Thursday, April 12, 2007
Kurt Vonnegut dead at 84. He was bi-coastal, with homes both here in Indy and in New York. He wrote a blurb for the local alternative weekly, nuvo. At the coffeehouse I go to, they still talk about the time years ago when he came in and did a poetry reading. http://www.alternet.org/story/14919/
http://nuvo.net/articles/article_4679/
A theme of his books - I've read about half - is that we evolved in tribal bands, social animals, and that in modern society we spend much of our time and energy trying to recreate that sense of being socially connected to a group,and that that explains a lot of social behavior of groups that otherwise seems irrational.
A friend of a friend knew him:
Quote:
My favorite neighbor.. ok after James Earl Jones. but at least he always said hello and asked me what i was reading when I saw him. I know i've blogged several times about my encounters with Kurt on the streets of NYC.
while some looked at him as the writer and voice of our day.. I still can only think of him as sharing drinks with us, squeezing the melons at the Fairway .. and taking the time to always say hello. Amazing what an effect those small acts of kindness from someone who is both so admired and so loathed can have. I'm sitting here with my morning cup of coffee, crying. Once in the mid 80's Kurt tried to commit suicide and failed. I was always worried that one day i'd wake up and find that he succeeded. but 84 is a great age to live to and the fact that his Pall Mels didn't kill him is probably his own personal victory. My last memory of him was sitting at the table next to him at Bagel Nosh on W. 71st street, with spud in a stroller and talking about how gentrified our neighborhood had become.
I can't help but think how he would have loved the irony of his alter-ego, Kilgore Trout dying at age 84 and himself also passing over at 84. Or maybe that fall was on purpose?
... and so it goes ..
Currently watching: Easter Parade (Judy Garland and Fred Astaire - Gene Kelly had broken his ankle so Astaire took the part.) Youtube clip.
http://nuvo.net/articles/article_4679/
A theme of his books - I've read about half - is that we evolved in tribal bands, social animals, and that in modern society we spend much of our time and energy trying to recreate that sense of being socially connected to a group,and that that explains a lot of social behavior of groups that otherwise seems irrational.
A friend of a friend knew him:
Quote:
My favorite neighbor.. ok after James Earl Jones. but at least he always said hello and asked me what i was reading when I saw him. I know i've blogged several times about my encounters with Kurt on the streets of NYC.
while some looked at him as the writer and voice of our day.. I still can only think of him as sharing drinks with us, squeezing the melons at the Fairway .. and taking the time to always say hello. Amazing what an effect those small acts of kindness from someone who is both so admired and so loathed can have. I'm sitting here with my morning cup of coffee, crying. Once in the mid 80's Kurt tried to commit suicide and failed. I was always worried that one day i'd wake up and find that he succeeded. but 84 is a great age to live to and the fact that his Pall Mels didn't kill him is probably his own personal victory. My last memory of him was sitting at the table next to him at Bagel Nosh on W. 71st street, with spud in a stroller and talking about how gentrified our neighborhood had become.
I can't help but think how he would have loved the irony of his alter-ego, Kilgore Trout dying at age 84 and himself also passing over at 84. Or maybe that fall was on purpose?
... and so it goes ..
Currently watching: Easter Parade (Judy Garland and Fred Astaire - Gene Kelly had broken his ankle so Astaire took the part.) Youtube clip.
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