George Carlin honored with street name, but local church isn't happy
It was just supposed to be one block, but a clerical error has extended George Carlin Way to two blocks in Manhattan's Morningside Heights neighborhood. Due to this mistake, the church he attended as a child — and skewered onstage as a comedian — is now standing on this extra stretch, despite protests.
Comic Kevin Bartini, who spearheaded the campaign to honor Carlin with a street name, says the comedian "would have been tickled by all of this. I think he would have loved every moment."
Carlin grew up on W. 121st Street, and for years people have wanted to name part of the road after the late comic, who died in 2008. The priests at Corpus Christi Church opposed the plan, saying he was "unworthy of the honor," The New York Times reports. Carlin's daughter, Kelly, said her father had kind words to say about the church, where he attended school. "He was really nurtured by the nuns there," she said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Thanks to the mistake, the extra block will remain part of George Carlin Way until the fall, when the legislation will be amended. The bill's sponsor, Councilman Mark Levine, said that while he felt "lucky" Carlin was from his district, and that he "paved the way for serious artists to break taboos in legitimate ways," the mistake needed to be corrected due to "the concerns of the local parish, which are real."
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
'Republicans want to silence Israel's opponents'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Poland, Germany nab alleged anti-Ukraine spies
Speed Read A man was arrested over a supposed Russian plot to kill Ukrainian President Zelenskyy
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - April 19, 2024
Cartoons Friday's cartoons - priority delivery, USPS on fire, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Puffed rice and yoga: inside the collapsed tunnel where Indian workers await rescue
Speed Read Workers trapped in collapsed tunnel are suffering from dysentery and anxiety over their rescue
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
More than 2,000 dead following massive earthquake in Morocco
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mexico's next president will almost certainly be its 1st female president
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
North Korea's Kim to visit Putin in eastern Russia to discuss arms sales for Ukraine war, U.S. says
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Gabon's military leader sworn in following coup in latest African uprising
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published