"Dreams with Sharp Teeth"
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
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Somehow I can dig the idea of Gaiman digging the absurdity of talking on tv about how bad tv is. Wonder if there's a clip on youtube or Hulu (smirk)...
The great joke about television is that it follows sturgeon's law- 90% of everything is bullshit. Some days it's gotta be higher.
DVRs and 900 channel tv- the net. gotta love it- gotta wonder where the dreck comes from- I mean seriously- do some people _NOT_ know any better?
Do you get done making one of those daytime tv judge shows and step back thinking that you've just done something good and profound?
Btw- guys. Lay off Ellison. Yea, he's old and not the young lion he was- but he was that young lion of the legends like 40 to 50 years ago. And just being Harlan Ellison has to be wearing on a person.
Fer chrissake Daltrey and townsend have been doing "My Generation" (I hope I die before I get old) for 45 friggin years. I think Steamboat Willy was in the audience at the first performance of that song.
Cut Ellison some slack. If Jimmi Hendrix were alive today he'd be standing next to Peter Fonda selling the time life music of the 60's collection.
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Did you ever read "Jeffty is Five?" Good schtuff.
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I remember when I was a kid hearing folks who were born around the turn of the century say that tv was amoral. I didn't really understand until I really understood the Fox network. Was a great insight on morality- how amorality could be immoral and the lack of moral guidance could be bad... One of those things like Christians and satanists being in complete agreement about where the line is.
Ya- is the first decade of the 21st century- we have this global communications network that makes movable type look like stone knives and bear claws- what do we do with it?
Read most of Ellison's short stuff. Don't remember which one that is.
There's enough overlap of the generations that Dorothy Parker once said (approximately) "When all is said and done, he really is very good".
I used to collect Ellison stories, and, generally, I'm impressed by the guy.
My library is a disaster right now, but if I could find them it'd be a toss up between deathbird stories and neal stephenson's diamond age for thing I have to reread next...
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I have not read enough Ellison. In fact, I have a gift cert for Amazon.com from one of the professors who invited me to speak to her class last month and I might have to use it on some previously-read Ellison.
Do you remember if it was Ellison who wrote the short story about the man who made flutes out of the bones he took from people who he'd convinced were in a losing battle with their skeletons? EDIT - it was Bradbury and the story was "Skeleton".
Neal Stephenson's Diamond Age is a thing of beauty. I keep hearing noise about a movie.
I wonder if you'd like Nalo Hopkinson? She's nothing at all like Ellison or Stephenson, but she does scifi with a unique and beautiful voice.
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Skeleton! Ya, Ray Barbury. In either Dandelion Wine or Body Electric- along with Martian Chronicles, some of the best stuff I read as a kid.
Bradbury is, far as I know, still alive and still won't fly in a plane.
Heck of a Writer. Much as I love Heinlein, the Heinlein Juveniles are a little too squeaky-clean and wholsome. Bradbury is _dark_ in places.
Don't know/remember the Ellison story in question- will have to find it.
I like Parker. Serious admiration there.
Don't know Nalo Hopkinson- will keep an eye out.
Recently had to promise my Grandmother that I'd read Andre Dubus II.
Oh- I ran across this a few days ago. cool site and this was an interesting topic/list:
http://io9.com/5266293/thirteen-books-that-will-change-the-way-you-look-at-robots
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