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From: demillo@uwmacc.UUCP (Rob DeMillo)
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers
Subject: Re: Yes, *H*A*R*L*A*N* *E*L*L*I*S*O*N*
Message-ID: <457@uwmacc.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 13-Nov-84 14:03:50 EST
Article-I.D.: uwmacc.457
Posted: Tue Nov 13 14:03:50 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 15-Nov-84 01:32:35 EST
References: <4049@decwrl.UUCP>
Organization: UWisconsin-Madison Academic Comp Center
Lines: 63

> 
> Harlan Ellison writes about the human condition, which, as much
> as some of us might like to believe, isn't a 100% warm, cuddly
> and soft place.  If one can't feel sympathy and the pain behind
> the characters in the "Paingod" collection, the frustration in
> the "Gentleman Junkie..." collection, and the revenge, and 
> hatred, and indifference in other stories of his, then I daresay
> that you lack the glimmer of "humanness" that you claim to seek.
> 
> 
> Writing Harlan Ellison of as "morbid" is doing him a great injustice.
> 
> 
> tim lasko  {decvax, allegra, ihnp4, et. al.}!decvax!dec-rhea!dec-regina!lasko
> DEC, Maynard, Mass.
>

I used to swallow up material from Ellison as fast as he could 
produce it. (Well, OK, slight exageration there...at any rate, I
read him a lot.) I used to like him quite a bit, and I still
agree with his viewpoints to some extent. Also, his socio/political
(non-fiction) writings, as in "The Glass Teat", are wonderful. He
is about as close to being Hunter Thompson as one can be
without being Hunter Thompson...

...(yup, here it comes)...HOWEVER....

   I have come to the conclusion that the man writes himself into
a trap. In his strive for "telling it like it is," he's forgotten
almost entirely about the other side of humanity...the side of
us that hopes, dreams and strives (whether we fail or not, some of
us DO strive).. he's become obsessed with sitting and brooding about
how rotten we all are. In all things, especially writing, we should
try and keep and open mind.

Tim Lasko also wrote that he does not base his opinion of people
on their "social graces." (Forgive me, Tim, if I am misquoting you...
and corrct me if I am taking you out of context.)
That, however, is a large window into someone's personality, and what
is writing if not a reflection of the person doing the writing?
Don't get me wrong, Ellison is a very elloquent, brilliant writer...
he is also, unfortunately, vearing toward manic depression about
humanity...
   ...ah, I can hear him calling me a "pinko, twit bastard" right
now...so be it...

   One final word about Ellison that has bothered me for a 
long time...he seems to be quite a poor sport. I have a 
copy of a letter from him when StarTrek was about to be taken
off the air...saying that StarTrek is the best thing since slice
bread....after some disagreements with Roddenberry over his
"City On the Edge of Forever" script, and, more recently, in the
refusal in accepting his script for the ST movies, Ellison suddenly
began attaching labels on StarTrek like "pablum for the mind."

StarTrek is only one example of many from his past track record...
...just something to think about when you evaluate the man...

                     --- Rob DeMillo
                         MACC
                         ...seismo!uwvax!demillo@uwmacc