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Cam/ron
01/20/09

In reply to Full Disclosure
There was an old documentary about Vonnegut where he declared that he enjoys writing because it's "cheap." He added that it only costs a penny to write a page that can make a reader laugh or cry, and when nothing works you just throw away that page.

That was one of the best, no-bullshit statements about professional writing I ever heard and I always remembered it when I became a writer.
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lilchica
01/19/09

In reply to Full Disclosure
I my first book was Cats Cradle, I was 14 and only bought the book because of the cover, he has since been one of fav authors. My biggest pet peeve of mine when people say they hate reading, or hate books.
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Tart of Darkness
01/19/09

@lilchica: I can understand that. I can't imagine what my life would have been and would be without books in it.

But I also read so much so continuously that I had to learn to have a real life in addition to books. And I've worked hard at that.

But I still read all the time, too.
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J.D.Regent
01/19/09

In reply to Full Disclosure
I am proud to say I met the man once. I was wicked stoned (not that rare) and was sure my shit had been laced with something and I was hallucinating, but it was true, it was him! He was wearing overalls and piling a plate full of barbeque chicken. I also recommend Galapagos for a lighter read you can probably finish in one afternoon on the beach if you aren't up for like Slaughterhouse Five or something.
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Diziet_Sma
01/19/09

@J.D.Regent: I went to the NY Film Festival premiere screening of The Queen a couple of years ago, and there were a bunch of celebs there - Helen Mirren, Jeremy Irons, David Byrne, possibly Kate Winslet - can't really remember, because Kurt Vonnegut was there, and he was instantly the most awesome person I have ever seen in real life. (And I've met Madonna.) I just stared at him and tried to absorb some of his intelligence and wit (yeah, didn't work). I was SO happy. But I bow to your barbecue experience, J.D.!
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Diziet_Sma
01/19/09

In reply to Full Disclosure
"We are here on earth to fart around, and don't let anyone tell you different"

Best. Quote. Ever.
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rocknrollunicorn
01/19/09

In reply to Full Disclosure
Gaining notoriety off another's talent and subsequent death is so, so trashy. I mean you couldn't just give it a go after they become a beloved artist. You HAD to wait til they kicked the bucket too. Nice.
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Tart of Darkness
01/19/09

@rocknrollunicorn: One of the reasons I admire Paul Theroux is that he wrote his book about his friendship with V.S.Naipaul while he is still alive.

And, actually, I think it is one of Theroux's best books, second only to The Mosquito Coast.
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CherriSpryte
01/19/09

In reply to Full Disclosure
I .... I still love him. I basically always will. This doesn't change that.
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bigleggedwoman
01/19/09

@CherriSpryte: I get what you are saying.
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morninggloria
01/19/09

In reply to Full Disclosure
Kurt Vonnegut is as much an unassailable hero in my mind as Kirby Puckett. Step off.
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MyNameIsChris
01/19/09

@morninggloria: Kirby Puckett is a hero to because of how easy the stitched "Puckett" on his signature cap could be altered to "Fuck it."
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morninggloria
01/19/09

@MyNameIsChris: I was in 3rd grade in 1991; I never had a desire to do this.
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katekate is squared
01/19/09

In reply to Full Disclosure
I will not be reading this. Not that I think Kurt Vonnegut was some kind of angel, but these kinds of posthumous tell-alls are trashy and cowardly beyond compare.
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goodcheapfun
01/19/09

@katekate is squared: Without the correspondence between many famous men and the women they loved we would be bereft of the intimacy required to glimpse the private lives of some remarkable people. Tell all books are trashy. Forty years of love and correspondence is history.
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Tart of Darkness
01/19/09

@goodcheapfun: But do we really need that intimate glimpse? Or can we experience them through their work that is intended to be public?
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kimbert
01/19/09

In reply to Full Disclosure
Can anyone tell me if Vonnegut is worth the read? My ex-boyfriend read all of his books every two months. Of course, this same ex said everything he felt about love was summed up in Depeche Mode songs.

I strangely refused to read Vonnegut after that. Should I try?
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Chamalla,barren crone
01/19/09

@kimbertly1: Oh my goodness, yes. Start with Welcome to the Monkey House, which is a collection of short stories. Ready "Long Walk to Forever" and "Ready to Wear" first. When you're ready to attack a novel, I'd recommend Galapagos first, followed by Breakfast of Champions or Slaughterhouse Five. You won't regret it.
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katekate is squared
01/19/09

@kimbertly1: I love, love, love Kurt Vonnegut. Slaughterhouse Five was the first of his books I read (in high school), but my favorite is probably Timequake. If you like short stories, give Bagombo SnuffBox a try, and he has some funny ruminations on death and the afterlife in God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkian.
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PaintedTrollop
01/19/09

@kimbertly1:

Yes! Yes! Yes!
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CherriSpryte
01/19/09

@kimbertly1: Kurt Vonnegut is one of my saints. I have bad ex-boyfriend associations with him, too, but I got over them, and he's really, really profoundly shaped my worldview, for the better. God Bless You, Dr. Rosewater is one of my favorites, and I'd say start with Cat's Cradle.
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Ailanthus-altissima
01/19/09

@kimbertly1: Kurt Vonnegut got me through high school. Dead Eye Dick, Bluebeard, all the classics everyone else has mentioned are all amazing. I read his books at the perfect time in my life, at a time that they could speak to me and help me make sense of everything that I was going through. I am afraid to re-read them, in case the books cannot stand up to the myths, but I strongly encourage you to give Kurt V. a try.
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bigleggedwoman
01/19/09

@kimbertly1: I would like to chime in with the 'Yes, please do' sentiment expressed here. I would not start with Slaughterhouse Five, as I found that difficult -- but I recognize that everyone has different reading comprehension, patience and temperament.

I also first read Vonnegut when I was a young teen. I think what he offered the reader opened up the world to me.
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rocknrollunicorn
01/19/09

@bigleggedwoman: I'm with bigleggedwoman on this one -- not that I found SLaughterhouse Five difficult, per se, but less enjoyable than some of his others. I would do God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, Bluebeard or Breakfast of Champions first.

To be fair to the dude, Depeche Mode's ideas on love are a bit more nuanced than, say, the Plain White Tee's.
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Diziet_Sma
01/19/09

@kimbertly1: He is a frakin genius writer. Original thinker. And hilarious. That's a rare combination. He's one of those writers who left a mark on me, for sure. (It if helps, others include JG Ballard, Martin Amis, Gore Vidal, Iain Banks (and 'M'), Patricia Highsmith, James Elroy, Edith Wharton, Alan Moore, Angela Carter. . .)

Also, he wrote my personal mantra for life: "We are here on earth to fart around, and don't let anyone tell you different."

You should definitely give him a go and see if he floats your boat.
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sassy
01/19/09

@kimbertly1: I let my boyfriend borrow my copy of Welcome to the Monkey House, and he seemed to enjoy it a lot. It is shorter stories, so it seemed like a good introduction.

That said, I own at least 5 of his novels and go to them whenever I have a bad day.
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Tart of Darkness
01/19/09

@kimbertly1: I'm really impressed that Vonnegut still seems so vibrant to people much younger than I. He was very hip to read in high school in the 60s/70s and I loved him.

The book I always say is my favorite is Cat's Cradle, but I had forgotten God Bless You Mr. Rosewater entirely. I'm headed up to Portland and I know what I'll be buying at Powells!
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Sourcherry
01/19/09

@kimbertly1: I've heard from like everyone I know that Vonnegut is a genius and I should read his stuff. I started with Breakfast of Champions because according to one of my friends it's the funniest. I found I understood the humour but it wasn't what I would find haha funny. I thought maybe I struck out with Breakfast so I started reading Slaughterhouse Five and realized that I've already read it, didn't like it the first time and was still not crazy about it the second time around. The point is, Vonnegut has a specific audience, I think, and like anything doesn't appeal to everyone. THAT BEING SAID, I still think you should give him a try.
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Tart of Darkness
01/19/09

@Sourcherry: If it makes you feel better, when Breakfast of Champions was first released it was widely panned by critics who lamented that Vonnegut had lost his edge.

I agree with you that he has a specific audience like so many writers. There are many writers that people I know and respect love, but I just can't get into reading them.
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YourScreenplaySucks
01/19/09

In reply to Full Disclosure
Says Rackstraw, "It was a friendship unlike any I've had with anyone."

"You see, this one I can actually cash in on" Rackstraw continued. "All my other friends are nobodies the public has never heard of - no way is any publisher paying me to write about those freaking losers!"

Note to self: Have all friends and lovers sign non-disclosure agreements that are binding after my death.
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Eeva
01/19/09

@Your Screenplay Sucks: Bingo. Ugh.
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rocknrollunicorn
01/19/09

@Your Screenplay Sucks: They can write about me. It'll publicly separate the class from the trash, which is kind of fun. And real servicey.
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Tart of Darkness
01/19/09

@Your Screenplay Sucks: I was a tremendous fan of Lucy Grealey's book Autobiography of a Face and have read and reread it. It was so weird when Ann Patchett came out with Truth and Beauty about her friendship with Grealey because there is absolutely NOTHING to indicate in Grealey's book that she ever knew her. NOTHING.

I believe Patchett did know her...she has letters that are ostensibly from her and so forth, but it's kinda creepy when you compare the content of the two books--Patchett's Lucy and Grealey's Lucy just don't intersect.
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DangerMouse
01/19/09

In reply to Full Disclosure
If any of you write a posthumous book about me, I will haunt your ass.

And not in that friendly, touched-by-an-angel way.
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eatsshootsleaves
01/19/09

In reply to Full Disclosure
I don't know if I like this. Sometimes, you just want your childhood heroes to be encased in glass, you know?
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