Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, June 2, 1990                   TAG: 9006020489
SECTION: SPECTATOR                    PAGE: 1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

UNFORTUNATE '80S HELPED CARLIN GROW

"The 1980s for me were a time of recovery," said Carlin, a counterculture satirist whose uncensored humor and searing anti-establishment wit have found a home in a series of specials for Home Box Office.

His seventh solo special, "George Carlin - Doin' It Again," debuts Saturday. A few weeks ago, he appeared on HBO's fourth annual "Comic Relief."

"I'm older now," said Carlin, 53. "I'm seasoned. I'm not as distracted. It was hard for me. I'm a person who tends to deny things, so I'm glad to be safely out of the '80s. My life is different now. Those things that had gotten into my life are gone. All I know is I am who I am."

"In the 1980s, my career reached what an artist would call a plateau and other people would call a decline," he said. "My wife, Brenda, was recovering from alcohol abuse. Brenda got into a program with Alcoholics Anonymous and was clean from day one. My abuses were cocaine and beer, and my recovery was piecemeal. I had a slow awakening. I got down to two beers a day, but I was planning when to have them. That was dumb.

"I had a very serious automobile accident in 1981. It shattered my nose and required some surgery. I had a heart attack in 1982. My arteries are back after two angioplasty operations. But the topper was I found out in the early 1980s that I owed the government $3 million in back taxes. In order to pay back $3 million, you have to earn $6 million. That doesn't leave you a thing for yourself. I had to scramble for 10 years."

He gives credit to his manager, Jerry Hamza, for controlling his financial affairs. He's out of debt now and investing money in real estate.

Carlin, whose first HBO special was in 1977, taped the one-hour show at the State Theatre in New Brunswick, N.J. His last special, "What Am I Doin' in New Jersey?", also originated from there.

"I'm proud because I think I've done more than anyone else," he said. "It's all stand-up, with no filler and no guest stars. We call it `Doin' It Again' because it calls attention to my longevity."