His books got me through high school. I would not have survived without his biting sarcasm and wit, his wry sense of humour about serious things. I miss him.
This is such a wonderful blast from the past. I'm quite positive I read every Vonnegut book at least once back in the day. It's refreshing to see/hear this conversation having been from these times and the (kind of) irony that it actually (in a funny weird way) still resonates so true today (2021). Thanks for sharing this video! I miss his wonderful authentic transparent curmudgeon humor. Such a wonderful talented man!
I saw him speak at The University of New Hampshire back in the early 90s. What a gift. Read every one of his books after that. Today, he still inspires me to give writing a go. God bless him.
"Your future will soon come to you and lie down at your feet like a dog who knows and loves you no matter what you are. And the dog of my future lying at my feet is snoring now." Kurt Vonnegut I just finished watching the documentary and love him even more knowing his flaws. The greatest writer of the 20th century 😑✌️
Caper. here if you like it and haven't yet- PLEASE do east of Eden. Grapes is good but Eof Eden is up there with SlaughterHouse 5 as one if best pieces of artistic creation I have and I think will ever come across
@Ilqr D. having been through what he did, I would be surprised he didn't look older. My uncle's hair turned completely white from his WWII experiences.
The owner of a trendy, free-spirit cafe near me adores Kurt's ideas. There's a little shrine on the top of a large bookcase. I rarely "hang my hat" on any human philosophy or personality, but the owner seems dog-gone happy!
Crazy how in that time high schools were trying to ban Slaughterhouse 5, meanwhile when I was in high school, our teacher had to force us to read the same book and NOBODY wanted to read it lol I ended up reading it though and it became one of my favorite books ever.
@Andrew Dale We were assigned to read Slaughterhouse 5 in highschool, but I wasn't in the class that assigned it. I was in the class that assigned The Scarlet Letter. Buzz kill. My classmates who got to read Vonnegut raved about him and I would only know why after graduating and finding my own damn books to read, thank you very much. Then I saw him speak at UNH and it was game over - read all his books after that, one after the other.
"I figured out how to keep humanity from hurling itself off the cliff. To start, we're all going to post our favorite Rant(s) on 11-11 at 11:11. ~ xoxo Hahn Furst” #FLICKiT #HappyBirthdayKurt #HappyBirthdayFyodor #HappyBirthdayLeo
My word (nyuk-nyuk,) this man (was) is so intriguing! Incidentally, AgI is the only one of the nicest things to get dumped on with. Imagine, men organizing the physical task of dumping chemistries upon people from the cowardice of an aircraft. It is ALL chemical weapons, whether gasoline, bombs, vx, rads..
There are two kinds of intolerance. Those that think you cannot allow the profane to be in books; Those that think only the profane should be allowed in books. Unfortunately both are wrong and neither will stop trying to censure the other. I live according to my morals; You live by your morals. I want to convince you of my convictions, not repress yours. There is a difference. Unfortunately, we are beholden to both extremists. I worry that people fear being rational and up lift the padded room.
Excellent interview, but let's just pause for a second and acknowledge the thoroughly creepy comment made by the interviewer around 16:30 - "My son doesn't use the Junior [on his name], so I keep getting calls from eighteen year old girls, which is quite nice." Umm...ew. Otherwise, Kurt Vonnegut is a doll
@kipper - the copulating with mother comment was to inform the audience that the word objected to in his book was motherfucker without saying it. Context.
ikr in a 20min interview both make weirdo comments. The other one wrote slaughterhouse 5 for kids which referenced 'copulating with their mother', both just trying to get attention cheaply but it backfires.
@Jack T well the guys I hung with were all little dirty minded perverts to begin with and I haveing discovered the Rolling Stones the previous year was a man of the world I found it interesting that that was were the term Mother F#@ker originated.And of course from the Stones I graduated to the Doors. The Killer awoke before dawn He put his boots on and walked on down the hall Father Yes son.. I want to kill you Mother I want to...auiiiiiigh
He was damaged by the war. He then refused to be a victim and made the world better by his perspective and zest for life. Irony and wit can get you through way better than depressive victimhood.
Americas Dan Turell,theyre both forgotten by many youngsters now,because not anybody gets to know about them in school,or they,the damn rascals,dont listen and learn!They were both entertainment with learning.Get smart and have fun; read Kurt Vonnegut!And for us Danes,also Dan Turell.I wonder if Turell ever got translated to english.Poems ,essays,Crimestorys?
RE: the First Amendment - the right to Free Speech does not guarantee and Audience for your material. It also does not mandate that a Particular person MUST read or hear the speech you are free to express.
@Audio Porcupine Those who demand an audience because "THEIR side ought to be heard." That's why certain points of view are mandatory via our educational system, as well as "sensitivity training" in various organizations. If you're not capable of garnering an audience, simply establish your version of indoctrination by taking over the organizational leadership positions. You know, just like the NAZI Party did in the 1930s.
Calling him "the interviewer" betrays your lack of familiarity with the man. Gzowski, a man of infinite wit and intelligence, had a long career as "the interviewer." This was because he assumed the persona of a kind of childlike yet informed, curious everyman when interviewing. I still treasure every morning I listened to his show on CBC - he made many hours in the darkroom better. Incidentally, he quite disliked doing TV and much preferred radio. Possibly because it allowed him to smoke, and dress however he chose.
He seems a little fidgety here, but he sounds more or less like he always does. I suppose we would all sound that way if we were raised by Germans in Indiana in the 1920s.
So it turns out there is no such thing so far as we know a "Chemical Imbalance". It's purely speculative at best. There is no measurement for this sort of thing.
The explanation for how members of the same family can experience the world in very similar - and often disordered - ways is also speculative. A lot of speculation out there.
His books got me through high school. I would not have survived without his biting sarcasm and wit, his wry sense of humour about serious things. I miss him.
some will see this and think him crazy, but after this his masterpiece Galopicos was written.
Same with me
This is such a wonderful blast from the past. I'm quite positive I read every Vonnegut book at least once back in the day. It's refreshing to see/hear this conversation having been from these times and the (kind of) irony that it actually (in a funny weird way) still resonates so true today (2021). Thanks for sharing this video! I miss his wonderful authentic transparent curmudgeon humor. Such a wonderful talented man!
I saw him speak at The University of New Hampshire back in the early 90s. What a gift. Read every one of his books after that. Today, he still inspires me to give writing a go. God bless him.
After many years, all of a sudden Kurt Vonnegut is in my life again. That makes me happy.
Peace. JR
it's hard to tell whether he's talking or composing fiction on the fly. love it!
"Your future will soon come to you and lie down at your feet like a dog who knows and loves you no matter what you are. And the dog of my future lying at my feet is snoring now."
Kurt Vonnegut
I just finished watching the documentary and love him even more knowing his flaws. The greatest writer of the 20th century 😑✌️
@iuseitToo It's called Unstuck In Time
What's the doc. called?
That was really good. Enjoyed it a lot; keep recommending such things.
I can not believe this literary giant has so few comments. A most unique character.
i could listen to this man speak for hours
Having read 4/5 of his books .. he is so calm, dark, brutish and funny at the same time.
@BLDJLN He just couldn't finish any of them.
4/5ths of 14 novels? Okay...
Brilliant, hilarious, and inspiring human 😊🤣❤️☀️
There were two books I insisted they read: Nancy Mitford’ s The Sun King, and Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughter House Five , both masterpieces to my lights
KZclip has started recommending Vonnegut videos out of the blue don’t know why but it is a pleasant suprise
I have had Vonnegut videos showing up in KZclip - and of course I open them, so the algorithm then took the hint. A virtuous spiral.
Me too!
A little late to the party but I’m glad for the flashback
Caper. here if you like it and haven't yet- PLEASE do east of Eden. Grapes is good but Eof Eden is up there with SlaughterHouse 5 as one if best pieces of artistic creation I have and I think will ever come across
Right? Weird! But great. I've never seen him speak before.
He attributes human behavior to chemistry and the audience laughs.
Amazing intelligent comedian
The 20th century Mark Twain, amazing man. RIP
So it goes.
Thinking the same... Although Kurt reminds me of a zillion people... What could that be?
kamuelalee i thought his mannerisms + mustache felt familiar!
It's incredible how he even looked old in 1978. Wish he was still around though.
He is, the books and things like this are still here and still just great, can read them over and over.
@Ilqr D. having been through what he did, I would be surprised he didn't look older. My uncle's hair turned completely white from his WWII experiences.
@Julie Rowan-Zoch I sure did
You read Slaughter House 5, right?
Well it's because he was born old!
The owner of a trendy, free-spirit cafe near me adores Kurt's ideas. There's a little shrine on the top of a large bookcase. I rarely "hang my hat" on any human philosophy or personality, but the owner seems dog-gone happy!
Sounds a great place!
I must visit sometime…
so it goes
There is a powerful need for Vonnegut right now.
Brilliant as always. My hero, Mr. KV
A total genius
To this day, I brush my teeth with warm water because of this man.
Did he advocate brushing ines teeth with warm water? Was there a reason? Thankyou :)
a true genius
This guy was a visionary
I learned about a wonderful person today.
I try to do that more often each day lately.
I remember seeing these guys on tv. Did a few interviews.
I’ve read every book he wrote.. the man was a prophet!
Crazy how in that time high schools were trying to ban Slaughterhouse 5, meanwhile when I was in high school, our teacher had to force us to read the same book and NOBODY wanted to read it lol I ended up reading it though and it became one of my favorite books ever.
My high school English lit book had one of his short stories in it! That’s how I discovered him! He was a genius
@Andrew Dale We were assigned to read Slaughterhouse 5 in highschool, but I wasn't in the class that assigned it. I was in the class that assigned The Scarlet Letter. Buzz kill. My classmates who got to read Vonnegut raved about him and I would only know why after graduating and finding my own damn books to read, thank you very much. Then I saw him speak at UNH and it was game over - read all his books after that, one after the other.
Most of the books we had to read in high school were dead boring. I think our teachers were born aged 53.
Gzowski was another man of whom we can all be proud...
are you related to Sneaky Pete?
Way ahead of his time! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Great interview!
kurt is awesome....
Peter Gzowski and Kurt Vonnegut! This is something special.
happy to be here, some people are a joy to listen to
I have watched quite a few Vonnegut interviews, and I like how loose this one is. It has a bit of a Dick Cavett energy to it.
Kurt's fucking wrecked. I still love him with all my heart though.
Yeah, that might explain it.
No doubt our modern day prophet. Such wisdom and wit. And entertaining as well.
I think he’s my second favorite Kurt😌
2:30 love this moment
I love Vonnegut may his soul rest in peace, but I think he might be inebriated in this video
Going oblique to be the opposite. Standard procedure from him. Gorgeous stuff.
Quite the raconteur, is our Kurt :-)
Canadians: We need a picture of Peter Gzowski on one of our notes.
Happy 100th birthday, Mr Vonnegut!🎉
PG: Do you really know the answer to everything?
KV: I haven’t been stumped very often
He’s adorable
Kurt Vonnegut invented Life Couching... It was too early though. Now, he would have plenty of customers. lol
Somebody should make biography of Kurt Vonnegut - and cast Nathan Lane as Kurt!
Nathan Lane?
Too short
I wish i was into KV in 1978.
Everything was beautiful and nothing hurt
The end there, about his brother; the genesis of Ice Nine.
9:08 Genius!
A Good King is a Good Thing.
He was ahead of his time regarding chemistry and behavior. Listen to Robert Sapolsky or Sam Harris on free will.
@mae What's wrong with Sam?
Sam Harris hahaha
If this isn't nice I don't know what it.
omg, I just watched that lecture about half an hour ago. Spot on, you. ;)
Farting and tap dancing
Benja Harguindey very nice
God Bless You Mr. Rosewater
Read your comment. Was verklempt.
Marvelous
lol Gzowski wants to light up too - great interview, miss the old pros
"I figured out how to keep humanity from hurling itself off the cliff. To start, we're all going to post our favorite Rant(s) on 11-11 at 11:11.
~ xoxo Hahn Furst”
#FLICKiT
#HappyBirthdayKurt
#HappyBirthdayFyodor
#HappyBirthdayLeo
My word (nyuk-nyuk,) this man (was) is so intriguing!
Incidentally, AgI is the only one of the nicest things to get dumped on with. Imagine, men organizing the physical task of dumping chemistries upon people from the cowardice of an aircraft. It is ALL chemical weapons, whether gasoline, bombs, vx, rads..
great interviewer. but i really wanted to hear the end of the free speech arc 14:45
God, this man had a savage mind. Witty af.
1978 seems about right.
Being told what to do is what the people want, just like Milton said.
Dead ringer for Marc Maron.
His cheek must have been sore on account of his tongue being lodged in there so often!
BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS
💗
Mentions his brother got into cloud seeding.
KVJ was God incarnate.
when smoking on TV was OK
Vonnegut Essay in March/April 2018 issue of Writer's Digest
There are two kinds of intolerance. Those that think you cannot allow the profane to be in books; Those that think only the profane should be allowed in books. Unfortunately both are wrong and neither will stop trying to censure the other.
I live according to my morals; You live by your morals. I want to convince you of my convictions, not repress yours. There is a difference.
Unfortunately, we are beholden to both extremists. I worry that people fear being rational and up lift the padded room.
I love Kilgore Trout
me too
Excellent interview, but let's just pause for a second and acknowledge the thoroughly creepy comment made by the interviewer around 16:30 - "My son doesn't use the Junior [on his name], so I keep getting calls from eighteen year old girls, which is quite nice." Umm...ew. Otherwise, Kurt Vonnegut is a doll
@kipper - the copulating with mother comment was to inform the audience that the word objected to in his book was motherfucker without saying it. Context.
ikr in a 20min interview both make weirdo comments. The other one wrote slaughterhouse 5 for kids which referenced 'copulating with their mother', both just trying to get attention cheaply but it backfires.
16:19, to be precise.
We read Oepedis Rex in 9th grade as a literature assignmint in 1979
@Jack T well the guys I hung with were all little dirty minded perverts to begin with and I haveing discovered the Rolling Stones the previous year was a man of the world I found it interesting that that was were the term Mother F#@ker originated.And of course from the Stones I graduated to the Doors.
The Killer awoke before dawn
He put his boots on and walked on down the hall
Father
Yes son..
I want to kill you
Mother I want to...auiiiiiigh
Dale Eloph - Oedipus- The original m@th@#%#!&#%.
He was damaged by the war. He then refused to be a victim and made the world better by his perspective and zest for life. Irony and wit can get you through way better than depressive victimhood.
Americas Dan Turell,theyre both forgotten by many youngsters now,because not anybody gets to know about them in school,or they,the damn rascals,dont listen and learn!They were both entertainment with learning.Get smart and have fun; read Kurt Vonnegut!And for us Danes,also Dan Turell.I wonder if Turell ever got translated to english.Poems ,essays,Crimestorys?
Funny at 17:30 they mention the "weapon of war" silver iodide, something which is purportedly being dropped in chemtrails now.
RE: the First Amendment - the right to Free Speech does not guarantee and Audience for your material. It also does not mandate that a Particular person MUST read or hear the speech you are free to express.
@Audio Porcupine Those who demand an audience because "THEIR side ought to be heard." That's why certain points of view are mandatory via our educational system, as well as "sensitivity training" in various organizations. If you're not capable of garnering an audience, simply establish your version of indoctrination by taking over the organizational leadership positions. You know, just like the NAZI Party did in the 1930s.
Who ever said that it did? Ridiculous comment.
For someone who has spent so much time memorizing Vonnegut quotes, the interviewer appears to completely misunderstand his sense of humor and satire.
@John Spooner Thanks for that. I don't know him, but I love good interviews and those who build them. I'll be doing a search to find more Gzowski. :)
Calling him "the interviewer" betrays your lack of familiarity with the man. Gzowski, a man of infinite wit and intelligence, had a long career as "the interviewer." This was because he assumed the persona of a kind of childlike yet informed, curious everyman when interviewing. I still treasure every morning I listened to his show on CBC - he made many hours in the darkroom better. Incidentally, he quite disliked doing TV and much preferred radio. Possibly because it allowed him to smoke, and dress however he chose.
I think he's just playing it straight
Vonnegut=bernie=Jon stewart=dave chapelle=maybe joe rogan=
THE HORROR, THE HORROR
@Robert Galletta ?
WELCOME TO STOICISM
“Gaslight.”
Mark Twain in process
Boycott tv. 💥
Who else is here because of a school essay
Had to read Cat's Cradle in high school. He was a great writer...Slaughterhouse Five particularly
He seems sloshed. I have never seen him speak though.
@Felipe W He seems to be talking the way he usually does - distinctive style
He seems a little fidgety here, but he sounds more or less like he always does. I suppose we would all sound that way if we were raised by Germans in Indiana in the 1920s.
Not sloshed
Is that interviewer Geraldo's Dad?
Amit Verma nah, needs to be farther away. Lol.
Could not they put the ashtray a bit closer ?
Peter Gzowski en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Gzowski
So it goes.
Forgot to add my five children
Chemistry is the basics of all humanity.
17:26 cloud seeding :/
Yeah, then it cut out when he started talking tornados.
(Vonnegut was the target at Dresden.)
so it goes
17:40
Drunk?
2:16 check it
So it turns out there is no such thing so far as we know a "Chemical Imbalance". It's purely speculative at best. There is no measurement for this sort of thing.
The explanation for how members of the same family can experience the world in very similar - and often disordered - ways is also speculative. A lot of speculation out there.
I know
I forgot your name
17:22 ..........
Are we just not going to make fun of the show host for being so slow?