Legendary science fiction and fantasy writer Harlan Ellison has passed away. Call him an iconoclast, outspoken, a larger than life character who didn’t suffer fools, especially those he felt tampered with the integrity of his work. He reached a settlement with CBS 40 years after his script for “Star Trek”-TOS, “City on the Edge of Forever” had been delivered to reclaim his share of the profits generated from his work. He had more impressions on the television industry collected in his series “The Glass Teat”. Acidic observations to say the least.
I count Ellison as an early influence in my life. He was outrageous, profane, and definitely embodied a punk sensibility. He didn’t take shit from anybody and let the world know it. When I was maybe a teen or 12 years old, the years recede rapidly, I found out that Ellison would be in town at a book store reading from his latest work. I got my dad to bring me down there and crowded in to the small store to be in the Man’s presence. He read from his book and the profanity flowed. It felt a little awkward with my dad there but he understood the content much better than I could hope to! A good memory.
I highly recommend the novella “I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream”. I reread it recently and it retains its nightmarish hold. The idea has been a source of inspiration through the years. Call it “Skynet” before it was known as such. You’ll see what I mean.
Harlan Ellison was a great and influential writer. Go find his stuff and enjoy!
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