But that didn't dampen the humor, it only heightened the poignancy of the tribute to George Carlin.
"Well, for me, it was amazing," said Kelly Carlin McCall, the honoree's daughter. "It was heartbreaking and spectacular at the same time."
As is the pattern with the Twain Award, friends and admirers take the stage at the Kennedy Center to pay tribute to the honoree. Lewis Black, Richard Belzer, Jon Stewart, Bill Maher, Garry Shandling, Lily Tomlin, Denis Leary, Joan Rivers and Margaret Cho were among those who appeared at the ceremonies, taped in November for telecast tonight at 8 on KUED-Ch. 7.
McCall said she was struck by the "love in the room" from both the audience and the performers.
"My whole life I always felt the love for my father from the audience," McCall said. "But to watch these amazing stand-up comedians talk about my father and really, really mean it — it was a beautiful, beautiful experience."
"Every single person on that stage was directly affected by George on a personal level and a creative level," said Belzer, a longtime friend of Carlin's. "So it wasn't just celebrities doing testimonials written for them. Every person felt everything they said. … And I think it honors George in a really, really eloquent way because there's no show business glitz there. It's all very heart-felt and beautifully produced and a great testament to him."
Lewis Black recalled a phone message Carlin left him that "pretty much propelled me to continue" with his then-struggling stand-up career.
"I was just a club comic … and he left me this message out of nowhere. I didn't even know he knew who I was, and (he was) telling me that he liked my work. … The first thing he said was, 'Hi, Lewis, this is George Carlin. First let me say there's nothing I can do for your career.' Spectacular. Really great."
Belzer recalled that he had been "banned from 'The Tonight Show' for being too political." But when Carlin was guest-hosting the show, he insisted on having Belzer as a guest.
"I later found out he was very persistent about it. And I, in fact, did do 'The Tonight Show' that night," he said. "It was at a point in my career where I was kind of considered contraband in some groups, and 'The Tonight Show' legitimizes you. It was much more important then than it is now.
"George was someone who wasn't threatened by talent or by other people, was incredibly supportive. And a rare thing in show business, just an incredibly unselfish guy who we miss greatly. But not just for his work, but on a very heavy personal level, too."
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