RIP Harlan Ellison (1934-2018)
- Thread starter JaxsBrokenHeart
- Start date
"A Boy and His Dog"
Thank you!
That's all I've got to say about it.
Thank you!
That's all I've got to say about it.
That would be wonderful!
RIP.
I had the chance to meet and speak with him back in 1993 at the Confransisco World Science Fiction convention. A good writer with a fertile imagination and low tolerance for BS (unless it was HIS BS of course).
I had the chance to meet and speak with him back in 1993 at the Confransisco World Science Fiction convention. A good writer with a fertile imagination and low tolerance for BS (unless it was HIS BS of course).
I tried to read the second Ellison anecdote in this article by John Scalzi to my wife yesterday, but I couldn't get the words out I was choking up so hard. I had somehow never thought of the indomitable Ellison as being capable of such vulnerability, but I guess I should have known he could be as sick and scared and human as the rest of us.
Good piece on the two sides to Ellison, both the great and the horrible: https://boingboing.net/2018/06/28/rip-harlan-ellison.html
It's hard to believe that the angry young man of Science Fiction was 84. He's one of my favorite writers and, in my opinion, the last of the great SF writers, even though he was just a boy when the others were already in middle age. Like Clarke, Asimov, and the rest, he was a giant influence on me as a writer. From classic fiction like "'Repent, Harlequin!' Said the Ticktockman" to slice-of-life essays like "The Three Most Important Things In Life," Ellison was a presence in American culture that everyone should experience.
He was not exactly a gentle creature and I only agreed with maybe half of what he ever said, but his dedication to high standards and the greater good was inspiring (as was his devotion to intellectual property rights). His opinions, even when misguided, had the full force of a monstrous intellect behind them and could not be ignored. And the passion that informed his writing will never be surpassed. One of my favorite essays of his was "Reaping The Whirlwind," the original 1974 preface to Approaching Oblivion, and the last several paragraphs are even more powerful now than they were then:
RIP, Harlan Ellison, and thanks for everything.
I wonder if this means that The Last Dangerous Visions is truly dead, or if someone will now gather it up and publish it in his memory.
Most likely, that will be burned up too.
Agreed, and also I'll have no patience for anybody still butthurt over the incident with Connie Willis waiting to smear him after his death for that; it happened, now it's time to focus on other more important matters. Get the fuck over that as well.
I'd heard about that. It would still be nice to get some version of the book out as a tribute, even if it includes some already-published material.
That's a wonderful book. The first half is a transcript from the panels and the second is the stories that resulted, and it's all fascinating. Beautiful illustrations by Kelly Freas, too.
I was fortunate enough to meet Harlan back in 1988, at the Superman Exposition in Cleveland, that was meant to mark the 50th anniversary of Supes. Harlan was witty, brilliant and entertaining as hell. But first and foremost, he was an incredibly talented writer who inspired me greatly in the early 80s and onward. Over the years, I've managed to collect a large number of his books, many now sadly out of print.
You will be missed, Mr. Ellison and thank-you for the inspiration and influence you had on myself and my writing goals.
RIP. You have earned it.
You will be missed, Mr. Ellison and thank-you for the inspiration and influence you had on myself and my writing goals.
RIP. You have earned it.
LOL. I can imagine Ellison's reaction to that foolishness.
http://www.thinkatheist.com/forum/topics/harlan-ellison-on-god
I wonder how this will affect future spinoffs of his work. He was very protective for example, of The Guardian of Forever. I'm guessing since he created it, he does have some sort of intellectual property rights, which of course now go to his estate.
Would his estate allow Star Trek to re-use the concept in ways Harlan himself would not?
Would his estate allow Star Trek to re-use the concept in ways Harlan himself would not?
IANAL, but "City on the Edge of Forever" was almost certainly a work for hire, which means legally Ellison was not owed anything past the compensation any other TOS writer got. I'm sure Samuel A. Peeples' estate doesn't get money every time the barrier at the edge of the galaxy appears, nor is D.C. Fontana compensated whenever a script mentions pon farr. These are elements of the great megawork that is the Star Trek universe, and as such, I believe author's rights to these elements sit squarely with Paramount/CBS. Ellison claimed the Writer's Guild collective bargaining agreement entitled him to merchandising rights and the like, but I understand even the Writer's Guild didn't fully support him on this. (He might have some claim to use of elements from his original script or other adaptations he was involved with, if those elements were not in the episode as aired.) Of course, since Paramount settled with Ellison, there may now be an agreement that would give his estate some control and cut of the profits for use of the Guardian now.
Anybody know more about the law, any special agreement Ellison had when he wrote the episode, or the details of the settlement?
I'm not sure the situation, but I do know Ellison had serious issues with Star Trek and was always bitter over it, despite having written what many consider Star Trek's finest hour.
He must have SOME sort of rights. I believe the only other time we saw the Guardian was TAS, and some books.
But yes, it is entirely possible Ellison has no rights. I just don't know, and I would assume that if he does, the decision DOES reside with his heirs. Given the bitterness Ellison had, I would guess it might be more likely that his Star Trek work get a follow up, if only because his family may not be as bitter as he was.
He must have SOME sort of rights. I believe the only other time we saw the Guardian was TAS, and some books.
But yes, it is entirely possible Ellison has no rights. I just don't know, and I would assume that if he does, the decision DOES reside with his heirs. Given the bitterness Ellison had, I would guess it might be more likely that his Star Trek work get a follow up, if only because his family may not be as bitter as he was.
Actually I thought in his script there was no 'Guardian of Forever' portal as it ultimately appeared. There WAS a portal but also a group of hooded beings known as the 'Guardians of Forever', who protected the portal?
I've never actually read his original story but heard things. For what it's worth--I think GR got it right with Kirk. Harlan wrote a terrific story, but the idea that the hero would let the universe die, and condemn hundreds of millions to death, knowing the atrocities of the Nazis, just to score some tail, even if that tail was the love of his life, is VERY out of character for Kirk.
That would be the most evil and selfish decision possible.
That would be the most evil and selfish decision possible.
