Harlan Ellison - 1980

[ShiksaWithChutzpah1]

I wish more people in this world were like Harlan Ellison. Once he's gone, the world will be a much grimmer place. 

[JonasPolsky]

Harlan Ellison during his "A Better Tomorrow" phase.

[AnimeGirl1220]

. . . Good God, he's awesome. Why can't there be more people in the world like that? XD

[LiamTheGreat]

I almost died laughing when he did his womans voice. I never would've guessed he could do such a high pitched voiced. Thank you for uploading this

[7beers]

Looks a bit like Robert Blake.

[MrRemorseless]

@Shatnerspeare I lol'd so hard.

[posthumanhero]

how did such a hip dude become such a jerk?.......the interview u can find on here from around 1967 has him so full of wonder and hope for science fiction writing -- giving, down to earth, cool.......and by the 70s he started being this whiny complainer............just totally uncool.......did something happen to him?

[johnnysbubbletop63]

Harlan is such a prick! He dists Krantz & Pyne--merely droch chaint* (deserving or not)--a real blondenfeaxed* rudesby. Good thing he’s not a psycho-babbler like Hubbard. There’s actually a coherent point to what he says. Reminds me of George Reeves, the original superman, who’s pissed about being typecast.

* Gaelic, Anglo-Saxon for grizzly-hair, vulgarity.

[sa65cn1]

"Shatterday" is one of his classics, Read Jefty Is Five and let it grab you and make you think.

[CupisHomines]

RIP MEREDITH.

Had an aunt that died of the same causes right around the same time. Weird

[standinstann]

Why is he dressed like David Bowie?

[666caimbirdofhell]

@standinstann Dave's a snazzier dresser than that.. or so I thought.

[luv2bud]

I read a long interview of Harlan (in The Comic Reader?) in 1978, when I was in the eighth grade, and he became my hero and role model. Now I can see that he was-is fairly Narcissistic and unnecessarily abrasive, but he definitely has backbone, and won't kiss anyone's ass. I've gotten in a fair amount of trouble over the years for that kind of attitude, but fuck 'em all, right Harlan?

[aculturemind]

@luv2bud

I don't think it's narcissism. It's internal fortitude, unashamedly expressed. So, yeah, fuck 'em. Or, as I like to borrow: kill em all, an let god sort 'em out.

[wmotamedi]

@aculturemind Really great response. Being a pedantic young male myself, I am relieved to see that someone understands. My family wants to throw me out the window sometimes (and I'm sure that is the case for Harlan's as well.), but I would rather die than pass up a good opportunity to argue for a cause which I believe to be just, even if clueless spectators are hanging their heads in shame. It's called valor, manthasagittarius. Or as aculturemind put it better, "internal fortitude."

[sinjyn66]

Shatnerspeare thats freakin funny...lol.

[darrellkaiser11285]

Nice old lady voice, Harlan.

[maitrejim]

Give the man his bedside manner... Harlan Ellison has a gifted mind that drank in every bit of booklore he could find in his youth. His essays from his life... his marching with Cesar Chavez... his penning a column for the controversial Free Press that mysteriously burnt down in California... whats not to like about the man? Honesty is so rarely found these days.. and usually disdained by those who havent a clue as to what life is about.

[pugay69]

I like the color of his shirt. kLooks like he's not wearing any!

[VengeanceRising1]

God Bless Harlan Ellison...

[CupisHomines]

so how come he attacked Charles Pratt? The article never discussed why. The only way I know of Mr Pratt is through Harlan.

[willerror]

Googled Joe Pyne, he sounds awful. Love how HE ain't afraid to name names.

[Stogart]

Harlan rocking the rapist glasses! No shirt and orange pants...what woman could resist???

[hela2000]

he's changed his tune since then.

[MultiSmartass1]

SF writers are always pigeonholed even to this day.

SF is looked down upon in the publishing world just as comedies are looked down upon by the Oscars.

Just as freelance writers like me as given short shrift.

I cant blame Harlan. Plus he's fucking funny.

[Moredread25]

Why are there more dislikes than likes for this video? Ellison is totally charming- more than usual I think he doesn't want to be called a sci-fi writer because back in those days it was used mostly as a sort of smear, a codeword, an instant demotion to say that the writing was almost worthless. No writer, especially one who has proven quality but doesn't sell that great in part of because of this label, would want to be called anything. Its like calling Tolkien just a fantasy writer.

[Eldeecue]

@Moredread25

I'm guessing because it was posted around the time he had a verbal altercation with one of the creators of Penny Arcade.....it was at X Nerd Convention Du Jour, and evidentally the Penny Arcade guy got butthurt over Harlan Ellison being Harlan Ellison in response to his snark. Long story...

Nothing quite illustrates how little we've progressed from warring religious tribes quite like uncritical fanboyism....which gets you flamed more, saying Jesus sucks, or Firefly sucks?

[posthumanhero]

@Moredread25 because he's petty....oh poor guy has to get called a science fiction writer......like he only wrote for outer limits among a million opther sci fio related things.........i think i really like him circa 1967, but find him to be a nudge here.

[natmanprime]

ah yeahh...

she LAID him after

that's where the interview was going

for shizzle

[DEP717]

Was this filmed at Hef's mansion?

[legalman1980]

Harlan Ellison, like the late Norman Mailer, is and was always a pompous and bitter person. He is a great writer but a rude human being.

[JamesTKirkCobain]

This guy reminds me of Martin Scorcese, talking 9000 miles a minute.

[quaxk]

he's just an abusive little man with a napolonic complex

[DALSU]

he's not wearing a shirt... alien skin holy fuq!

kill the bastard freak!

[mandolinroad]

Is he sitting bare chested in a leather jacket?

[BarefootSerpent]

HE is the man!

[sondano]

I like City on the Edge of Forever but Ellison is an arrogant ass and always has been

[FooFooTheClown]

We need more "angry little buggers."

It's funny, people are shocked when Harlan's kind actually say they don't like something, and are clear on the point. About half the people are glad that someone spearheads the movement back to a time when the language didn't shy away from expressing oneself, and the other half of people shy away. I feel like something's stopping us from wringing the necks of those that shy away, but I don't really know what it is.

[goldsmice]

Falsetto voice...love it.

[goldsmice]

"first of all, he's DEAD"

[pniner]

He's reputed to have been quite the ladies' man, and I can see why. Look at him... the interviewer is eating out of his hand! Look at the last few seconds!

[aherhaerherhae]

@pniner Women just like men who have opinions and aren't afraid to voice them

[manthasagittarius]

@pniner LADIES man??!! Look, I've loved this guy as a writer for many, many years -- always halfway between cringing and gobsmacked with admiration at his technique, his voice, his insights -- but I'd sooner get into bed with a roll of barbed wire. And yes -- he is a narcissist. Solipsistic as a three year old. This is not "backbone", it's a combination of "F-you first" preemptive rejection and sheer lack of interpersonal chops.

[Foxstab]

@manthasagittarius Until he sits you down in a bar, talk you sweetly and swoon you over like it usually goes downt. (Well, won't happen anymore now that he's a corpse, but ya get the drift.)

[katrina2323]

Yay Harlan. I have a whole stack of his books, some signed, some personalised, from this era. He certainly was, and is, an "angry little bugger" as someone said. Also, did you catch the reference to "Ted Turner's Cable News Network"? Imagine life before CNN. Thanks for posting this. I needed to hear some refreshng honesty :)

[psifla]

Very interesting interview. I may not entirely agree with the man - I love Star Wars (Episodes 4 and 5, anyway...the rest I can do without), Close Encounters and the original series of Star Trek (Contrary to what he said, I don't believe the show ever purported to be anything more than what it was) - but he has balls. No question. Something like "I Have No Mouth..." could never get filmed because a story like that makes your skin crawl, it's too uncomfortable. The anti-Spielberg, if you like...

[Sh0nin]

Why is he wearing a skin suit under his jacket?

[ClaudeParish]

Uniquely, a writer is whatever he says he is. Ellison's work is so fantastic that his style is hard for suits to pigeonhole.

He's a writer. That should settle any argument or question anyone has about him or any other writer.

[CCWLuter]

I have a question.

What genre does he generally write?

[DasGoldenBoy]

I believe HE refers to his material as specualtive fiction.

[CCWLuter]

Okay, but what does he write? Don't tell me what he calls it, that's entirely subjective. I want an answer from general consensus.

[DasGoldenBoy]

Read his work and make up your own mind. My opinion of his stuff is subjective, your view of it will differ from mine. I have read two different short stories that he wrote about his parents. Very touching material about a son reflecting on his relationship with both parents. He has also written things about telepathic dogs in a post apocalyptic world. He is an imaginative writer.

[maccyd53]

...which is different to ''science'' fiction or shall we lump in ''non'' to the fiction category too?

[marshmallowinnards]

Her body language is so interesting.

[voidforpurpose]

Scientifiction was the first name given to the field by Gensback but it could be called... magical realism... experimental fiction... if the interviewers and reviewers did not want to ghatto-ize the writers, so Ellison's refusal to play their diminishing game is always refreshing.

He has a mouth, and it sometimes screams.

Rightly so.

[DrCruel]

That's the way you do an interview with Harlan Ellison - use a fairly intelligent blonde female. Someone slim. With a nice face and decent tits.

[theholygod]

Is he wearing a shirt?

[draw4PROductions]

0:47 you can see the collar. but yeah exactly what I thought.

[zoetropez]

Trash still sells. I love how he called out Sidney Sheldon, etc.

[wiccianway]

hes a sci fi punk what a jack off

[Pinkhamsterino]

Is that woman coming on to him at the end?

[equandodominatio]

why was this red-marked?

i mean i could guess that it's probably something like the chicago tribune or the kirkus reviews or whatever, but i'm shamelessly clueless as to what's on harlan's mind. whoever red-marked this is probably some narrow-minded fool who has no business red-marking anything.

[YouDickwod]

it's harlan ellison!

[moondreamer68]

Wow, he has a completely hairless chest.

[Barbabapan]

It's a shirt, actually, light brown

[CBgriffon]

Read "Spider Kiss" last summer, pretty awesome. Totally unique style of writing. Beautifully raw.

[Barbabapan]

Just got "The essential Ellison". Love his work. Very unique.......

[Barbabapan]

Got that book too recently. Such a beautiful building of a book

[ccv707]

Awesome. I've been wanting to buy that one for a couple years now. Can't wait to pick it up myself.

[Barbabapan]

It's great. I HAVE NO MOUTH AND I MUST SCREAM is cool, and all the rest too.

Did you realize I answered to my own comment? Wrote it, came back, read it, answered. Ha. My brain's a mess.

[Actionguy1]

Oh my God! That's one of the Bradley girls from "Petticoat Junction!"

[finder1927]

Is he wearing a leather jacket with no shirt on? If so, that is hella pimp.

[WhiteCamry]

No, it's a flesh-colored sweater.

[UltraMegaPrettyGood]

Why *should* he keep his opinions to himself? WTF!

[JoyGrenade]

Goddamn, he's my hero.

[aogilmor]

Maybe the genre has matured since then. I think great sci-fi is great fiction -- no need to be offended! Wonderful interview, thanks for sharing.

[jennyrgar]

whats wrong with sci fi?

[amirxtreme]

He just doesn't want to be pigeonholed into being just a sci-fi writer. That is all.

[PleiadesSeven]

She is soooooo flirting with him!

[PleiadesSeven]

Damn! Trash like Judith Krantz and Sidney Sheldon! Ruff-ruff, he's got balls to say it! This is what I've been saying! Genre -labeling good writers as sci-fi rips them out of the proper literature kudos alot of writers deserve.

[suhuso59]

"really plays no part in it."

[suhuso59]

I absolutely adore the man - he can call himself whatever, his stories are usually a wild ride: Introduce yourself to the anthologies first - "Paingod and Other Delusions" "Repent Harlequin! said the ticktockman"; The closest to sci-fi is "I have no mouth but I must scream" only because of the presence of the all-knowing computer. And that was SI-I-ICK! By his reasoning, though, Heinlein's "Job" is also Speculative fiction, since science rally plays no pat in it.

[newt0830]

can she be the dumbest host ever made?

[reptomicus]

There's the story of Philip Dick and Ellison in a bookstore. Ellison keeps pointing himself out on the shelf loudly to the annoyance of everyone in the store. Philip tells him to knock it off, but Ellison refuses. Philip picks up mini-Harlin and carries him off to the street.

[rygel52]

I don't think the term "sci-fi writer" is really what is peturbing to Ellison. I think, in this interview, he is irritated with the lack of respect given to writers and the way that some people try to "categorize" the work and the readers. I think Ellison is talking about how his work, and similiar writers, gets written off in some category and deemed not as important or influential because it's sci-fi. The same could be said for the horror genre. There are some real talents in both.

[lokiskywalker]

Harlan Ellison vs. Hunter S. Thompson: who wins in a pit fight?

[natmanprime]

@lokiskywalker it'll be a write-off

and they'll both be write offs

lol

; )

[gb42760ad1972]

He's the BEST AMERICAN writer of the 20th century...PERIOD!!!

[mintchocolatebear]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that Dinah Shore?

[Druffmaul]

I don't know who she is, but she isn't Dinah Shore.

[santapilot]

She's the late Meridith MacRae, daughter of Gordon and Shiela MacRae. Most people know her from her '80s morning talk show as well as her '60s TV series Petticoat Junction.

[randolphtd1]

He is such an awful writer.

[visceralgristle]

Really? Care to back up that statement? From everything I've seen of he's he's pretty damn good.

[jmoney507]

@visceralgristle I agree that he is a good writer, although some of it is pretty staunch. But again, a good writer.

[SteamyLikeAMeal]

yeah, boy, he sure is. Won the Nebula four times, the Hugo award EIGHT times, the Bram Stoker award twice....gosh, yeah what an "awful writer." Thanks for spelling out your ignorance in 6 simple words. I'm guessing simple words are all you know how to write, though, huh? heh heh....what a fucking tool.

[BUDDY6414724297]

Harlan you called me a weasel.

[marsupius]

That's really weird that he doesn't like being called a sci fi writer. Sci fi is great stuff. And I agree with Jetbeelte. That chick wants him bad.

[jaredellison420]

i live in harlan and my last name is Ellison.... pretty fucking sweet!!!

[JetBeetle]

She wants him~~!

It took a while for me to see he was wearing a shirt

[Almuric7]

Speculative Fiction? It's Science Fiction full stop/period. How many God-Damned names are Sci Fi writers going to hide under? "Oh, I'm not Sci Fi, I prefer to see myself as future-mainstream-realist" bullspit...

[Almuric7]

He's an idiot: Science Fiction is a tag of pride. If Harlan doesn't want it OK, but he should write mainstream Fiction! You don't plumb for 40 years and go around taking insults if someone calls you a plumber... The main problem with Science Fiction books today is all the writers are Chicken-s*** scared of standing up to the criticisms of Science Fiction. The Mainstream Fiction is little more than mirror-gazing for Gods sake!

[CaptGage]

Amen. He just is uncomfortable with the stereotypes, which annoy me sometimes. Monster/children's stories, are some of the preconceived notions I've heard.

[picturepainter]

I have to admit, I'm not keen on the term "sci-fi", even though I like reading science fiction stories. There is something a bit disdainful about the term. When I hear "sci-fi" it makes me think of those cheaply-made B-grade movies from the 1950s, with spaceships that look like wobbly hubcaps. Literary critics tend to use the more neutral abbreviation SF. It could stand for Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction, or Science Fantasy.

[chicagoSUGANO]

Harlan Ellison deserves to have an EGO. He Rocks. He makes sense and is a genuine,

funny, entertaining, clever, educated, tenacious, brilliant Butch and I'm proud to say he's an esteemed artist in my industry of Hollywood.

[touchogrey]

And what do you do in Hollywood chicago?

[touchogrey]

Ellison's ego often gets the best of him. He seems to kinda dismiss MacRae as 'just another woman' in his demeanor.

[JackSzwergold]

Really? How so? The reality is nobody really cares either way about his ego. I personally like hearing him speak up for himself because it's truly rare. And he doesn't alienate someone by doing so. Anyone who wants to read his work will read it regardless. And many people don't even realize some of the great TV he's written. Any publicity is good publicity. And his career has never suffered because of his ego. Ditto with Bob Dylan who was as big of an egotist.

[JetBeetle]

Harlan is what more men should be. The world is run by and full of pussies nowdays

[felicity4711]

LOL! I love his girl voice! :-)

[imtheone06]

? he doesn't sound like a girl at all..

[felicity4711]

Not his normal voice; I meant when he was imitating the hostess of the show he walked off of. "People who read romance novels are very romantic..." It's about 3m30s in, check it out.

[Elric33239]

Not just any girl, a New-YAWK-uh! Polly Holliday, eat your heart out! LOL

[westeightyone]

Seeing this makes me appreciate how good an interviewer Meredith MacRae really was.She

challenges Harlan Ellison when he shrugs off slighting Joe Pine.Ellison says Pine's dead and MacRae responds with Judith Krantz and Sidney Sheldon aren't.Her quick response catches Ellison off guard rendering him speechless for a moment.And she does it without yelling or talking over Ellison.

[Elric33239]

I believe they met on a feminist-formatted debate show called "Mantrap" and he'd been impressed with her ever since. I can see why.

[keytoothed]

I think Ellison would say he writes "speculative fiction."

[paxpaul]

No, he is not a science fiction writer. If you've ever read much of Harlan, you'd see that "speculative fiction" is the perfect name.

And what's the problem with having a writer being picky about the words used to describe him? That's not neurotic, that's CRAFT.

Harlan has been writing for over half a century. I think HE knows what HE writers better than you do.

Thanks for posting this great clip!!!!

[beautifulspam]

But he is in fact a science fiction writer.

[Rodimus78]

If he were just a science fiction writer, then his WHOLE body of work would've been strictly reserved for that genre. No sir, he wrote more than just SF, he writes horror, mystery, comics, essays, transgressive fiction, etc. He did it all related to writing. If you don't know that, then you don't know the man's work at all.

[beautifulspam]

Well let's see. He known mostly for his science fiction, he makes most of his money from science fiction, and most of his public appearances are related to his science fiction. Call me crazy, but I say that makes him a science fiction writer.

[truewealth]

He'd object to the term writer too I think. He prefers the word Author. :)

[beautifulspam]

Yeah, let's all tiptoe around Ellison's various neuroses : )

[linuxguru1968]

Yeh, but give him credit - he was one of the very influential television writers in the 1960s.

[suhuso59]

But isn't that the very point he is making, though ... the majority of his work is MIS-LABELLED as science fiction when technically, it isn't - it is more speculative than purely scientific - what-ifs that may or may not include elements that touch on the futuristic. If you never read Ellison and are looking for pure Sci-Fi, you may not get him.

[iconoclast616]

He's a artist ... dip shit !

[beautifulspam]

Once again, how does being an artist excuse him from the modest demands of courtesy to others?

[JackSzwergold]

He writes what he wants but it just gets pigeon-holed as being science fiction as if you need special gloves and goggles to read it. It's mainly a marketing term and not much else. THAT is his issue.

[algie734]

nice skin shirt! =)

[NobodyKA1]

Harlan believes "sci-fi" is a marginalizing term for science fiction, which he prefers to call speculative fiction, since science fiction connotes a small part of the entirety of the genre -- rockets and aliens and rayguns. Secondly, much of his work is not speculative fiction and he would rather such be filed in the general fiction section, where a browser might spot it and purchase it. In his experience, his sales of non-SF work categorized in SF are much lower than previously described.

[witchman67]

I think it is Meredith McRae.

Harlan rocks...

Read "The Glass Teat" for more of his opinions on TV.

[mikey8052]

Who's the chick doing the interview?

[vandalking78]

Haha that outfit blows my mind. How on earth did we ever think red pants looked good?

[anton1990]

The greatest writer who have ever lived.

[squonkamatic]

Two questions come to mind: How many lines of coke did he snort just before going on camera, and did they go get a room & shag like a pair of animals afterwards? She is all OVER Harlan, even guys who work on the decks of aircraft carriers don't send as many nonverbal "come hither" signals as she does. Crikey!

[wesley1125]

The interview he walked out on, is that available anywhere?

[naard]

he seems like someone who would get on my nerves. fast. settle down, you're gonna have a f-ing stroke!

[Elric33239]

The man had quadruple bypass surgery and lived to tell about it! He's too tough, too smart and too onery to die!!!

[mephigog]

Great post!

[pdub23]

straker2-take Harlan's postion about being called a "sci-fi writer" within the context of 1980. SF was a publishing and cultural ghetto up til then; just a few years after Star Wars and the 1st Star Trek movie-the common definition of SF at the time and certainly not what HE wrote. Can't blame him for not wanting to be grouped in under that label.

[Huggermussus]

You make a good point there, but I wonder if he still feels the same way. If so, he would benefit from reading some of Samuel R. Delany's essays on the meaning and perception of SF as a genre.

[pdub23]

I remember back then he used to call the term "sci-fi" a "nauseating neologism." Of course, many years later he was involved in the creative for Babylon 5 and the revived Outer Limits. I don't think he ever denied his speculative fiction roots; he just didn't want to be ghettoized. And, of course, where SF sat in the publishing and media scheme of things definitely changed since 1980.

[straker2]

He's an angry little bugger isn't he? Good writer, pity that the Science Fiction label is so damaging to talented people! :(

[boldavenger]

I swear...as I watch this...the color of his shirt and the quality of the video made it look like he was not wearing any shirt at all.

[scoobyodd]

Yeah I thought that too. He seems like the kinda guy that would do that...and this was just past the tail end of the 70s, when that probably would have been a great fashion statement.

[gauthicknight]

Is there more of this interview?  This is GREAT!

[jackdaaripper]

preach it, HE!!!

[StarDancer2]

Thank PikaB, for finding this interview clip. Meredith is her usual diplomatic and graceful self, and Ellison is interesting too. I'm always eager to see more of Meredith. She was a rare and generous soul.