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Post by Gojitron on Jun 28, 2018 17:29:13 GMT -5
Sci-fi's greatest bastard, the talented, volatile, cantankerous, litigious, always memorable Harlan Ellison has passed away in his sleep at the age of 84.
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Post by machsabre on Jun 28, 2018 22:28:07 GMT -5
So with Harlan Ellison's passing, I cannot and will not take away his major contributions to the world of science fiction as a whole. But that said, the man was an insufferable and misogynistic asshole. Everyone who I have knows who's ever met him, had less than positive opinions of the man.
I have opinions of a lot of science fiction's legendary greats. Arthur C. Clarke and Ray Bradbury I got nothing but love for. Asimov seemed kinda like a one-trick pony at times, but it was a really damn good trick. Heinlein, Niven, Vonnegut, Adams... All amazing writers, with flaws, that will be remembered for centuries and more. But Ellison never seemed to elevate to their level. And maybe it's harsh to say this, and maybe it was different when we were all younger, but it always seemed like his fame was more due to his hostile reputation and less his work.
My first exposure to the man was actually after Gene Roddenberry's death. While Roddenberry was no saint either, he was far from a monster. And when he died, Ellison made claims of "dancing on that asshole's grave". All over a rewrite of a script, which they had all rights to do. And he could have had a pseudonym used, but chose not to. (He was an established writer at this time. It wouldn't have hurt his career.)
Well, whatever his reasons and motivations... I hope he found whatever he was looking for in his life.
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Post by Echowarrior on Jun 29, 2018 9:06:31 GMT -5
I've never read any of his works. That being said, I've seen that one episode he did for Star Trek, and I'm aware of his influence on Babylon 5.
My condolences to his friends and family, but I don't regret never getting the chance to meet him. The man sounded scary.
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Post by SporkBot on Jun 29, 2018 10:17:48 GMT -5
My biggest exposure to the guy was two episodes of Scooby-Doo: Mystery Incorporated where he played himself, and a documentary my brother Dan played once, showing me and Dad (though he skipped over his rant on religion, so I imagine he wasn't exactly a fan).
Dan seemed to really enjoy his work, but I was never inclined to sample it, myself. He seemed rather abrasive in that documentary, but it felt like there was an attempt to pass it as a "fun" variety...like when Dr. Cox calls J.D. a girl's name or rages at interns on Scrubs.
But his friends and family are in a time of grief so, my condolences.
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Post by Greatshot on Jun 29, 2018 22:21:34 GMT -5
So with Harlan Ellison's passing, I cannot and will not take away his major contributions to the world of science fiction as a whole. But that said, the man was an insufferable and misogynistic asshole. Everyone who I have knows who's ever met him, had less than positive opinions of the man. I have opinions of a lot of science fiction's legendary greats. Arthur C. Clarke and Ray Bradbury I got nothing but love for. Asimov seemed kinda like a one-trick pony at times, but it was a really damn good trick. Heinlein, Niven, Vonnegut, Adams... All amazing writers, with flaws, that will be remembered for centuries and more. But Ellison never seemed to elevate to their level. And maybe it's harsh to say this, and maybe it was different when we were all younger, but it always seemed like his fame was more due to his hostile reputation and less his work. My first exposure to the man was actually after Gene Roddenberry's death. While Roddenberry was no saint either, he was far from a monster. And when he died, Ellison made claims of "dancing on that asshole's grave". All over a rewrite of a script, which they had all rights to do. And he could have had a pseudonym used, but chose not to. (He was an established writer at this time. It wouldn't have hurt his career.) Well, whatever his reasons and motivations... I hope he found whatever he was looking for in his life. Pretty much what I was going to post but much better put than I would have.
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Post by darkseraph on Jul 3, 2018 4:27:13 GMT -5
I will always remember that when they made the game of "I have no mouth, and I must scream." They got him to voice AM.
And by gods he did an amazing job.
AM is one of the first truly evil A.I.s for me.
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