George Carlin - Playin' With Your Head
Observational humor had been George Carlin's specialty for over 20 years  whenPlaying with Your Head--the comedian's fifth special for HBO--was  recorded in 1986. Carlin's not resting on his laurels here, presenting an  abundance of new, politically incorrect material while expanding a few older  routines. In "Sports" he applies hilarious criteria to what does or doesn't  qualify (hockey doesn't count; lacrosse is a "faggot college activity"), and "A  Moment of Silence" pays mock-mournful tribute to an ill-fated (and presumably  fictional) group of "43 elderly, mentally retarded Bolivian senior citizen  volleyball fans." If that kind of irreverence puts you off (and if so, why are  you reading this?), you'll fare better with the universal humor of "Losing  Things" (we all do it, right?), and a characteristic survey of language in  "Hello and Goodbye." In any case, Carlin's best enjoyed when seenandheard, and the film noir spoof "The Envelope" provides a clever introduction to  the funnyman's entrance onstage.--Jeff Shannon