Q&A with author Kurt Vonnegut

myinky.com ^ | November 15, 2002 | By The Associated Press

[vikingchick]

1. What are your thoughts on the political climate today?

Our form of government is television. If it doesn't happen on television, it doesn't happen. I went to an anti-war rally conducted by decent, middle-class people wearing suits, and the right of the people peaceably to assemble to petition the government for a redress of grievance is now meaningless because TV does not come.

___

2. You live in New York now. How have you found that people on the East Coast differ from people in Indiana, the people you grew up with?

"They are the most provincial people in the world. For one thing, most of the people here in New York never get past the seaport. And they like to imagine all kinds of things. They like to imagine that this is where all comedy comes from, this is where all liberalism comes from, where out in the Midwest, they are all ultraconservative Bible thumpers. They know nothing about us."

___

3. After leaving Indianapolis, have you ever wanted to return?

"No. I mean, after all, that wasn't the center of the publishing industry. It made more sense to be near New York where you can make more money in advertising or public relations or any form of writing. I wanted to be a journalist. That's what I intended to be."

___

4. What do you think is the best thing about comedy?

"It's great relief in a time of misery. And it's one of the things that kept this country from going to pieces during the Great Depression."

___

5. What are your favorite and least favorite books you've written?

"Boy, I graded them one time, and I forget what grades I gave them, and I'm not going to do it again."

___

6. Do you have any advice for writers?

"Don't use semicolons. They stand for absolutely nothing. They're transvestite hermaphrodites, and all they do is show you've been to college."

___

7. At 80, do you have any regrets?

"I'm sorry I didn't write 'Goodnight Moon' and 'Winnie the Pooh.' Seriously, I think they are masterpieces."

[vikingchick]

Schlachthof-Funf

[vikingchick]

Goodnight Moon

[chance33_98]

Our form of government is television.

Nice of him to speak for everyone else.

[vikingchick]

Winnie the Pooh

[laredo44]

I went to an anti-war rally conducted by decent, middle-class people wearing suits, and the right of the people peaceably to assemble to petition the government for a redress of grievance is now meaningless because TV does not come.

Translation: I'm pissed because I, Kurt Vonnegut, a somebody didn't get my opinion amplified out of all proportion to my message by television. I have no problem when nobodies, at least those who deserve to be nobodies, like those who voted for Bush, get no TV coverage.

[vikingchick]

Unofficial Vonnegut ping list from the last Vonnegut thread.

[weegee]

I see anti-American-war protesters, anti-gun protesters, anti-capitalism WTO protesters, etc getting all sorts of news coverage. When counter protesters are present to protest the protesters, they get no coverage.

If 3 people arrive to protest President Bush, it can make the news.

[chance33_98]

I see Blazing Saddles when I turn on my tv. DOH DVD is still in it, no wonder :)

[pariah]

I read nearly every novel Vonnegut had written when I was much younger. The man has incredible insight into human nature, and is howlingly funny, and compasionate. Too bad he is still on the 'Republicans are barbarians' bandwagon.

This interview is way too short. I'd like to know how he reconciles his liberalism with some of the radically individualist ideas found in his early short stories. Welcome to the Monkey House contains some gems.

[Dan Day]

"Don't use semicolons. They stand for absolutely nothing. They're transvestite hermaphrodites, and all they do is show you've been to college."

I'm of the opposite opinion. Back in school I didn't see much use for semicolons, but as the years go by and I learn to appreciate the subtler nuances of punctuation and how it flavors the connections (and separations) between written ideas, the more I find myself deciding that a semicolon is just the right thing in certain situation.

[vikingchick]

http://www.tribnet.com/24hour/entertainment/story/623939p-4788777c.html

Vonnegut fund-raiser speech could be his last


The Associated Press


INDIANAPOLIS (November 17, 7:33 a.m. PST) - Kurt Vonnegut is spending a few hours in a building his grandfather designed, an event some say could be the last public appearance by one of American literature's most revered writers.

Over the past several years, other speeches by the iconic author have been billed as grand finales, but Vonnegut continues to make occasional appearances. And at his age, the 80-year-old says any of them could be the last.

"It's certainly a practical announcement to make," Vonnegut said with a well-worn laugh. "But public speaking has been a large part of my living."

Vonnegut was back in Indianapolis to speak at an event Saturday at the Athenaeum, the downtown building Bernard Vonnegut designed more than a century ago. It now houses a German restaurant, a theater and a YMCA.

Born in Indianapolis in 1922, Vonnegut is best known for his 1969 novel "Slaughterhouse Five," which he based on experiences as a prisoner in Europe during World War II. Other novels include "Breakfast of Champions" and "Player Piano."

Vonnegut, who retired after his last book, "Timequake," was published in 1997, said he hasn't written much since.

"It's like sitting down at the piano and hitting a few nice bars. And that's always pleasant even if nobody's listening," he said. "And on occasion, I please myself with a sentence or an idea that doesn't fit into a publishable hole."

Saturday's $100-a-plate fund-raiser, held by the foundation that preserves the Athenaeum, will include a question-and-answer session with Vonnegut on his memories of childhood and his Indiana roots.

[glock rocks]

hey kurt; i haven't seen you on tv;

;;; guess you're insignificant;

now then; duane hoover; he's significant;

[BraveMan]

Transvestite hermaphrodites; liberalism; inessentiality.

[BullDog108]

Welcome to FreeRepublic. Are you just plain stupid or are you a TROLL?

[oyez]

Its what you would expect to hear from Elliot Rosewater. Scrambled; nonsense.

[edwin hubble]

I have enjoyed his outrageously funny scenarios:

"Chrono-synclastic infundibulum" from Sirens of Titan, for instance.

His politics aside, he is right about the insularity and condesending manner of New Yorkers toward the midwest.
and he is right about the need for humor in bad times.

[joebuck]

"I went to an anti-war rally conducted by decent, middle-class people wearing suits, and the right of the people peaceably to assemble to petition the government for a redress of grievance is now meaningless because TV does not come."

Welcome to the party Kurt, but this is nothing new. It seems it only bothers you now that your ox is being gored. Back in the 70's and 80's, Phyllis Shaffley's "Eagle Forum" had thousands more members than NOW and was much more representitive of the attitude of American women. But, those who watched mainstream television didn't even know it existed, and NOW was trotted out before the cameras every time one of the major networks wanted push its version of the "woman's" position on the issue de jour. This is just one of a myriad of examples.

[boris]

Well he did write Harrison Bergeron, which absolves many of his sins. I think he must have been possessed by the ghost of Ayn Rand.

--Boris