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I was listening to SH5 on audiobook and scrolling through my phone. Then I realized KV deserves 100% of my attention. So I put the phone down and did NOT regret it. Genius.
I discovered Kurt when I was about 13 years old (1970) when I read "Sirens Of Titan". I was already a reader, and just making the transition from Young Adult selections to Adult. One of my older siblings shoved Sirens into my hands, saying "Read it!" So I got crackin'...and by the time (I think it took me all of 3 days to read it) I'd discovered the incredibly rich Malachi Constant, Winston Niles Rumfoord and his dog Kazak, chrono-synclastic infundibulum, the Church of God the Utterly Indifferent, Salo, the Tralfamadorian, whose penis was something like 3' in diameter and 1 inch long and the Harmoniums, I was absolutely and utterly gobsmacked! KV was a revelation to me! I read everything of his that was available at that time. I followed "Sirens...." with "Cat's Cradle", then "Slaughterhouse-Five" and so on. Within a very short time, I'd become a total V-Head. He so completely captured my mind at that impressionable young age that I'm sure he contributed significantly to the shaping of my world view. Kurt Vonnegut remains my All-Time Favorite, Most Influential Human to this day.
Listening to him here and other interviews always pains me, why you ask? Listen to the rasp emitting from his lungs, he was a heavy cigarette smoker ( as I was ) and I pass no judgment, they passed them out like candy during WWII knowing the boys needed something for the stress, and one only has to watch the old talk shows and see the tobacco sponsors. My father also fought in WWII against the Nazis and in reading Slaughter House Five it resonated a bond with me to this day. Kurt Vonnegut was a unique voice and I miss him terribly ( as my father also). I believe only America could have produced this voice ( Twain, Poe, Melville, etc) as those of other countries: Dostoevsky in Russia, Gabriel Garcia Marquez in Columbia, you get the picture. With Peace As the old beats would recount: Kurt was One Cool Cat, you dig?
The quote of his about "we are what we pretend to be" is something I'm going to use from now on against internet trolls who claim that they aren't really the assholes they make themselves out to be.
@LiveOkie You really just typed that. A person who is an asshole online is an asshole, period. A person who is in denial of that fact is a person who lives in denial... and quite frequently a person who uses "It's not real, it's the internet" as an excuse to deny the fact that their shitty behavior online is who the really are.
@@jafafa maybe, sometimes unpopular opinions need to be voiced. Trolls/tricksters/jesters are important, just because you dislike an opinion doesn't make it wrong. Also being an asshole online is mostly harmless, you can always just ignore them, your attention and outrage is the only power they have.
blindriv3r there is a song, I forget who the group that sang it was, but the chorus or refrain goes :and so it goes so it goes so it goes so it goes, and where it's going, no one knows: perhaps people have that song stuck in the dark recesses of their mind when they are trying to quote Vonnegut and making a mess of it. for that matter, if I had that silly song stuck in the back of my head I think I'd have some gear teeth missing as well.... a group called Ambrosia did a group called ambrosia did a song version of a poem from one of Vonnegut s books, the part I can remember went like this, oh the Chinese dentist, and the British queen, they all fit together in the same machine , nice nice very nice, nice nice very nice, so many people in the same device....
I love Slapstic! The prologue alone is beautiful. I read it a few years ago and still regularly crack up at the image of him hugging his son/rolling on the floor with a great dane. He's so full of fun and empathy
Interestingly, Henry James wrote his three greatest novels (The Wings of the Dove, The Ambassadors, & The Golden Bowl) in quick succession around the time he was sixty.
The Karass always delivers just what you asked for probably not what you expected, "Hey Jerry didja bring me a movie? " "Oops gosh gee I didn't aw heck."
I've read a lot of Vonnegut's work, though not all, and I'd agree with him that his three best are Mother Night, Slaughterhouse Five, and Cat's Cradle.
Mother Night is not mysterious at all and a page turner, it plays on modern American virtues, and doesn’t waste any breath. If someone I knew would read, I would tell them to read Mother Night. I have never seen the movie, but the Howard in the book does not seem too distraught about his Nazi affiliations, but is simply over the whole business of living.
I really do not think Kurt believes he is getting "dumber" with age. I think the interview took a path after a confusing/foggy statement/answer and he just rolled w/ it.
I just listened to Ethan Hunt read Slaughterhouse Five. I kept thinking of Gaza. A group of innocents paying the price for their wicked leaders. And so it goes.
Μια σπανια συνεντευξη του συγγραφεα Κουρτ Βουνεγκαντ,σχετικα με το βιβλιο"Μητερα Νυχτα"το οποιο εγινε κινηματογραφικη ταινια με τον Νικ Νολτε,και που σε αυτη,υπογραφει μια απο τις καλυτερες του ερμηνειες,εστω και αν η ταινια οπως και το βιβλιο ειναι καπως..."αμφιλεγομενα"σχετικα με το θεμα που παρουσιαζουν:Τον ΑντιΕβραισμο.1:23:Μονο...3.000 δολλαρια(;)πηρε ο συγγραφεας για να το γραψει,και μαλιστα το εμπνευστηκε σε..."κοκτειλ παρτυ"(;)στο 1:30.2:36:Δεν το ηξερα οτι η "General Electric"ειχε οικονομικα συμφεροντα στην Ναζισιτκη Γερμανια.Φανταζομαι ομως,οτι και αλλες Αμερικανικες εταιριες,θα ειχαν συνεργασια με το...3ο Ραιχ,ετσι δεν ειναι κυριε Βοννεγκαντ;13:17:Μου αρεσει που ο Κουρτ Βοννεγκαντ,εμπνεεται και απο την...Λυσιστρατη του Αριστοφανη!Γενικα ενδιαφερουσα συνεντευξη...
"I figured out how to keep humanity from hurling itself off the cliff. To start, we're all going to post our favorite Rant(s) on 11-11 at 11:11. ~ xoxo Hahn Furst” #FLICKiT #HappyBirthdayKurt #HappyBirthdayFyodor #HappyBirthdayLeo
Charlie Rose not a match. Not here, not in most of his suave interviews that are carried by his brilliant guests. Charlie uses his arrogant face and gestures to want to compensate, but he only turns bullyish and dismissive. Bah. -- BUT KURT! Thanks for being you, thanks for everything.
Hocus Pocus is often not appreciated for its unstated message. He gives a wide range of illustrations how we all trick ourselves into believing whatever we feel we want to believe. So from war ,to adultery, to wealthy entitlement, to contracting out our country, to whorehouses, to insanity, to bells, we are given examples to consider about the "Hey Presto" ploys we innately rely upon. For instance, Kurt's narrator described a rich guy on the college board who spoke Chinese if he wanted to impress people, as if ten million idiots in China couldn't do so. Another person would quote Shakespeare out of context. And the motto that fits today's world all too well, "The complicated futility of ignorance." And so it goes.
now that we know about charlie rose, kinda weird. rose is a child compared to vonnegut. tiger got to hunt, bird got to fly, man got to sit and wonder why, why, why?
Yeah, he finally got the recognition he deserved but for more than half his life he struggled to be heard. How many brilliant minds got rejected by the putrid trash that makes up the publishing industry?
very interesting, vonnegut was one of my favorate writers when I was in my teens I think it is very telling that he didn't mention female writers when he talked about hitting your prime at 55. A bit of a masoginist old f$%^ ain't he. or maybe I may be misreading it but he did come off like he only male mater... like female writers are not worth mentioning. I think i will write him into my next short story ...that should be fun
Vonnegut has been a big inspiration on my writing as an author. Please consider reading my novel. "Dashboard Daydream" By Thomas C. Stuhr A m a z o n. 💀
I find that writing is this very necessary and often irritating tool I use to express my feelings, or perhaps what I want others to feel from my point of view. The writing itself is actually quite irritating at times. I wish I could just take my thoughts and feelings and fling them at people and they just instantly understand me. Instead I have to explain using words, and craft an image solely around a common language which can so often lose so much of the nuance and detail in translation. Or you take it too far, and explain with such excruciating detail that nobody wants to suffer reading through it all. It's sort of a dreadful thing to have the need to write, especially if you're not all that gifted like me.
@@ParappatheRapper Very well said. I shall leave you with the words of songwriter Neil Innes: "Ladies and gentlemen, I have suffered for many years as a result of my music. Now it's your turn."
His books were not promoted or displayed much in my high school in the 80s??..maybe would off givin us the wrong idea about things???... Us X-gen saw a lot of things trying to be X-out right in front of our FACES???... Truth cover-ups??... The kids need hear and understand what he's talking about... Laughing to understand life can bring tears to your eyes... It'll help U fix what needs to be fixed sometimes??... Bearable... Bare .. Yourself... Bare.. IT.. And become a bear... From poo to yogi to gentel Ben to the care bear ... Bear with me... We're just Barely legal?...
He's entirely too aggressive. I always thought so, he tries to force the conversation in the direction he wants despite where the interviewee attempts to take it.
Charlie Rose has a very flippant almost aggressive style, almost seems disrespectful because his tone is so different than the authors. its very annoying but Vonnegut tolerates it. I guess because its promoting a movie and his book that the author is giving the interview and Charlie Rose is so abrupt and cursory in this interview. When is an interviewer not being alive when he is banned from his own tv show. Its a sad ending but maybe he was doing bad stuff when he wasnt interviewing. His persona here in the interview doesnt seem very agreeable.