Editing George Carlin (section)

=== 1988–1989: Changes in material and tone ===
Beginning in 1988, Carlin evolved and adopted both a new appearance and a new direction. As he did in his first change of direction in the early 70s, Carlin blended his old and new styles by bringing in politics and disdain for society with [[nihilist]] humor while using some of the previous material direction of pointing out the odd things we all do and continued his fascination with language, but with disdain for its current uses by society. He also began growing a ponytail at this time. This led to darker material and an aggressive tone over the next 2 decades, which were his most popular and widely seen shows via HBO specials which he continued to do until his death.<ref>{{cite web|title=George Carlin Changes His Act|url=https://scrapsfromtheloft.com/comedy/george-carlin-what-am-i-doing-in-new-jersey-transcript/|website=Scraps From The Loft|date=May 14, 2019 |access-date=January 12, 2025}}</ref>