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| And Carl was born! | | And Carl was born! |
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| == Reputation == | | == Why a New York accent? == |
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| Within the Carl Bird Universe, Carl occupies a peculiar social position.
| | If I'm from the Midwest, and most of Carl's action takes place there, why does he have a gruff New York accent? Simple: because it's funnier. Carl is ostensibly from the same place where Sesame Street is filmed, which is near NYC. It's meant to evoke images of a rough-around-the-edges low-brow character with limited education. |
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| He is widely regarded as unreliable, abrasive, dishonest, and exhausting.
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| At the same time, he has retained long-standing friendships and professional relationships with numerous people who would appear to have every reason to stop dealing with him.
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| Several factors appear responsible:
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| * Carl can be genuinely loyal;
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| * he is fearless in situations where better judgment would suggest caution;
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| * he is useful in certain unconventional circumstances;
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| * he knows an enormous number of people;
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| * and he is nearly impossible to permanently exclude from a social scene.
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| He is therefore simultaneously a liability and a fixture.
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| == Relationship with authority ==
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| Carl's disputes with authority extend beyond law enforcement.
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| He reacts especially poorly to:
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| * security guards;
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| * parking attendants;
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| * building managers;
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| * code-enforcement personnel;
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| * venue employees;
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| * tow operators;
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| * and anyone carrying a radio while wearing a polo shirt.
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| Carl strongly distinguishes between police officers and private security personnel.
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| This distinction becomes particularly important whenever [[Mike Jorpa]] is involved.
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| Carl's usual legal theory is that a rule becomes optional if the person enforcing it lacks arrest powers.
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| This theory has not generally succeeded.
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| == Speech and mannerisms ==
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| Carl speaks in a rough New York accent.
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| Common characteristics of his speech include:
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| * referring to others as "chief," "pal," or "boss";
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| * aggressively rhetorical questions;
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| * claims that situations are "bullshit";
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| * insistence that he "knows a guy";
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| * references to [[Tony "No Nose" Catellini]] as legal authority;
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| * and statements beginning with "technically."
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| He often interprets silence as agreement.
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| == Possessions ==
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| Items frequently associated with Carl include:
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| * his gold '''TWEETY''' chain;
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| * cigarettes;
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| * inexpensive beer;
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| * folding lawn chairs;
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| * disposable lighters;
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| * playing cards;
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| * questionable vehicle titles;
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| * guitar equipment;
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| * and handwritten telephone numbers belonging to people who may not remember giving them to him.
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| == Continuity inconsistencies ==
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| Like many long-running figures in the Carl Bird Universe, Carl possesses a number of contradictory biographical details.
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| The largest concerns his criminal record.
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| Earlier depictions sometimes characterize Carl as an expert at accumulating large numbers of misdemeanor offenses without ever receiving a felony conviction.
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| Other accounts explicitly describe an eight-year prison sentence for grand larceny.
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| Rather than eliminating either version entirely, the broader continuity generally preserves the following core facts:
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| * Carl has spent substantial time incarcerated;
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| * he possesses legitimate prison tattoos;
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| * he has an extensive criminal record;
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| * most of his later offenses remain comparatively minor;
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| * and [[Tony "No Nose" Catellini]] has repeatedly prevented relatively small incidents from becoming much larger legal problems.
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| Individual articles concerning specific incidents should defer to the chronology established in those articles.
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| == Legacy ==
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| Carl is widely regarded as the central connective figure of the Carl Bird Universe.
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| Although many characters belong primarily to individual subcultures—music, wrestling, security, promotion, local business, or organized entertainment—Carl moves freely between them.
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| As a result, seemingly unrelated figures such as [[Tony Bulsara]], [[Darnell Watson]], [[Trabajo Bone]], [[Mike Jorpa]], [[Zutroy Zagreb]], [[Redline]], and various independent wrestling personalities often become connected through Carl.
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| His continued presence also explains why otherwise respectable events frequently end with police involvement, vehicle trouble, unpaid tabs, small fires, or arguments in parking lots.
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| == See also ==
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