I'm not so sure about the GAY Pontiac sign, but the George Carlin Firebird is pretty neat. It's too bad he didn't have it for long.
I found some more info on it:
Quote:
Carlin's new wave of comedy was a hit with the counterculture crowd and hip older listeners. His albums were selling well, not quite as hot as Bill Cosby, but very well indeed. Carlin was able to indulge in a nice car for driving. Long drives between tour dates were still a reality back in the early seventies. George Carlin bought a car that could cover the distance in comfort and speed. A 1970 Pontiac Trans Am coupe was his ride. This car was bought new at Livingston Pontiac in Woodland Hills, California. It was a Polar White car with blue stripes and blue interior. A picture exists with George and his brother Pat Carlin together standing next to it at the dealership. Pat Carlin was a salesman at the dealership at the time.
Pat was George's older brother and mentor when it came to growing up. This Trans Am was sideswiped in Pasadena, CA while George was inside a nightclub, doing his act!
pic credit courtesy of Kenny Gregrich
George in his autobiography neglects to tell us the color of his ride. We do learn however, that it was badly damaged at a night club he was engaged at. Someone managed to sideswipe the entire driver side of the car as he was indoors doing his performance. We'll let George describe the carnage and his reaction in the following autobiographical comment, " I began to do sets at a folk club called the Ice House in Pasadena. The very first night I was there, I parked my Trans Am alongside the curb instead of in the parking lot. When I came out someone had sideswiped it and the whole driver's side was just demolished and fucked up. I remember thinking: 'This is the price I'm paying. This is a message that this material thing, this symbol of what I'm philosophically rejecting, is behind me. It's irrelevant. This affirms why I am here. I must follow through on it." George's Zen like attitude makes sense if you understand he was changing his entire approach to comedy and the showbiz world. His material was outside the mainstream by a huge margin and there was no assurance yet that his tactics were going to be successful. Although insurance took care of it, for Carlin, losing that car woke him up internally and made him pursue the edgy comedy with a vengeance.
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That's a great picture Frank!
another Carlin quote on the Firebird:
Quote:
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"I had just bought this brand new Pontiac Firebird, which had just come out, and parked it in the street outside the club one night when I was working. It was a beautiful car, white with blue trim. When I came out, someone had sideswiped it, smashed it in completely on one side from front to rear. I remember saying that this is the small test and confirmation that I'm doing the right thing. This was tangible proof of my willingness to sacrifice."
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