Leary was able to perform it with a greater or funnier style than Hicks. And to a certain extent, that’s totally subjective.
As a normative question, is it right to go on stage and perform someone else’s bit? Yes, it is. Happens all the time. Musicians cover someone else’s song because it isn’t someone else’s song, it’s no one’s song. It’s just a song.
It’s nice to know who created it originally, but that doesn’t mean only the creator can or should perform it. Jimi Hendrix’s version of “All Along the Watchtower” was so influential that Bob Dylan, who wrote the song, began performing it in the Hendrix style afterwards.
I remember hearing essentially the same bit done by Carlin and by Sam Kinison. I can’t remember what it was about, but I remember I did prefer one style to the other. Carlin is going to perform any bit in a rigid, structured, lyrical style, where his cadence at delivering the lines makes it both funny and poetic. Kinison was loose, chaotic and unrehearsed (or at least sounded unrehearsed). I remember that it struck me as such an obvious observation that anyone could have thought of it, so it didn’t seem to me that it “belonged” to one or the other. Content is neutral, style is everything.
…Unlike he did Vietnam, it’s strange, or maybe not so strange that you don’t hear George Carlin denouncing this war now do you? No, not as much as a Goddamn word…Funny also that you should mention style Ozzie; because as it happened, Celine once remarked that: “…I’m not a writer of intellect or of ideas. If it’s ideas you want? The Libraries are full of them—I remain a writer of style.”
Carlin is great. I wonder if he supports RP? Hey August, where were you 3 months ago?
Carlin stole material from Bill Hicks. Aside from that, I like Carlin.
What did he steal from Bill? The Walking magazine bit? I always wondered about that…
Nobody steals “material” from anyone else. If Carlin uses material similar to what Hicks used, this may mean that Carlin was inspired by it, and is putting his own spin on it.
If I tell a Carlin bit at the office, have I stolen it from Carlin? or have I put my own spin on it? What happens if Carlin’s bit is slightly different from Hicks — is it still “stealing”? How much different would it have to be?
This I know for a fact: Dennis Leary outright stole bits from Bill - word for word. All about Jim Fits the health nut.
And no, you repeating Carlin or Hicks to your friend is not the same as rehearsing, going on stage and pretending it’s yours.
“pretending it’s yours” - You’re talking about 2 different things here. Going on stage and performing a bit is different than going on stage and saying you created the bit. If you say you created it, you’re a liar. Did Leary say he created it? If not, then it’s a question of whether Leary was able to perform it with a greater or funnier style than Hicks. And to a certain extent, that’s totally subjective.
As a normative question, is it right to go on stage and perform someone else’s bit? Yes, it is. Happens all the time. Musicians cover someone else’s song because it isn’t someone else’s song, it’s no one’s song. It’s just a song.
It’s nice to know who created it originally, but that doesn’t mean only the creator can or should perform it. Jimi Hendrix’s version of “All Along the Watchtower” was so influential that Bob Dylan, who wrote the song, began performing it in the Hendrix style afterwards.
I remember hearing essentially the same bit done by Carlin and by Sam Kinison. I can’t remember what it was about, but I remember I did prefer one style to the other. Carlin is going to perform any bit in a rigid, structured, lyrical style, where his cadence at delivering the lines makes it both funny and poetic. Kinison was loose, chaotic and unrehearsed (or at least sounded unrehearsed). I remember that it struck me as such an obvious observation that anyone could have thought of it, so it didn’t seem to me that it “belonged” to one or the other. Content is neutral, style is everything.
…Unlike he did Vietnam, it’s strange, or maybe not so strange that you don’t hear George Carlin denouncing this war now do you? No, not as much as a Goddamn word…Funny also that you should mention style Ozzie; because as it happened, Celine once remarked that: “…I’m not a writer of intellect or of ideas. If it’s ideas you want? The Libraries are full of them—I remain a writer of style.”