In "The Sexual Revolution", of his book Palm Sunday, Vonnegut grades his own works. He states that the grades "do not place me in literary history" and that he is comparing "myself with myself." The grades are as follows: Player Piano: B The Sirens of Titan: A Mother Night: A Cat's Cradle: A-plus God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater: A Slaughterhouse-Five: A-plus Welcome to the Monkey House: B-minus Happy Birthday, Wanda June: D Breakfast of Champions: C Slapstick: D Jailbird: A Palm Sunday: C
I think it would be wrong to grade any of his books below a B+. The grammar, though occasionally stylistic, was certainly above par and his spelling was always "spot on."
Are you people retarded? This is a one-minute and forty-one second clip of a seventeen minute video. If you watch the entire interview, which is posted on Charlie Rose's website (and hosted on Google Video), yes, Mr. Rose does let him speak! And overall, I think it was a decent interview. Get a grip, you uptight, nitpicking drama queens.
wow, it would be great if charlie rose didn't plow over everything vonnegut was saying. he can't even sit still. he just jerks around, making inane comments.
slapstick an f no way it was great breakfast he was just masterbateing with his mind sirens of titan was his first and that was the shiznit player piano was just ok in compairson but olny in compairson cats cradel and glapagos are also good
slapstick an f no way it was great breakfast he was just masterbateing with his mind sirens of titan was his first and that was the shiznit player piano was just ok in compairson but olny in compairson cats cradel and glapagos are also good
I loved Slapstick! What other book has neanderthal twins with 6 fingers and toes and four breast tie down their servants and make them watch as they engage in a five day orgy and feed them peanut butter and jelly sandwhiches and only stop to get more peanut butter?!
The first one I read was Timequake! I loved it so much I read all of the books that were at the downtown library in chronological order. Such great humor! They are all great, but I think that Timequake will remain my favorite: I felt like I was reading the product of many years of thinking, laughing, and truthtelling. Go People!
cat's cradle is more than a book, it's hard to compare that to most anything else ive ever read less grade it... i would give sirens or titan, breakfast of champions A's though.
I love everything I've read so far, but Cats Cradle is the only on that is definitely an A+. Slaughterhouse Five is also a fantastic book, and I thought Hocus Pocus was a good book. I'm in the middle of Breakfast of Champions right now.
Kurt Vonnegut's fiction has inspired millions of smart, good minded people from across the globe and it continues to. Mr Vonnegut was a courageous solider who fought in WWII's bloody Battle of the Bulge. Captured by the Germans & as a POW he survived the very worse horrors of war. That certainly entitled him to say what ever he needed to say about life, America, religion, human values and love. "And so it goes!"
Why do you think he's on PBS, any commercial station he would have been canned for crappy ratings. My tax dollars go to pay for this 'yutz'. Vonnegut, great author who didn't take himself too seriously. Mark of a great person.
@Soundgarden1009 You're such a dumb shithole. Let's see you being one of the finest interviewers in America. Let's see you interview Vonnegut, Alan Bloom, and George Steiner. Eh mister? Fuck off, douchebag.
@roman1akid hahaha im a fan of classical, i think im soooo intelligent and my name is ROMAN! wow, hard cocksmoker you are. i like classical too but im not all "oh it makes me so intelligent"
@Soundgarden1009 I don't think it makes me intelligent. And I don't think I said "oh it makes me so intelligent." ;) If I did please quote me and I'll be happy to apologize. My name also has nothing to do with me. It's not even romania actually- roman1a stands for romania; I'm Romanian, yes. Your response really isn't defending you...it's only making you look worse. Remember, my accusation was based on actual fact. It was justified, unlike yours.
Weird. "Slapstick " actually gave me pause from ever picking up his books again. Interesting to hear it here from the man himself! "God bless you Mr Rosewater " is still one of my favorites. I think if every great writer failed to put out even a below par book, it would fuck with their 'production/creativity' so as a writer, no matter what the trick is to keep writing: avoiding writer's block and all that, yes?
Funny. I've read all his work, and Slapstick is among my favorites, while God Bless You Mr. Rosewater is one of the few I found a bit shallow. Interesting he said he felt his powers of writing were fading when one of my favorites is a late work called Hocus Pocus. I think my favs are Bluebeard and Deadeye Dick. Two great ones in my opinion. Cheers
I have also read all of his work. I think two books rise far above the others in supremacy: sirens of titan and breakfast of champions.
However, I have a theory about writers like Vonnegut (or Robbins)- generally, the first one you read is your favorite. My first was Breakfast. I was HOOKED. Within 60 daze, I had read everything of his (except welcome to the monkeyhouse- whcih I still have not read for some reason).
Try The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman
"Slapstick" was enjoyable and entertaining but it lacked that poignant theme and social compatibility that some of his other books had. I have always found SH-5 to be overrated, whilst my favorites are, by far, "Mother Night", "Bluebeard", and "God Bless You, Mr Rosewater".
I would never give an "F" to ANY of his books, primarily because, while not all great, none of them are difficult or incomprehensible reads. You will always find a fast paced story, a sound moral, and plenty of humor.
I agree with all of that except for the Slaughterhouse-Five comment. I know it was his biggest commercial success and there's alot of other AMAZING stuff but that is the single greatest anti-war book I've ever read. Alot of people think the science-fiction scenes take away from the message but to me it makes it relates so much easier to the reader, especially those who haven't actually experienced the atrocities of war outside of literature.
Vonnegut was one of the authors that changed the way I looked at story telling in some ways his books ruined the way I read other books because nothing else compared to his storytelling except other exceptional writers like Ayn Rand and ray bradbury lol and the dude who wrote Grapes of Wrath
His name is John Steinbeck, and Grapes of Wrath is not that amazing, East of Eden is infinitely better and easily rivals anything Vonnegut has produced
Kid you not, if you look hard enough the meaning of life is in that book
Grapes of Wrath is not that amazing, but East of Eden is better than anything Vonnegut has ever produced?
So authors produce now?
First of all oz, Grapes of Wrath was an amazing book even before I read it, which means there was a lot of hype and commercial behind it. It lived to the expectations, surpassed my expectations.
East of Eden is great, but it's trudge to say it's easily better than Vonnegut's work.
I think Vonnegut and Steinbeck were both relatively deep (for Americans), however, in my opinion, Vonnegut is infinitely more fun to read because of his fantastic sense of humor.
Also, his tendency towards self-deprecation makes him so much more likable.
I have enjoyed Steinbeck in the past. It has been a long, long time. I remember liking The Pearl (a great story for 6th graders), and the winter of our discontent.
dnt read this(cuz it really wrks). u will gt kissd on the nearest frieday by the love of ur life. 2mara wll b the bst day of ur life hwever if you dnt post ths comment 2 at least 3 vids u will die withn 2 days nw uv startd readn this dnt stp this is so scary snd ths ovr
@mrqateen Thank you. I sincerely thank you for that comment. "Many people need desperately to receive this message: 'I feel and think much as you do, care about many of the things you care about, although most people do not care about them. You are not alone.'" -KV
Slapstick was a good book, I'd say. Not as good as Cat's Cradle, Sirens of Titan, or Slaughterhouse Five. But I think it's on par with Breakfast of Champions.
I enjoyed how Kurt graded all of his books. He mentioned that "Slapstick was a failure because critics hated it so much and they knew more about it than I did." I LOVED Slapstick, so I guess I don't know much about literature. I think Vonnegut was trying to say that critics didn't get the point. And so it goes...
how old is this? charlie rose is fucking YOUNG! i don't think Rose is invasive, he is a "New York style" interviewer. he'll prod you to answer his questions and keeps his guests from mindlessly sloganeering. i think the best illustration of this was his bit with Paul Wolfowitz. (this is not to say that the late great Vonnegut was ever - ever- a habitual sloganeer. that was the antitheis of his whole prose).
it's funny to read all these comments about idiots who who have never seen a charlie rose interview. it's little wonder that they're all vonnegut fans (and dropping stephen colbert) charlie rose is one of the most respected interviewers in mainstream media.
Reminds me of Stephen Colber(t) in the Truthiness-episode (if I remember correctly) saying "But this show is not about Me. This show is about You. - The Heroes". :)
Vonnegut was such a great writer and such a great man.
Hey could a few people help me out? I've read cat's cradle and im pretty sure I'm going to read Slaughterhouse Five. I was wondering, in you're opinion, what are his other great novels. Which Kurt Vonnegut's do you love? Please reply and help me out.
I bought and read Cat's Cradle (amazing) a few weeks ago, finished Slaughterhouse-Five three days ago, and bought Breakfast of Champions yesterday. This man is amazing.
Just because you fit into the category of 'looter', doesn't mean you should attempt to disparage an entire group of intellectuals. And on the internet? That's just sad.
I think I'm looted, good sir, and not only by states but also by entrepreneurs and capitalists. That profit comes from somewhere and it's not their bronze balls.
This comment has received too many negative votesshow
Ayn Rand is awesome. Atlas Shrugged and Fountainhead are monumental and thrilling books. More objectivity in the world would have prevented ideological disasters like communism !
Are you atributing objectivity to Ayn Rand? Fountainhead uses the main character Howard Roark to show that capitalism must be followed to its purest ends, and those who stand in the way will end in failure. Rand then appears to be very subjective about who is right and who is wrong. I loved Fountainhead and believe in the achievment of the individual as the purest means of expression. Art as it symbolizes pure capitalism, for me, is a good thing. The power of the individual is as far as I go.
She's as "objective" as any of her critics, that's for sure. She's a human being; only a computer or robot could be perfectly objective (actually, probably not). She believed in fairness and freedom. It's not quite the end of Capitalism in the U.S.A. or the world, but let's not confuse George Bush's corrupt, criminal activities with Randian Unbridled Capitalism! She would have viewed Bush as and his cronies as Evil, not as freewheeling pure capitalists -- that's for sure.
this "pure capitalism" you speak of... do you have any examples of it actually existing? It strikes me as equally utopian as communism, a system that has not been practiced, in its true form, since the industrial revolution.
We can talk about how things ought to be all day long- the fact is, capitalism, as it actually has existed, has been and continues to be disastrous- with easily predictable consequences- consequences that have been spelled out by profound thinker after thinker.
Sure! Pure Capitalism exists at, say, Apple Computer in Cupertino. Oh, do you mean Pure Capitalism existing as an ENTIRE COUNTRY? How can it? All countries on earth are "blends" of Capitaliam, Socialism, Facism...America now swinging towards Socialism under Obama, of course. Communist Russia Sucked Big Time and So Do/Did ALL Communist Countries. Know any great communist countries, anywhere, ever? Wanna' live there?
swinging towards socialism under Obama? LOL. Do you have any examples of Obama enacting socialist policies? I'd be willing to bet that you don't.
Just like pure capitalism, pure communism has never existed, at least, since the industrial revolution. One could argue that MOST indigenous societies living before the industrial revolution were communistic in nature.
Discuss how Russia was communist rather than a brutal dictatorship under Stalin. I'd like to hear about it from you.
Are you dumb, or don't you read the papers? State Ownership of Banks: Socialism. State Ownership of Auto Companies: Socialiam. Socialized Health Care: Socialism. Duhhhh....Okay, "Communism" is an PURE IDEAL that has NEVER been present ANYWHERE on the earth in any form, and never will be -- uh, so, why are you talking about it, if it NEVER will exist? Cuba was Communist (life sucks there). Russia was Communist (life sucked there). China is Communist (life pretty much sucks there).
state ownership of banks? Bank of America just recorded a profit last quarter. Did the taxpayers get any of their profits? No? Then it isn't socialism.
GM was going to fail. Obama bailed them out to save jobs and a vital industry to our nation's security (remember WW2?). When GM makes a profit, if the govt takes their profits, THEN it's socialism.
Socialized healthcare? What are you talking about? Obama took single payer healthcare off the table on day one;.
You don't read papers, and you don't read history either (you must be one of the new dumb generation, right). Lenin named Stalin as his successor. Lenin built the Communist State ALONG MARXIST GUIDELINES. For years, dumb lefties worshipped Russia, Lenin, and Stalin because IT WAS THE ARCHETYPAL COMMUNIST COUNTRY. It was. But it also sucked. ANYONE would take Rotten American Democracy/Capitalism any old day. People died trying to get out of there and over here.
I'm asking about the structure of their political system. Talk to me about HOW it was a communist govt rather than what it appears to have been- a brutal dictatorship.
I'm asking you to go BEYOND the mindless cliches you have offered thus far.
What you're asking for is free education, which takes too much time and energy. Now I'm feeling compassionate towards you. What I'm saying is not cliched -- any more than saying "The Sky Is Blue" is a cliche. Sure it's a cliche, but it's also true! And it's also true that Obama is moving the country towards a socialist agenda (government influence/meddling/control of things tha used to be purely in the private sector) and Russia was a COMMUNIST COUNTRY. None of these things are in doubt!!!
free education takes too much time and energy? LOL. OK. Reminds me of a bumper sticker I see on occasion- If you think education is expensive, try ignorance. We have- it costs a lot more in the long run.
You keep SAYING Russia was communist. I keep asking you HOW- specifically- it was communist. I understand that everyone CALLS it communism- I am asking you to QUALIFY that statement, not simply repeat it so often that I MUST accept it.
Kvonnegut - slaughterhouse five audiobook read by ethan hawke - check out my channel for it if you haven't read the book
tenseman08 2 weeks ago
i liked slapstick lol
MrBouncemouse 1 month ago
Charlie Rose is usually solid. The way he interviewed Vonnegut, though, it seemed like he had to take a colossal dump.
jcasetnl 1 month ago 2
Comment removed
jcasetnl 1 month ago
bah i loved slapstick hehe
jbarron23 1 month ago
He looks like Lou Reed.
Savorist 2 months ago
I loved slapstick! Let me also say, I am not a published book critic.
JakeCohan 2 months ago
Classic Rose. Nervous, peripatetic and intrusive. Makes a good front man for the system though.
docmontauk 2 months ago 2
Sirens of Titans is a great read
rquader 3 months ago 2
@rquader Sirens of Titan is one of the best books ever written!
squid4104 1 week ago
I give Vonnegut an A plus as a human
jgwphilly1969 3 months ago 7
Charlie Rose, whoever he is, sucks ass at interviewing.
Johndavis4542 3 months ago
Slaughterhouse V woot!
Thirtiesguy 3 months ago
Slaughterhouse V woot!
Thirtiesguy 3 months ago
let the man talk, Charlie Rose.
wahoomandaloo 4 months ago
Breakast of Champions deserves an A. He gave it a C.
pissedllama 5 months ago
@pissedllama Totally agree on that.
Trustme77 2 months ago
Yes, title should be changed to "Kurt Vonnegut TRIES to Talk With Charlie Rose"!
FungusMossGnosis 5 months ago 6
He keeps interrupting.
meeXDhappy 5 months ago
charlie rose can be a pompous, blabbermouth--here's a good example
globill620 5 months ago
JOHNNYSTABBO 7 months ago 3
@JOHNNYSTABBO Was Galapogos written after Palm Sunday then?
mik315onfire 6 months ago
Somebody should spray-paint "FUCK CHARLIE ROSE" on the door of an art academy.
billiejoeiv 7 months ago
charlie rose: still alive?
martinrking 7 months ago
Haha Charlie Rose is usually very good about letting his guests talk...but here he looks like a damn amateur.
stevesan 9 months ago 3
@stevesan I hate Charlie Rose as an interviewer. I think he's the most bland and uninteresting person alive.
ThePunkPatriot 7 months ago
God damn, let him talk!
avaseal 9 months ago 7
What a jerk (the interviewer).
FMota91 9 months ago 5
RIP
MALARAZZA 11 months ago
Sound garden, chill out. who cares about charlie rose.
heytigga 11 months ago
Comment removed
roman1akid 11 months ago
So it goes.
pugppgug 11 months ago
more like Charlie Rose Talks With Kurt Vonnegut
Ogaitnas900 11 months ago
b-
tofubandito 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
check out my page to see a video of Kurt Vonnegut reading Breakfast of Champions!!
zphillipps 1 year ago
my favorites: breakfast of champions and sirens of titan
bubblelink47 1 year ago
I loved Slapstick!
faithdelusion 1 year ago 2
Cats Cradle is da best
kurdt40894 1 year ago
I think it would be wrong to grade any of his books below a B+. The grammar, though occasionally stylistic, was certainly above par and his spelling was always "spot on."
Sincerely,
Your Eight Grade English Teacher
tomblack2112 1 year ago 3
charlie can go bite his finger
ShadowGKCP 1 year ago
sirens of titan is a super a plus
billyg89 1 year ago
What a shame about slapstick! It's by far my favorite vonnegut book! Not an F at ALL!!!
ajagoff 1 year ago
I love Slapstick. It's funny its the only one he mentions as an F. The critics were wrong on that one.
doctorpauljones 1 year ago
Are you people retarded? This is a one-minute and forty-one second clip of a seventeen minute video. If you watch the entire interview, which is posted on Charlie Rose's website (and hosted on Google Video), yes, Mr. Rose does let him speak! And overall, I think it was a decent interview. Get a grip, you uptight, nitpicking drama queens.
ares213 1 year ago
Charlie Rose never seems to know the guest he's interviewing. It's embarrassing.
4OozT0freedom 1 year ago
i quite liked slapstick when i read it 15 years ago
rohanhaggart 1 year ago
SHUT UP, CHARLIE ROSE!!!
Damn!
LanceAnderson77 1 year ago
it was jailbird!
dasspiegel 1 year ago
Sirens of titan was a beautifully told story of irony, used as a springboard for many topics... Cat's cradle was just raw genius.
KurtCantrell 1 year ago
i love slapstic
DanMichelFerrisIII 1 year ago
Meb94 - finally someone (and at least 12 others) agrees with me! Sirens of Titan - fucking amazing; my favourite of all his novels.
Icantseepolla 1 year ago
Jesus Christ, let the man speak, Charlie!
masteruber12 1 year ago 22
@masteruber12 LOL ... never happens on a show named "Charlie Rose"
alienhuman 1 year ago
I give Charlie Rose's Interview with Vonnegut an F-,-,-,-,-,-
HillDueceua 1 year ago 49
wow, it would be great if charlie rose didn't plow over everything vonnegut was saying. he can't even sit still. he just jerks around, making inane comments.
assiduously 1 year ago 4
slapstick was amazing
PinStripes41 1 year ago 2
This has been flagged as spam show
slapstick an f no way it was great breakfast he was just masterbateing with his mind sirens of titan was his first and that was the shiznit player piano was just ok in compairson but olny in compairson cats cradel and glapagos are also good
whynot1111111 1 year ago
slapstick an f no way it was great breakfast he was just masterbateing with his mind sirens of titan was his first and that was the shiznit player piano was just ok in compairson but olny in compairson cats cradel and glapagos are also good
whynot1111111 1 year ago
Charlie Rose needlessly acts like a cock sucker to some of his guests, ie Don Henley, Tony Robbins, etc.
taiyogenki 2 years ago
I agree with his three A+'s, but would also give A+'s to God Bless You Mr. Rosewater, Slapstick, and Hocus Pocus.
SirStephenPutman 2 years ago
What about Galapagos
xGUITARxMANIACx 1 year ago
Charlie Rose: DC-
olderbudnoweiser 2 years ago
I loved Slapstick! What other book has neanderthal twins with 6 fingers and toes and four breast tie down their servants and make them watch as they engage in a five day orgy and feed them peanut butter and jelly sandwhiches and only stop to get more peanut butter?!
Thejugglingbum 2 years ago 4
Bluebeard A+
brown2cu 2 years ago
What book is he talking about when he says he gives it a B-?
boutaspoonful29 2 years ago
The first one I read was Timequake! I loved it so much I read all of the books that were at the downtown library in chronological order. Such great humor! They are all great, but I think that Timequake will remain my favorite: I felt like I was reading the product of many years of thinking, laughing, and truthtelling. Go People!
allnightpancakes 2 years ago 3
cat's cradle is more than a book, it's hard to compare that to most anything else ive ever read less grade it... i would give sirens or titan, breakfast of champions A's though.
movesinc 2 years ago
Je vais aller voir son affaire si c'est aussi beau qu'il dit ce soir et je te reviens la-dessus
dddddppppprrrrr 2 years ago
guys sirens of titan A+++
meb94 2 years ago 58
@meb94 so that's your favorite? what do you think of his other works?
MemoryofGhostille 5 months ago
Cat's Cradle A+
Galapagos A
I still don't know what to say about Slaughterhouse Five other than I LOVE IT
and i'm reading God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater.
Durntdewd 2 years ago
I love everything I've read so far, but Cats Cradle is the only on that is definitely an A+. Slaughterhouse Five is also a fantastic book, and I thought Hocus Pocus was a good book. I'm in the middle of Breakfast of Champions right now.
NunStampede 2 years ago
Slaughterhouse-Five A-
Breakfast of Champions A+
GregvidsProuductions 2 years ago
You're right, Breakfast of champions should be an A+, Player Piano...not so much.
mindlobster 2 years ago
Breakfast of Champions was too simple & too easy IMO
FierceSwitters 2 years ago
I a bit ashamed that I havent read more of his works, but I would like to share my opinion.
and so it goes...
Timequake B
Welcome to the Monkey House B-
Breakfast of Champions A+
Slaughterhouse V A-
CornTrollio 2 years ago
Breakfast of Champions = Magical
TheFantastards 2 years ago 3
Kurt Vonnegut's fiction has inspired millions of smart, good minded people from across the globe and it continues to. Mr Vonnegut was a courageous solider who fought in WWII's bloody Battle of the Bulge. Captured by the Germans & as a POW he survived the very worse horrors of war. That certainly entitled him to say what ever he needed to say about life, America, religion, human values and love. "And so it goes!"
donnyoh 2 years ago
Slaughterhouse five was by far my favorite, hes a brilliant man, he is.
toddin 2 years ago
I give slapstick an A!
njones18 2 years ago
I also loved Slapstick. But Timequake was my favorite.
MissBobbyMcGee77 2 years ago
"You're HAPPY!"
KajiCarson 2 years ago
chill out guys, its just youtube
myguitardidyermom12 2 years ago
Let the man talk Charlie good christ.
7d7e7f7 2 years ago 8
Yes this Charlie Rose should NOT have a talk show. fucking idiot.
Soundgarden1009 2 years ago 10
Why do you think he's on PBS, any commercial station he would have been canned for crappy ratings. My tax dollars go to pay for this 'yutz'. Vonnegut, great author who didn't take himself too seriously. Mark of a great person.
puck30 2 years ago
@Soundgarden1009
Why don't you like him? I think he's great.
aha45 1 year ago
@aha45 Because he wont let his guest speak. Im sure hes good sometimes
Soundgarden1009 1 year ago
@Soundgarden1009 You're such a dumb shithole. Let's see you being one of the finest interviewers in America. Let's see you interview Vonnegut, Alan Bloom, and George Steiner. Eh mister? Fuck off, douchebag.
roman1akid 11 months ago
@roman1akid hahaha fag
Soundgarden1009 11 months ago
@Soundgarden1009 What a magnificent defense. Really showcases your transcendent intelligence and your brilliant ability to debate...
roman1akid 11 months ago
@roman1akid hahaha im a fan of classical, i think im soooo intelligent and my name is ROMAN! wow, hard cocksmoker you are. i like classical too but im not all "oh it makes me so intelligent"
Soundgarden1009 11 months ago
@Soundgarden1009 I don't think it makes me intelligent. And I don't think I said "oh it makes me so intelligent." ;) If I did please quote me and I'll be happy to apologize. My name also has nothing to do with me. It's not even romania actually- roman1a stands for romania; I'm Romanian, yes. Your response really isn't defending you...it's only making you look worse. Remember, my accusation was based on actual fact. It was justified, unlike yours.
Cheers.
roman1akid 11 months ago
@roman1akid haha im fucking with you fag. however, i stand with my original opinion about Rose.
Soundgarden1009 11 months ago
@Soundgarden1009 Suit yourself homie.
roman1akid 11 months ago
@roman1akid Homie?
Soundgarden1009 11 months ago
@Soundgarden1009 *Sir.
roman1akid 11 months ago
@roman1akid haha thanks dog.
Soundgarden1009 11 months ago
yeah he could really shut the fuck up.
jwxq3 2 years ago
Cold Douche Bag.
micmore007a 2 years ago
wtf
dirtycelinefrenchman 2 years ago
tristramshandy3 one, ssalemi nill.
layytceb 2 years ago
Ironically, at least at a philosophical and legal level, the U.S. is closer to the ideals of communism than almost any other nation.
"...of the people, by the people, for the people".
What bloody pinko came up with that one?
javaman1891 2 years ago
Weird. "Slapstick " actually gave me pause from ever picking up his books again. Interesting to hear it here from the man himself! "God bless you Mr Rosewater " is still one of my favorites. I think if every great writer failed to put out even a below par book, it would fuck with their 'production/creativity' so as a writer, no matter what the trick is to keep writing: avoiding writer's block and all that, yes?
KaylorMade 2 years ago
Funny. I've read all his work, and Slapstick is among my favorites, while God Bless You Mr. Rosewater is one of the few I found a bit shallow. Interesting he said he felt his powers of writing were fading when one of my favorites is a late work called Hocus Pocus. I think my favs are Bluebeard and Deadeye Dick. Two great ones in my opinion. Cheers
geridg 2 years ago
I have also read all of his work. I think two books rise far above the others in supremacy: sirens of titan and breakfast of champions.
However, I have a theory about writers like Vonnegut (or Robbins)- generally, the first one you read is your favorite. My first was Breakfast. I was HOOKED. Within 60 daze, I had read everything of his (except welcome to the monkeyhouse- whcih I still have not read for some reason).
Try The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman
by Laurence Sterne
tristramshandy3 2 years ago
"Slapstick" was enjoyable and entertaining but it lacked that poignant theme and social compatibility that some of his other books had. I have always found SH-5 to be overrated, whilst my favorites are, by far, "Mother Night", "Bluebeard", and "God Bless You, Mr Rosewater".
I would never give an "F" to ANY of his books, primarily because, while not all great, none of them are difficult or incomprehensible reads. You will always find a fast paced story, a sound moral, and plenty of humor.
Crandyman07 2 years ago
I agree with all of that except for the Slaughterhouse-Five comment. I know it was his biggest commercial success and there's alot of other AMAZING stuff but that is the single greatest anti-war book I've ever read. Alot of people think the science-fiction scenes take away from the message but to me it makes it relates so much easier to the reader, especially those who haven't actually experienced the atrocities of war outside of literature.
themimicker 2 years ago
True, most people like a little Steinbeck in their books though.
More challenges with words please, when I myself read "Mother Night" which is only greater than SH-5 because SH-5 is overrated, so it goes.
SamzIszHere 2 years ago
It is such a shame that he graded his book "Slapstick" as an F, because it was my first and favorite Vonnegut book.
EKunzman 2 years ago
I'm exactly the same! Maybe not my favorite, but I loved it a lot, and I think he gives too much credence to the critics.
42Strangelove 2 years ago
Vonnegut was one of the authors that changed the way I looked at story telling in some ways his books ruined the way I read other books because nothing else compared to his storytelling except other exceptional writers like Ayn Rand and ray bradbury lol and the dude who wrote Grapes of Wrath
mswhatchamacallit 2 years ago 4
His name is John Steinbeck, and Grapes of Wrath is not that amazing, East of Eden is infinitely better and easily rivals anything Vonnegut has produced
Kid you not, if you look hard enough the meaning of life is in that book
4949oz 2 years ago
Grapes of Wrath is not that amazing, but East of Eden is better than anything Vonnegut has ever produced?
So authors produce now?
First of all oz, Grapes of Wrath was an amazing book even before I read it, which means there was a lot of hype and commercial behind it. It lived to the expectations, surpassed my expectations.
East of Eden is great, but it's trudge to say it's easily better than Vonnegut's work.
Anti-war is tricky, so it goes.
SamzIszHere 2 years ago
I think Vonnegut and Steinbeck were both relatively deep (for Americans), however, in my opinion, Vonnegut is infinitely more fun to read because of his fantastic sense of humor.
Also, his tendency towards self-deprecation makes him so much more likable.
I have enjoyed Steinbeck in the past. It has been a long, long time. I remember liking The Pearl (a great story for 6th graders), and the winter of our discontent.
tristramshandy3 2 years ago
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dnt read this(cuz it really wrks). u will gt kissd on the nearest frieday by the love of ur life. 2mara wll b the bst day of ur life hwever if you dnt post ths comment 2 at least 3 vids u will die withn 2 days nw uv startd readn this dnt stp this is so scary snd ths ovr
Christmasman11 2 years ago
You embody everything that is wrong with my generation. Spell correctly on a video about Kurt Vonnegut you worthless fuck.
mrqateen 2 years ago 31
@mrqateen YOU SOPPY CUNT
NigerianArchitect 1 year ago
@mrqateen Thank you. I sincerely thank you for that comment. "Many people need desperately to receive this message: 'I feel and think much as you do, care about many of the things you care about, although most people do not care about them. You are not alone.'" -KV
PicardIsChrist01 1 year ago
so he goes.
MiniFridge502 2 years ago 4
Indeed, good reference
Favorite book
lookingglassedge 2 years ago
i messed me draws
maximus426 2 years ago
Right after Kirt wrote his good books, in 1973, he was interviewed in Playboy.
tnekkc 2 years ago
lol what a useless interview. wtf
MHANER 2 years ago
God damn you charlie, you didn't let the man speak.
7d7e7f7 3 years ago
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davemabus1999 3 years ago
Sirens of Titans was amazing.
TheLoquid 3 years ago 6
I think that The Sirens Of Titan was an A+
MarginWaIker 3 years ago 5
One of my favorites!
davevanfunk 2 years ago
Slapstick is not a fail Kurt, it was lovely. The only thing that drove me mad was the ending, I wished it to be more informative.
<3
Rentschlervous 3 years ago
Cats Cradle and Breakfast of Champians are A++
liesha20 3 years ago 4
Slapstick was a good book, I'd say. Not as good as Cat's Cradle, Sirens of Titan, or Slaughterhouse Five. But I think it's on par with Breakfast of Champions.
TheOpaqueGlass 3 years ago
the critics killed slapstick. so it goes
Matt482942 3 years ago 2
This Charlie Rose dickhead barely lets Vonnegut get a word in edgeways.
fuckwithfire1984 3 years ago 12
Pretty much what I was going to say. Can't help but want to issue pain to TV anchors and hosts.
half147 3 years ago 2
Kurt vonnegut's not late! he's right on time.
Teabonesteak 3 years ago 4
I enjoyed how Kurt graded all of his books. He mentioned that "Slapstick was a failure because critics hated it so much and they knew more about it than I did." I LOVED Slapstick, so I guess I don't know much about literature. I think Vonnegut was trying to say that critics didn't get the point. And so it goes...
mickeymooose 3 years ago 3
Charlie is doing all the talk! vonnegut only said like 3 sentences without being interrupted...
cuchoparamigos 3 years ago 3
What book is he promoting here?
nickzac1 3 years ago
how old is this? charlie rose is fucking YOUNG! i don't think Rose is invasive, he is a "New York style" interviewer. he'll prod you to answer his questions and keeps his guests from mindlessly sloganeering. i think the best illustration of this was his bit with Paul Wolfowitz. (this is not to say that the late great Vonnegut was ever - ever- a habitual sloganeer. that was the antitheis of his whole prose).
Jobided15 3 years ago
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vonnegut has headhair like a sheep's cunt.fuck vonnegut for having hair that hurt's my fucking teeth.
blatspanner 3 years ago
it's funny to read all these comments about idiots who who have never seen a charlie rose interview. it's little wonder that they're all vonnegut fans (and dropping stephen colbert) charlie rose is one of the most respected interviewers in mainstream media.
tristambeow 4 years ago
tristam: Tell me, do you spend all your time going around to Vonnegut vids, trashing him?
NGS712 3 years ago
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NGS712: Tell me, do you spend all your time going around to Vonnegut vids, praising him?
tristambeow 3 years ago
tristam: No. I just happened to find this yesterday.
Still, that doesn't answer my question.
Also how did I praise him in my comment?
NGS712 3 years ago
Reminds me of Stephen Colber(t) in the Truthiness-episode (if I remember correctly) saying "But this show is not about Me. This show is about You. - The Heroes". :)
Vonnegut was such a great writer and such a great man.
rumputuski 4 years ago
This video should be titled: Kurt Vonnegut listens to Charlie Rose talk over him as he talks over every guest much smarter than he....
keryx23 4 years ago
Hey could a few people help me out? I've read cat's cradle and im pretty sure I'm going to read Slaughterhouse Five. I was wondering, in you're opinion, what are his other great novels. Which Kurt Vonnegut's do you love? Please reply and help me out.
hendrixman1515 4 years ago
Hendrix Man, slaughterhouse 5 is definitely worth your time. Mother Night is also a good read. That should give you a good start.
lefty0704 4 years ago
Actually - they are ALL worth your time.
Vonnegut rules.
Gaz0175 4 years ago
I agree.
I bought and read Cat's Cradle (amazing) a few weeks ago, finished Slaughterhouse-Five three days ago, and bought Breakfast of Champions yesterday. This man is amazing.
May he rest in peace.
So it goes
MarchingSax2010 3 years ago 3
three of my most favorite books. if you have time read foop! by chris genoa. i loved that one as well
imkilgoretrout 3 years ago
well, I finished Atlas Shrugged a week ago,
and I'm working on The Fountainhead now, but I'll check that one out.
MarchingSax2010 3 years ago
who are those by?
imkilgoretrout 3 years ago
Those amazing books are both by Ayn Rand.
MarchingSax2010 3 years ago
We have Vonnegut as a means of combating the sickness that is Rand.
XYZandTime 2 years ago 8
Just because you fit into the category of 'looter', doesn't mean you should attempt to disparage an entire group of intellectuals. And on the internet? That's just sad.
MarchingSax2010 2 years ago
I think I'm looted, good sir, and not only by states but also by entrepreneurs and capitalists. That profit comes from somewhere and it's not their bronze balls.
XYZandTime 2 years ago
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Ayn Rand is awesome. Atlas Shrugged and Fountainhead are monumental and thrilling books. More objectivity in the world would have prevented ideological disasters like communism !
ssalemi 2 years ago
Are you atributing objectivity to Ayn Rand? Fountainhead uses the main character Howard Roark to show that capitalism must be followed to its purest ends, and those who stand in the way will end in failure. Rand then appears to be very subjective about who is right and who is wrong. I loved Fountainhead and believe in the achievment of the individual as the purest means of expression. Art as it symbolizes pure capitalism, for me, is a good thing. The power of the individual is as far as I go.
tracehazarrrd 2 years ago
She's as "objective" as any of her critics, that's for sure. She's a human being; only a computer or robot could be perfectly objective (actually, probably not). She believed in fairness and freedom. It's not quite the end of Capitalism in the U.S.A. or the world, but let's not confuse George Bush's corrupt, criminal activities with Randian Unbridled Capitalism! She would have viewed Bush as and his cronies as Evil, not as freewheeling pure capitalists -- that's for sure.
ssalemi 2 years ago
this "pure capitalism" you speak of... do you have any examples of it actually existing? It strikes me as equally utopian as communism, a system that has not been practiced, in its true form, since the industrial revolution.
We can talk about how things ought to be all day long- the fact is, capitalism, as it actually has existed, has been and continues to be disastrous- with easily predictable consequences- consequences that have been spelled out by profound thinker after thinker.
tristramshandy3 2 years ago
Sure! Pure Capitalism exists at, say, Apple Computer in Cupertino. Oh, do you mean Pure Capitalism existing as an ENTIRE COUNTRY? How can it? All countries on earth are "blends" of Capitaliam, Socialism, Facism...America now swinging towards Socialism under Obama, of course. Communist Russia Sucked Big Time and So Do/Did ALL Communist Countries. Know any great communist countries, anywhere, ever? Wanna' live there?
ssalemi 2 years ago
swinging towards socialism under Obama? LOL. Do you have any examples of Obama enacting socialist policies? I'd be willing to bet that you don't.
Just like pure capitalism, pure communism has never existed, at least, since the industrial revolution. One could argue that MOST indigenous societies living before the industrial revolution were communistic in nature.
Discuss how Russia was communist rather than a brutal dictatorship under Stalin. I'd like to hear about it from you.
Thanks.
tristramshandy3 2 years ago
Are you dumb, or don't you read the papers? State Ownership of Banks: Socialism. State Ownership of Auto Companies: Socialiam. Socialized Health Care: Socialism. Duhhhh....Okay, "Communism" is an PURE IDEAL that has NEVER been present ANYWHERE on the earth in any form, and never will be -- uh, so, why are you talking about it, if it NEVER will exist? Cuba was Communist (life sucks there). Russia was Communist (life sucked there). China is Communist (life pretty much sucks there).
ssalemi 2 years ago
state ownership of banks? Bank of America just recorded a profit last quarter. Did the taxpayers get any of their profits? No? Then it isn't socialism.
GM was going to fail. Obama bailed them out to save jobs and a vital industry to our nation's security (remember WW2?). When GM makes a profit, if the govt takes their profits, THEN it's socialism.
Socialized healthcare? What are you talking about? Obama took single payer healthcare off the table on day one;.
I refuted your claims.
nice try!
tristramshandy3 2 years ago
You don't read papers, and you don't read history either (you must be one of the new dumb generation, right). Lenin named Stalin as his successor. Lenin built the Communist State ALONG MARXIST GUIDELINES. For years, dumb lefties worshipped Russia, Lenin, and Stalin because IT WAS THE ARCHETYPAL COMMUNIST COUNTRY. It was. But it also sucked. ANYONE would take Rotten American Democracy/Capitalism any old day. People died trying to get out of there and over here.
ssalemi 2 years ago
I'm asking about the structure of their political system. Talk to me about HOW it was a communist govt rather than what it appears to have been- a brutal dictatorship.
I'm asking you to go BEYOND the mindless cliches you have offered thus far.
tristramshandy3 2 years ago
What you're asking for is free education, which takes too much time and energy. Now I'm feeling compassionate towards you. What I'm saying is not cliched -- any more than saying "The Sky Is Blue" is a cliche. Sure it's a cliche, but it's also true! And it's also true that Obama is moving the country towards a socialist agenda (government influence/meddling/control of things tha used to be purely in the private sector) and Russia was a COMMUNIST COUNTRY. None of these things are in doubt!!!
ssalemi 2 years ago
free education takes too much time and energy? LOL. OK. Reminds me of a bumper sticker I see on occasion- If you think education is expensive, try ignorance. We have- it costs a lot more in the long run.
You keep SAYING Russia was communist. I keep asking you HOW- specifically- it was communist. I understand that everyone CALLS it communism- I am asking you to QUALIFY that statement, not simply repeat it so often that I MUST accept it.
Understand???
tristramshandy3 2 years ago
You're forgetting that you're the ignorant one, not me (I have a