© 2025 WGCU News
PBS and NPR for Southwest Florida
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Clerical Error Puts Church On New York's 'George Carlin Way'

George Carlin opens the 13th annual U.S. Comedy Arts Festival at the Wheeler Opera House in Aspen, Colo., in 2007, a year  before his death at age 71.
E. Pablo Kosmicki
/
AP
George Carlin opens the 13th annual U.S. Comedy Arts Festival at the Wheeler Opera House in Aspen, Colo., in 2007, a year before his death at age 71.

The Corpus Christi Church in Manhattan, where iconoclastic comedian George Carlin once attended school and which he later ridiculed in some of his monologues, has a new street address: George Carlin Way.

The New York Times calls what's being described as a clerical error "an irony of Carlinesque proportions." The church fought a street named after the comedian since the idea was proposed three years ago.

Even so, city officials say the mistake, which makes George Carlin Way a block longer than intended along West 121st Street, will be fixed in a few months when the City Council votes on a new batch of street names. The extra block is how the church ended up getting its unwelcome new address.

Carlin, who died in 2008, was well-known for his blistering attacks against religion in general — and the Catholic Church in particular — as well as his infamous "Seven Dirty Words" routine.

The street naming fiasco "offers yet another bit of compelling evidence that even years after his death, Mr. Carlin's famed ability to irritate and frustrate the powers that be remains undiminished," the Times says.

The New York Daily News notes that "although he was born Catholic, Carlin was no altar boy," and that "the distaste was mutual."

In signing the new street name bill, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said he's sure that "a lot of people have an opinion" about it. He added that he has "a good opinion" of it.

De Blasio said Carlin was "a New Yorker whose voice was heard literally around the world, born and raised in Morningside Heights, a true New Yorker, told it like it was, smart and blunt and honest and not afraid of controversy."

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Scott Neuman is a reporter and editor, working mainly on breaking news for NPR's digital and radio platforms.
Trusted by over 30,000 local subscribers

Local News, Right Sized for Your Morning

Quick briefs when you are busy, deeper explainers when it matters, delivered early morning and curated by WGCU editors.

  • Environment
  • Local politics
  • Health
  • And more

Free and local. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

More from WGCU
  • Adult Thorn Bugs are half-inch long insects that are “true bugs” (members of the insect Family Membracidae). They are native to South America, Central America, and many tropical islands. As with other members of this family, Thorn Bugs have sucking mouthparts that allow them to pierce plant tissues and drink plant sap. As a result, Thorn Bugs can cause the death of some twigs and potentially introduce diseases to the plant. However, in most cases, Thorn Bug populations are very low and damage caused by thorn bugs is minimal. The good news is that these insects do not feed on most native North American trees. Thorn bugs are an exotic invasive species in Florida that was likely introduced long ago along with an exotic tree species such as the Earleaf Acacia.Even today these insects feed primarily on exotic invasive trees and shrubs imported from tropical areas.
  • The Harry Chapin Food Bank is declaring an emergency as the federal government shutdown enters its fifth week with thousands of Southwest Florida families struggling to put food on the table, SNAP benefits about to be paused and federal employees in critical roles such as transportation and public safety continuing to go unpaid.
  • The Florida Highway Patrol’s annual Stuff The Charger nonperishable food drive starts Saturday (Nov. 1) and will extend through November 30.