George Carlin is famous for a lot of things, but the classic bit of trivia everyone likes to throw around concerns the time he was arrested following his performance at the Milwaukee Summerfest on July 21, 1972. As soon as the comedian left the stage, police cuffed him and read him his rights. He was later charged with obscenity, but the charges were ultimately dropped.
Why was Carlin arrested in the first place? Because he’d just performed his “Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television” routine, which — despite it being the ’70s — didn’t sit well with everyone in the audience.
Nearly seven years after his death, a new campaign has relaunched Carlin’s website with a treasure trove of media — including a few unreleased recordings from the set that got Carlin arrested back in 1972. According to Mediaite, the relaunch coincides with the inclusion of Carlin’s portrait in the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery.
Just in case you’d forgotten what the seven words were, check out the routine from Carlin’s 1972 special Class Clown:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMkNsMMvrqk
(Via GeorgeCarlin.com and Mediaite)