Comments | mssaskia: "Dreams with Sharp Teeth"

mssaskia

"Dreams with Sharp Teeth"

May 25, 2009 20:44

I'd just sat down and turned on the TV for the first time in about a week. This documentary about Harlan Ellison was on (although Neil Gaiman's was the first talking head I saw), and it had just gotten to the part where he was talking about "The Glass Teat", his complilation of essays criticizing television and the intellectual laziness of people ( Read more... )

Comments 20

kumasan May 26 2009, 03:29:16 UTC

Ellison has been milking his Hugo's and fame from Star Trek for years, as far as I'm concerned he's a pompous windbag and is no longer relevant to his craft. But other than that he's an OK guy..laughs

Gasp mssaskia May 26 2009, 03:33:40 UTC

You did not just talk shit about my man. It is *on*!

Re: Gasp databeast May 26 2009, 04:44:06 UTC

Well, I second it.. Harlan's a Smart Guy(tm), but he's spent the better part of the last twenty years, not creating new things, but bitching about how his old things are being abusing by (intellectual property abuse of the week).

He's turned into a parody of himself.. he despises people that pilotfish their careers upon other people's work, yet he's done exactly the same thing to himself. For fucks sake he was trying to sue the new Star Trek movie out of existence, because according to him, the combination of Star Trek and time travel ('city on the edge of forever') is his unique creation, and he should receive royalties for it until the end of time.....

Genius is not immunity for becoming a parody of oneself, and Harlan Ellison has gone out of his way, to become such.

Re: Gasp mssaskia May 26 2009, 05:12:27 UTC

I don't know anything about his persona or legal history or any of that. I just love the hell out of his writing. Nyah.

Thread 7

oldvolvo May 26 2009, 05:03:08 UTC

Wow, that sounds recursive ( ... )

Good and profound mssaskia May 26 2009, 05:15:10 UTC

I'm guessing that at the end of the day of filming an episide of Judge Judy (or whatever), the crew is happy to be paid and having something recognizable to add to their resume. There is room in the world for mediocrity. It's how diners and mechanics stay in business, although for different reasons. ; )

Did you ever read "Jeffty is Five?" Good schtuff.

Re: Good and profound oldvolvo May 26 2009, 06:00:21 UTC

Yea, one of those periods where the creativity is running down like the tides ( ... )

Re: Good and profound mssaskia May 26 2009, 10:08:07 UTC

I googled: In 1962, the legendary Dorothy Parker, writing in Esquire magazine, chose the Ellison collection Gentleman Junkie as the only paperback publication for which she ever wrote a review. She singled out the story "Daniel White for the Greater Good" as being: "without exception the best presentation I have ever seen of present racial conditions in the South and of those who try to alleviate them. I cannot recommend it too vehemently... Incidentally, the other stories in Mr. Ellison's book are not so dusty, either ( ... )

Thread 5

oldvolvo May 26 2009, 05:05:01 UTC

Btw- I have a full set of Max Headroom if you need to dose steadily to immunize yourself.

gomeza May 26 2009, 15:28:29 UTC

I will not soon forget the experience of reading The Glass Teat and The Other Glass Teat. They strongly informed my perceptions of, and opinions about, media.

Ellison may have a (perhaps deserved) reputation for being a badly-behaved enfant terrible, but he's also painfully smart, perceptive, and a damned fine writer.

I haven't read those yet mssaskia May 26 2009, 18:42:22 UTC

And I did start to pick up on the *enfant terrible* a bit, but I figure it's not easy living inside a head like that and he's got to relieve the pressure somehow. I'm glad I don't have to be subjected to it and can just enjoy from a distance.

background for the non-faaan gomeza May 26 2009, 15:35:38 UTC

Saskia, if you have no idea why Ellison has the reputation he has, this might be worth reading:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlan_ellison#Controversies

I've spoken with a few people who know him well and call him friend. From those conversations, I gather that his utter disrespect for fandom - the people responsible for his success may be informed by some rather nasty incidents to his friends and family members of said friends by members of the fanish community. His inability to separate the actions of a few from the community to which those few happen to belong isn't exactly admirable, but that sort of thing can at least help one to understand why someone acts the fool.

That said, I expect I'd not care for him if I were to get to know him, but it's tough to know for sure in advance. I have a habit of befriending (or at least tolerating) people who can't stand each other. It seems unlikely I'll have the opportunity in any case.

Re: background for the non-faaan mssaskia May 26 2009, 19:19:26 UTC

Eep. After a brief skim, I'm glad I've enjoyed him from a really healthy distance. I'm curious how the documentary is going to differ from the wiki entry now.

Sometimes great talent comes from extremely unusual personalities. Vive la difference and shit, yo.

Re: background for the non-faaan oldvolvo May 28 2009, 00:19:47 UTC

In my experience, Ellison is the most extreme case of "Just when you're comfortable thinking he's a complete jerk you hear something good about him.

In serveral cases he has been good and kind to Ed Bryant in persona and in print. See the Ellison story "Valerie".

There was at least one person in the literary community who got into some financial and personal difficulties and Ellison- nearly anonymously- bailed 'em out.

On the other hand, there's Ellison's review of Whitley Streiber's "communion" where he refers several times to "alledged author Whitley" and references his hemhoiods and at least two uses for a 12 gauage pump shotgun.