[UA] Re: [OT] Reference?

[Stuart Anderson]

Timothy Toner wrote:

>     Well, my friend took the book, more than a little bit
> disgusted, and the crowd broke into cheers.  Indeed,
> Harlan had 'schooled' yet another fanboy.  Indeed.  For
> the rest of the Con, whenever Harlan caught sight of my
> friend, he'd jeer him from across the room, as long as he
> had a convenient audience.  Of course.    I don't think
> it's fandom's testiness that the master doesn't work his
> magic anymore.  I think it's frustration on the master's
> part that he can't draw 'em like he used to, and instead
> of raising himself up by the quality of his own work, he
> chooses to increase his fame by belittling others.  He's a
> sad, mean little man.

    He took me off at the knees in front of a couple
thousand on-lookers, at a presentation about 'The Future of
Speculative Fiction.' He did it for the show, because it was
expected of him. I didn't like it, but I had prepared myself
in advance by asking my question in a fairly acid way. so I
got to lean on that a little. But it burned off any of the
hero worship I had for him. IIRC, it was the same WHCon
where I stood in line to get into the hotel restaurant and
tactlessly pissed all over Stephen King's work, while he was
masked by the crowd, just over my shoulder (Ruh-Roh, Mr.
King). He was very nice about it. He signed a menu there in
line. He's a class act.
    Ellison's mean, all right. But he was mean before he
slowed down. And I think--I can't prove it, and I know it
sounds wierd, but I swear I think it--he perceives his own
diatribes as complimentary. "I have increased your pitiful
life, you are now the fanboy pissed upon by Ellison." So, I
don't know. He certainly is Ego Run Amok. Kids with a poor
self-image can grow up to be driven, talented artists, but
seldom adults who can accept adulation gracefully. I'm an
old guy, now, and have taken shots and compliments from lots
of people at this point, so it doesn't bother me like it did
17 or 18 years ago. I can be a little more objective. I
guess I see more of the sad than the mean at this point. I
can relate to your friend, though. Fucker sure pissed me off
at the time.
    Ellison's anti-fans still perplex me, though. I guess
they're just repaying his ire with bitterness. You reap what
you sow? I don't know. I kinda think he's mellowed overall.
More importantly, I think there's plenty more good writers
to be fans of, without snarling at this old guy who didn't,
after all, retire to spite them. It's the anti-fans that
surprise me, not mean old bitter Harlan Ellison. I've just
never seen that kind of thing with other writers.

_________________________________________________
--Stu
The Secret Lab
"He belonged to that particular race of men who
were their adversaries' greatest champions." Eco

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