Harlan Ellison says he is dying

[siskokid888]

He is also a miserable human being.

He most assuredly is not.

He's certainly done great violence to the vanity of a lot of folks who think that their opinions are entitled to automatic respect.

In my experience, he is a liar, a spreader of untrue stories and gossip, and self important to the point of absurdity. He is also nasty, ill tempered, and dismissive of the very people that give him accolades. Still, he is a literary genius, and his contributions to the genre and to literature as a whole cannot be denied.

 

[Avon]

is he dead yet?

 

[Kelso]

I don't like people who are smarter and more successful than I am.

 

[T'Bonz]

OK guys. Let's not be nasty, eh?

 

[Captain Robert April]

Nasty? In a thread about Harlan Ellison? Pshaw....

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

What would he think of this place, anyway?

 

[Captain Robert April]

He'd probably tell us all to go read a goddamn book and quit wasting our time on a mediocre pablum space cop show masquerading as science fiction.

 

[JarodRussell]

I don't like people who are smarter and more successful than I am.

Same here, but only if they are arrogant about it. Success is no justification for arrogance.

 

[Sector 7]

He is a great writer, and it will be a great loss on that point. He is also a miserable human being.

I agree. While a great writer, he seems to try to find ways to make others miserable. His abrasive personality leaves much to be desired.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

I don't like people who are smarter and more successful than I am.

Same here, but only if they are arrogant about it. Success is no justification for arrogance.

Personally, I'm lot more willing to forgive (or at least tolerate) arrogance if the person is talented enough to back it up. It's the arrogant folks who have nothing to be arrogant about that really piss me off.

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

I don't like people who are smarter and more successful than I am.

Truth.

 

[Mysterion]

In my experience, he is a liar, a spreader of untrue stories and gossip, and self important to the point of absurdity.

What has he lied about?

Which stories of his are untrue?

What false gossip has he spread?

 

[Avon]

ok, is he dead now?

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

He'd probably tell us all to go read a goddamn book and quit wasting our time on a mediocre pablum space cop show masquerading as science fiction.

And I'd buy popcorn just so I could watch someone tell HIM to stop being such a jackass.

Success is no justification for arrogance.

Agreed.

I'd sooner make friends with Q than Ellison. Q's less arrogant.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

Harlan Ellison played himself tonight on....Cartoon Network's new Scooby Doo! And Jeffrey Combs was HP "Hatecraft". They even threw in a "By Grabthar's Hammer" for good measure.

 

[Kelso]

Harlan Ellison played himself tonight on....Cartoon Network's new Scooby Doo! And Jeffrey Combs was HP "Hatecraft". They even threw in a "By Grabthar's Hammer" for good measure.

Yes! I've been watching this show with my daughter! I can't wait to watch this one!

 

[Classic Fan]

What a shame.

Heres hoping hes around for a while yet.

I like most of his work, and as a person hes very engaging to watch/listen to.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

In my experience, he is a liar, a spreader of untrue stories and gossip, and self important to the point of absurdity. He is also nasty, ill tempered, and dismissive of the very people that give him accolades.

Your "experience," then, is minimal, misleading and ill-observed.

What has he lied about?

Which stories of his are untrue?

What false gossip has he spread?

You'll doubtless be told that the examples are too numerous to mention...or for one to be brought to mind.

 

[ahkyahnan]

The Scooby episode was pretty funny. Harlan kind of did a parody of himself and his famed 'arrogance'. My favorite was when he jumped all over Shaggy for using the word "Like" every other word. And pointing out to Velma that "Jinkies" isn't really a word. I don't know, maybe in his old age he's trying to not take himself too seriously or something. At any rate I was amazed it was actually him voicing himself...only looking like he did in the 70's or so.

Mark

 

[Captain Robert April]

I don't think he's ever taken himself all that seriously. He takes his work very seriously, and what final form that work takes and how it reflects on him. Which is why if he agrees to write a forward to the new Concordance (an idea I bounced off Bjo), I'll be sure to get his clearance before I so much as fix a probable typo; for all I know, it might be intentional to make some arcane point about something I have no idea about.