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[whytemyke]

Man... it's kind of too bad to see how old Kurt Vonnegut has gotten. Some of his works are just phenomenal. I personally have only read a few, and am looking to pick up Timequake the first chance I get some extra cash. But the fact he lived through the bombing of Dresden makes Slaughterhouse Five that much more amazing of a book.

I think it'd be sooo cool to see someone try to make that into a flick. I think the only person capable of doing it well would be like Tim Burton. But damn... what a great author. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like he's got much time left on Earth, so my lowly advice to GAF is to grab anything Vonnegut you can and read it. Probably one of the top 5 American authors ever, in my humblest of opinions.

 

[dog$]

I've never seen the movie version of Breakfast of Champions.

Can anyone comment on it?

 

[dkeane]

It's good to see him still throw a few zingers though.
Good interview, if you could call it that.

 

[whytemyke]

It's good to see him still throw a few zingers though.
Good interview, if you could call it that.

Yeah... kinda hard to interview someone like that. He's one of those guys that you'd rather just sit back and listen to, rather than constantly ask him questions. I mean, ask enough to keep it going, but let him talk.

 

[Mason]

I've only read Cat's Cradle but I thought it was awesome. What should I read next?

 

[distantmantra]

MI think it'd be sooo cool to see someone try to make that into a flick.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069280/

 

[Sapiens]

I really have to recommend Galapagos. It's one of my favourites.

 

[mCACGj]

I love Vonnegut's work, Cat's Cradle being my favorite, but his appearance on the Daily Show inspired me to find Slaughterhouse Five in my brother's room and start reading it again. What a good book.

 

[whytemyke]

I want to read Timequake. The quote he wrote on the back of the book looked awesome. "It was the 21st century, and the universe was expanding as usual, then suddenly stopped. What's the point?"

 

[VistraNorrez]

Slapstick. I thought Cat's Cradle couldn't be topped, I was wrong.

 

[Spike]

Kurt Vonnegut fucking rules!

 

[Triumph]

You really can't go wrong with Vonnegut. My personal favorites are Bluebeard and Breakfast of Champions, but I'm a Rabo Karabekian whore. Everything the man wrote was phenomenal, and that fact is a large part of what sadly discourages my efforts in the same field.

 

[MaverickX9]

Damn it, I knew I forgot something today.

I'll have to track it down somewhere...

 

[Triumph]

Damn it, I knew I forgot something today.

I'll have to track it down somewhere...

Replay at 1 am EDT tonight(as in about 1/2 an hour) and at 8 pm tomorrow.

 

[android]

Hell yeah. Thanks for telling me, I forgot that Daily Show was new this week. Slaughterhouse Five is one of my top five books.

 

[White Man]

Enjoyable writer. All his books start to feel the same once you've read a ton of em, though. He should probably get a Nobel prize based on Cat's Cradle and Breakfast of Champions alone, but he's unfortunately not a minority.

I met him when he was doing a reading tour for Bagombo Snuff Box. He was totally drunk and surly. It was pretty awesome. He yelled at my brother for having the reading too late.

 

[kablooey]

Cat's Cradle is the shit. I hope Kurt stays alive for a few more years so I can meet him.

 

[MaverickX9]

Replay at 1 am EDT tonight(as in about 1/2 an hour) and at 8 pm tomorrow.

Awesome.

Thanks.

 

[GDGF]

Breakfast of Champions was a great book. I'll start another Vonnegut when I finish what i'm reading.

 

[Particle Physicist]

god bless you mr. rosewater is the first book to ever make me laugh out loud.

i love this man.

 

[GDJustin]

Player Piano is my favorite.

My Girlfriend's house is literally like a block away from the house he lived in when he professed at Iowa. We walk by it all the time.

 

[Teddman]

Seemed to be showing some signs of dementia on Bill Maher last week. On hurricane Katrina: "Mother Earth's defense systems are finally kicking in and I'm surprised it hasn't happened sooner... It's time for the human race to go." :lol

 

[Ill Saint]

Seemed to be showing some signs of dementia on Bill Maher last week. On hurricane Katrina: "Mother Earth's defense systems are finally kicking in and I'm surprised it hasn't happened sooner... It's time for the human race to go." :lol

Sounds on point to me...

 

[Drek]

For anyone who hasn't read Slaughterhouse Five, I strongly recommend it. Its semi-autobiographical (in that Vonnegut was in WWII, was a PoW in Dresden when it was bombed, etc.). Few modern authors capture the horror of war like Vonnegut.

For anyone who's interested in just reading a little of his work and see if they have a taste for it though I'd have to recommend Welcome to the Monkey House, a collection of short stories. My personal favorite is Harrison Bergeron, but all of his short stories have the same quality has his longer works. An all time great author.

 

[Ford Prefect]

I've read an enjoyed Player Piano and Slaughterhouse-5... forgot to catch the show last night, though. I'll have to Tivo today's re-run. Just recently, too, John was interviewing an author who had been an understudy of Vonnegut's, and he expressed his admiration for him. Should be interesting.

 

[White Man]

Seemed to be showing some signs of dementia on Bill Maher last week. On hurricane Katrina: "Mother Earth's defense systems are finally kicking in and I'm surprised it hasn't happened sooner... It's time for the human race to go." :lol

IIRC, he sort of went from abject humanist to anti-humanist in the wake of 9/11 and the US response to it. Take a look for editorials he wrote during the months after 9/11 and contrast them with pieces he put out during the late 90s. He kind of did a 180 on what he thinks about humanity.

 

[Link1110]

Whoever this Daily Show guest is, he doesn't know the first thing about Kurt Vonnegut.

Spoiler

guess the movie

 

[kablooey]

If anyone missed it, the interview's up on comedycentral.com in the Daily Show section of the site.

 

[demon]

Whoever this Daily Show guest is, he doesn't know the first thing about Kurt Vonnegut.

Spoiler

guess the movie

 

[Ferd]

My top 5 Vonnegut would be:

Bluebeard
Hocus Pocus
Cat's Cradle
Sirens of Titan
Breakfast of Champions

That's not in any particular order. And he was fucking brilliant on the Daily Show.

 

[Particle Physicist]

If anyone missed it, the interview's up on comedycentral.com in the Daily Show section of the site.

do you have a direct link? i cant seem to find it.

 

[kablooey]

do you have a direct link? i cant seem to find it.

Just go to the main CC site, then click TV Shows in the upper left, and then Daily Show clips should be around the middle right of the page.

 

[Particle Physicist]

Just go to the main CC site, then click TV Shows in the upper left, and then Daily Show clips should be around the middle right of the page.

ya found it. thanks.

 

[kablooey]

IIRC, he sort of went from abject humanist to anti-humanist in the wake of 9/11 and the US response to it. Take a look for editorials he wrote during the months after 9/11 and contrast them with pieces he put out during the late 90s. He kind of did a 180 on what he thinks about humanity.

I dunno, I think he sounded like the same Vonnegut I know and love from his classics in that interview. He's always been cynical towards humanity, just that he's been even more emboldened since 9/11. Or something.

quad: Cool.

 

[border]

That was kinda sad. Felt more like "Let's humor grandpa" than an interview with a distinguished author. He wasn't saying anything too terribly insightful or funny, but Stewart leans in like it's important and guffaws and every flat joke.

 

[maharg]

But the fact he lived through the bombing of Dresden makes Slaughterhouse Five that much more amazing of a book.

I think it'd be sooo cool to see someone try to make that into a flick.

Er, there is a movie of it.

 

[whytemyke]

Er, there is a movie of it.

a good one.

 

[Particle Physicist]

That was kinda sad. Felt more like "Let's humor grandpa" than an interview with a distinguished author. He wasn't saying anything too terribly insightful or funny, but Stewart leans in like it's important and guffaws and every flat joke.

the clap joke completely caught me off-guard. i thought he was funny. :/

 

[whytemyke]

the clap joke completely caught me off-guard. i thought he was funny. :/

his sense of humor is so dry... he's not gonna say anything that's outright funny. He'll just talk for a bit and then when you think about what he said, You'll pop the "WTF" face and realize its a joke.

 

[demon]

What was the clap joke? I don't remember it.

 

[way more]

I've never seen the movie version of Breakfast of Champions.

Can anyone comment on it?

The movie changes some major points from the book which is just stupid because its required that you read the book to know what is going on.

Slaughterhouse 5 is a great movie and probably my favorite book.

 

[Particle Physicist]

his sense of humor is so dry... he's not gonna say anything that's outright funny. He'll just talk for a bit and then when you think about what he said, You'll pop the "WTF" face and realize its a joke.

thats whats so awesome about his humor.

 

[Diablos]

Didn't Jon Stewart say they would post his top 10 list on their website or something?

 

[el jacko]

Didn't Jon Stewart say they would post his top 10 list on their website or something?

http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/the_daily_show/extras/vonnegut.jhtml

 

[Diablos]

Ha... Kurt's weird. Where does he stand politically?

 

[White Man]

http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/the_daily_show/extras/vonnegut.jhtml

He used the word "mammon." He qualifies to be on the short list of people I'd give vigorous handjobs to.

 

[Triumph]

He used the word "mammon." He qualifies to be on the short list of people I'd give vigorous handjobs to.

Yar, but I don't think he'd be able to really enjoy it, even with a metric shit ton of viagra to help him.

 

[Macam]

For the record Crooks & Liars has a video of his appearance on TDS if anyone cares to check that out.

 

[whytemyke]

hahaha, some of those are awesome. That Jane Fonda line is nice. The Pat Robertson line was nicely played, too. :lol

 

[DJ_Tet]

He used the word "mammon." He qualifies to be on the short list of people I'd give vigorous handjobs to.

Am I the only non-gay person who would accept a White Man handjob? Yes? Well forget I posted this then...