Gore Vidal versus Dimbleby

[NixonisLord]

And Vidal's since changed his mind and thinks electing Barrack Obama was not as good an idea as electing Hilary Clinton would have been. But he's senile so cut him some slack.

[NixonisLord]

I am proud that Gore Vidal called me "the only great President of the last half of the 20th century." But he's also obviously senile or drunk-or both, sadly. They should have not allowed him to speak in public in this stage.

[wonderfulwhippet123]

3:33  Someone's choking on the corporate cock...

[HeadieMung]

I think Mr Dimbleby took this with very good grace.

[BloodTar]

I can't stand such giggling journalists . . . . or whatever they consider themselves to be.

[BloatedSensations]

The BBC audience likes The Facts of Life? I bet their favorite is Tootie.

[mrgbennet]

Nice to see someone so dismissive of those pompous boring Dimblebys.

Vidal made a good point about the clowns the BBC usually uses eg the panel who could only laugh at the exchange. It was beyong them.

[CPGallagher89]

Hahaha Vidal's had a few celebratory drinks it would seem, fair enough.

[SweetDissident]

3:21 "It's your turn." LOL!! Love Vidal!

[lelobest]

Gore Vidal is stupid leftie

[BloatedSensations]

@lelobest "Gore Vidal is stupid leftie" - Uh... well put!?! Spoken like a true Conservative.

[mirandalatimer]

I think he was trying to say that JD's questions were focussed on trying to get him to say something outright provocative, to get a soundbite. He'd already done that for him! So JD did look a bit like a typical British journalist (and I am British so I recognise the type): trying to 'get something out' of the interviewee rather than have a real dialogue.

[tmamone83]

I usually like Vidal, but I think here he forgot to take his Alzheimer's medication.

[paisabombom2133]

LMAO he is like "i dont wat u saying wat im saying so u do it again" LMAO and then "i dont u would cuz i dunno who u r" hahahaha he is 2 old he lost his mind already

[sibbald]

vidal is drunk

[robtul12]

Vidal was not drunk. It is obvious the sound was bad on Vidal's side. Dimbley asked are you "excited" about all of this and Vidal replied "Yes, I did expect this." As if he thought he heard Dimbley say expect instead of excite. There is another instance in which Gore Vidal asked him to repeat what he said. It is obvious Gore Vidal couldn't hear him very well.

[mycal64]

Pompous git!

[TonyLearner]

Vidal was not rude so much as blunt and to the point. Vidal is not interested in being politically correct. That's one reason why we love him. You don't control Vidal in an interview -- he controls you. Lesson learned. Add to that -- no social critic, I mean, none, is sharper and more exciting to listen to. Yes, Chompsky is amazing in his knowledge, but boring.

[bofors7715]

Vidal Gore was definitely off here... his other interviews much much better.

[robtul12]

It's obvious Gore was having a hard time hearing Dimbley.

[codnchips]

No, Vidal embarrassed himself. He was only masterful at ignorance of British current affairs. Jonathan Dimbleby is a household name. The only mastery was shown by Dimbleby in the art of keeping cool in the face of boorish behaviour.

[Nicotag]

Ya alright- because insinuating that a news station would invite dim witted fools to comment on political affairs would be unheard of right.

Whatever it is you would like to believe, believe.

[RogueTrader101]

Shame it was his brother David!

[Nicotag]

Vidal is masterful

[somersetdc]

I like Gore Vidal. True, he is a little blustery at times and maybe a bit off the mark. I saw him on Bill Maher's show last week and he was wonderful. I only hope I'm half as sharp when I am his age. In his day, there was no one that could touch him.

[Bastardozer]

He is getting a tad senile though. He was brilliant on Maher the other day but this here is just babble.

[jayson1978]

All these years these two never met...

bbc have a great sense of timing, don't they?

[MilitantScience]

The man is getting a little bit peevish in his old age.

[mcdade10]

I've been a great fan of Gore Vidal but he is demonstating here that he is becoming senile. He is incapable of giving an intelegent reply to a question. Like most people who are going senile he remembers the past better than he can articulate the present.

[spits32]

Yeah a lot of his latest vids he seems very very irrational and quick to anger

[flangelet]

Senile Dementure!

[uncleadolf]

Dementia moron.

[flangelet]

Must have been thinking of his dent'ure's instead of your dent'ia'!

[naizret]

When Vidal was born Washington was not an "all black" city; not even close. Nor was his grandfather the "most powerful senator" of the day. Gore of Oklahoma--not Mississippi--wasn't even remotely powerful; he was a minor figure in the Senate at best. His grandson has been lying about this, and a thousand other things, for decades and now in his senility his second-class brain is out there for all to see. The BBC got what it deserved by recruiting this lying old shit.

[RoninJin777]

Thomas Pryor Gore was born in Mississippi December 10, 1870. He moved to Oklahoma in 1901. "Unique among cities with a high percentage of African Americans, Washington has had a significant black population since the city's creation." I don't know how you can know how important his Grandfather was but I'd definitely be willing to see your evidence for his lack of importance. Where do you research?

[naizret]

I've lived in Washington since 1950, my parents lived here before me. It has always had a large black population (like any Southern town) but was not "all-black" or even close to majority black when Vidal was born in the 1920s. A simple place to start on Thomas Gore would be his Wikipedia entry. Otherwise, find his name in any account of US political history in the first half of the 20th century. You won't! He didn't even have a leadership position in the Senate, for God's sake.

[RoninJin777]

Is there any way you can show what the Black Population of Washington D.C. was? I don't doubt it isn't as high as he suggests but I'd suspect he is referring to the overall percentage as compared to other American Cities. His Wiki article shows him as working across the aisle, but he wasn't as Vidal says "President of the Senate" that I can find. This interview does not go well for Gore Vidal but others have recently. I suggest you look at those.

[danvinesexgod]

This is great. "I don't know who you are." brilliant! Shouldn't he be back in the home by this time of night?

[hamnose]

What? Gore deaf? sound all wrong? A little funny but a shame cause Vidal has a way of cutting through bullshit and leaving you laughing your ass off. And he's often profound. Even if he can't hear a damn thing the newsman says I still like to hear him. They should do another interview.

[Sibelius92]

Poor Mr Vidal; perhaps there was a hearing issue or a technical sound glitch. Also it was very late.