Letters to the Editor
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And he can make you laugh, too.
I think one thing about Ellison that is amazingly underappreciated is the range of his writing. Pieces like "I Have No Mouth . . ." and "Deathbird" are filled with rage and pain, and it's easy to see him as the Angry Young (or Not-So-Young) Man. But he also - admittedly mostly in collaboration - has written some things that are absolutely hilarious, like "I'm Looking for Kadak." (For that matter, some of his introductions in the Dangerous Visions books verge on the hysterical.) In a genre not noted for really funny writers in the first place, his ability to yank your guts around one day and then make you laugh them out another is pretty remarkable.
A bit of that comes out in this interview, which is something of an achievement. Usually you just get the parts where he says that stupid people should die or that Republicans are evil. Perhaps it's a function of his maturity, or maybe it's just that he's gotten pigeonholed as the angry guy and the funny bits get edited out by everyone else.
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From the audio
O'Hehir: I think very few people live up to the example you set.
Ellison: Well I don't live up to the example I set. I mean, my god...
Fitting words, both for Ellison himself and more broadly on the occasion of reprimand for public figures in general.
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Jeez, I like the guy's writing, but what a jerk he is!
You'd think he'd be a happier guy, considering the course his life has taken. Strange.
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My Ellison Encounter
Many years ago, I was attending an SF convention in Anaheim, CA, where I was having Ellison sign my copy of Roger Ellwood's "Six Science Fiction Plays," which included the original version of his teleplay for "City on the Edge of Forever." As he was signing, I offhandedly stated that I preferred the aired version--I was just kidding, but knew it would provoke a reaction--whereapon Harlan threw my pen in the nearest trash can. What suprised me was not his reaction (I was fully aware of his reputation, and to this day have no idea why I chose to crack wise), but that he actully retreived my pen from the trash after I made it clear I wanted it back. A puzzle, since he's never suffered fools gladly and probably could easily have whipped my impudent ass should it have come to that. Still, I've always treasured that story.
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Hardcore Harlan
I wouldn't wanna read the little She-Hobbit's shit either. Like it or not, no bullshit with Ellison. I remember back in the day when he refered to the lame legion of Star Wars freaks at conventions as "retarded." Hyper spaced out Sci-fi and fantasy geeks always get a good groin punch they goddamn well deserve, stuck in their stunted states of alternative reality. I love the son of bitch. Yeah, fuck youe effin' your elf, I'm Ellison you asshole. Know the difference.
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Another Treasured American Crank
I have mixed feelings about Ellison, which is what he wants me to have. But it's a pretty good bet that if I outlive him, I'll lament his passing with a frequency and intensity that are hard to imagine now.
How do I know this? Because that's exactly what happened with Frank Zappa, a very similar character in a different medium.
It's people like Ellison and Zappa that make us realize what vanilla, namby-pamby things our consensus reality, and our commentary on it, really are. There are far too few of them; we desperately need them; and we must treasure the ones we've got.
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And the misanthrope of the month is...
OK, I love Harlan's writing. I've devoured his work since I was in college, especially incredible essays like "From Alabamy With Hate" that stay with you for decades like a splinter in the eye. I was fortunate enough to interview him for a few minutes when I was an intern with Los Angeles magazine back in 1986. He's a genius, and his refusal to budge one inch toward compromise with the dehumanizing crap machine that is corporate pop culture is an act of pure bravery.
But Salon, what's up with the bitter old farts? I mean, first George Carlin and now Ellison? What, you couldn't dig up Vonnegut and let him wax miserable about the human condition from beyond the grave? Carlin, Ellison, Zappa and their ilk all suffer from a common disease of the truly visionary and passionately gifted: they are blind to the truth that most human beings are not geniuses who are driven by otherworldly fire to create and defy and rage against the dying of the intellect. They're just ordinary folks shuffling along trying to get by, trying to maintain some sort of moral center while beating their heads against the wall of a culture and economic system that wants to suck the money out of their marrow. And they've made your career possible, Harlan, by buying your books and watching your teleplays. Shoot them in the head for not knowing who Bessie Smith is? Fuck you, Jack.
Is this the start of a Misanthrope of the Month column or something? You gonna do a fireside chat with Chuck Manson next? How about a three-way with Osama bin Laden and the Unabomber? Better yet, try mixing in some geniuses who know how goddamned lucky they are to have spend decades making a great living doing something most people only dream about doing. You know, folks with perspective and humility.
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Just off, but still
I know it's not quite precise, but I always thought of Ellison as the anti-Heinlein, though I enjoyed and admired both.
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He sounds like a real a**hole to me
I love the way rude people are not tolerated, until they produce anything even mildly representing a work of art at which point they're instantly transformed into "misunderstood geniuses." Someone who was once a jerk is now instantaneously deep and complicated. Complication is another word for having pulled one over on the world.
I kind of like the guy. At least he shoots from the hip, I'll give him that.
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@Stealth Softie
Oh, he is SO going to yell because you've called him a "sci-fi writer." He hates that.
He hates that almost as much as having the acts of surprising kindness and generosity I know he's done come out.