Class Clown (1972)

George Carlin shed his clean-cut TV image to embrace countercultural truth on this seismic 1972 release for Little David Records. Recorded live at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in California, the LP captures Carlin firing on all cylinders with energetic observations on youth culture, Catholic school, and media manipulation. Its climactic routine, 'Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television,' became an instant touchstone of free speech and comedic bravery. Certified Gold, the routine prompted Carlin's arrest at Milwaukee's Summerfest that same year and sparked the landmark 1978 Supreme Court broadcast decency case FCC v. Pacifica Foundation.