You see that entitlement from Star Wars fans in spades nowadays. They throw up petitions and talk about boycotts, as if they own the IP themselves.

@@BolofromAvlis And now, Star Wars is a dead franchise because you pissed off the fans. Congratulations.

@@BolofromAvlisThat’s not really entitlement as much as criticism of the direction for the franchise as a whole.

​@@BolofromAvlisthat is blaming the victim the Star Wars fans the Star Wars that is coming out now is not Star Wars

@@VolkColopatrioncase in point: fans hated last jedi and demanded a traditional star wars finale to the sequel trilogy. Howd that work out for you?

I don't know much about Ellison, but he always seems intense.

probably his way of not having to speak. be annoying as possible and theyll let me leave lol

he was out there for sure. if you haven't seen the video 'pay the writer', it is very funny.

It was probably one bad experience after another

Explains why he is forgotten these days as most people would rather die than try and think

Think about what????? That he's a Jerk?????

That's not my take.

If you're a masochist.

Quit jerking off to superman and do something useful with your life.

In some sense a creator is beholdent to the audience. Especially if he expects the audience to be a permanent one.

Well, you do have the History chanell for that.

I used to watch that channel in the 1990s and most of the content was horror, not even science fiction horror.

Yeah, like Music Television used to have music.

@@biffmercury Another example of how the market isn't magic. The History Channel is filled with Ancient Aliens, MTV is filled with (whatever, not music), and The Learning Channel is now virtually wall-to-wall My 600lb Life. None of these are jokes. That's what people wanted to watch, so that's what filled those channels. Similarly, the news has now become sensationalized infotainmnet and misinfotainment, because ratings skyrocket as the populace learns almost nothing.

All Hail HARLAN ELLISON!!!

Why? Cuz Harlan wouldnt take Shit from you Millenial skidmarks? Lol

@@plaguedoctormasque8089 wow way to fucking go off the deep-end there, buddy. Sounds like someone's mad at youth because they can't return to their own. To be fair, I don't like the archetype of the spoiled millennial either because it makes it harder for people like myself who try to distance themselves from it and show that I care about work and take care of my own shit, but FFS people like you don't help any more so with your constant whining about them. Also, who raised our generation? Always so quick to point fingers yet bare no responsibility for how it happened. A parent that blames the child for being raised wrong. Pathetic, really. Thankfully you'll most likely die before I do and your generation will be a thing of the past. If the rest of us destroy the Earth with our babying then so be it. I had a good run.

@@plaguedoctormasque8089 Lol calm down dork.

Yeah. Good for him.

He was a fartboy. Plain and simple

@vaylon1701 I had a clerical job where I have waited on celebrities. Fortunately I was in my early 40s ,not starstruck, and had a policy of not bothering these people on their downtime . Now when they are paid to do a Convention or are at a scheduled place to promote a new book they should suck it up even if they are borderline misanthropic like Ellison is and sign the damn thing . Writer did put himself "OUT there " but if he is successful it is because fans made him so . & You are right fans can turn on a dime .

You sound like an oldhead how do you genuinely believe that the state of art and culture is any different than what is was say 40 years ago? You really think that there is just a complete absence of people interested in and with the drive to become amazing paradym shifting artists?

Hey I am coming up. I just havent broke out yet. Give me some time.

@ Cosmoline The Net has allowed for Democratization of the Arts but it has also destroyed any financial incentive to even break even and earn a living. Everybody from Ellison, to Gene Simmons to recently filmmaker Paul Schader have noted this. People who are naively dewy eyed about the Internet are in denial and dump on people like Gene Simmons who said that it is chaos and there is no structure anymore and people boot it up fro free are only telling the truth !

@@sydlawson3181 You don't need to know about the state of art and culture specifically. All you need to do is look at what's popular and what is making money. You don't need to look much further than that.

​@@holden6104popular art is always crap. Harlen would agree with you 60 years ago

"if a person comes in with a stack of 30 books, and wants them signed, you should be willing to sign them all" why

Not really man. where do you get that? a writer is like anyone else. they can do as they wish.

@Fox lol. they wrote the book. their work is done. they can do as they wish, like everyone else.

@@devinreese1109 If the author doesn't want to show up to a signing, then that's his prerogative. If he shows up, however, then sign the fucking books. I don't see what the big deal is. Nobody's forcing the author to attend anything, unless there is a deal already worked out with the publisher. Part of being successful is being professional. It goes a long way.

Huh? Why?

+Pelican1984 Having lots of attention isn't what it's cracked up to be ^_^ But what do you mean by endless distraction?

David Louis The inumerable number of fans. It isn't limited to a show, weekdays, office hours, etc. It distracts him from work.

Harlan Ellison is one of the most impolite and obnoxious people I've ever met! He is an ass! Granted, there are a lot of things I agree with him on, but he has NO patience for people who don't agree with him! He thinks he's an elitist, there nothing elite about being an assh......!

then he would be considered a failure by many writers standards. end of story

fakejameh "many writer's standards". Well, that is the absolute authority to judge by, isn't it? ;) 3 dozen books with a single top publisher over 45 years....I think he is doing "OK". LOL

Damn straight.

ArtAgent13 He's saying people don't understand them and take the wrong things away from them. Basically idiots shouldn't be able to rate things.

The opinions of idiots should be disregarded so if someone's criticism of a book shows a severe lack of understanding then who cares? Plus writers are NOT businessmen. They are not here to pander to people. They write because they are compelled to write. If you want to read their work buy a book, if you haven't enjoyed their work stop buying their books. Now with the internet you can even go on Amazon and write a review if it makes you feel important, but writers are ARTISTS, not vapid featureless celebrities for people who don't like opinions to drool over. If Harlan Ellison wants to express his opinions then Harlan Ellison will express his opinions. If you don't buy his books just because he hurts your feelings or doesn't meet your standards for a nice squeaky clean non-confrontational nobody then you are a fool. Unless the artist has done something heinous and you decide you don't want to support them anymore, you judge the artist by the art. Not because they're a brash person who holds opinions you don't like. And it isn't a pandering thing. Books are not Hollywood movies. (good) Novelists are artists. They write first and foremost for themselves. They do not pander to the self entitled public.

So nothing good came after 1955? Bold statement.

@@plaidchuck No, plenty good came after, but it could've been better.

His works being good put him in a position of success. People bought his works because they were good and those works were good because of the effort he put into them.

@@g.boychev9355 Not all good works are recognized.

He could have still been a writer, he just wouldn't have done it for a living and wouldn't have written as much. Nobody even published Kafka's books while he was alive, for example, and that didn't stop him from writing.

well if he were smart, hed be doign far more than that. Dont give up your dayjob is numbe rone rule fo writing and get a decent one. Lol. What he does with his fame as a writer or career is zero business but his, man.

@@devinreese1109 You can be your own person but you have to accept the consequences of it and , yes, sometimes Harlan did. Life is a crapshoot . Sometimes kiss assness works. sometimes it doesn't ! Sometimes Sinatra I did it My way works . Sometimes it doesn't !

Sorry but there are only two choices - you can choose the sociopathic neoliberal millionaire from the Democrats or the sociopathic neoliberal billionnaire from the Republicans.

+William Sullivan He has been. But consider 1. He's pretty much correct. 2. This is partly tongue in cheek, and partly just being a bit provocative. Don't take it too seriously.

True. I often fall for the old "tongue in cheek" bit. I just find it hard to speak to anyone this way. That's just me though.

+William Sullivan I think every punch in the face only make shim stronger and more aggressive. Which must mean that he has taken over 3,000 punches to the face before he was 20.

Why? Most likely, people like you are basically cowards and would be too spineless to do it.

sci fi writer was his job. being a thug was his hobby

Nope the publisher pays his bills.

@@plaidchuck and if the fans didn't create demand for his product, the publisher wouldn't pay him. Ipso Facto, the fans pay his bills

@@shadowperson779they create demand because of the quality of work. He never said fans or readers should spend money or pay homage to authors just because. Even in previous commentaries he mentioned how crap writers will find themselves without work.

@@carringtondale Do you know that for a fact????? I'm criticizing for what he said then. I took at a look at a comment that was posted by "cessnaace" a Year ago. That tells me what OI need to know about Harlan Ellison. To quote "cessnaace": "Back circa 1977 I was a member of the organizing committee for a Star Trek convention in Seattle. We couldn't afford the major stars (we did manage to get some cast members), so I suggested that we invite writers. I suggested Robert A. Heinlein. Someone else recommend Harlan Ellison. We got both, but as I was working the convention I had to choose which one to hear speak. I choose Heinlein. Now Harlan, as good a writer as he was was a bit of a challenge, because after the room was packed full of fans, he demanded that the room be vacated and then each member of the audience be searched as they entered for recording devices. He must have had his reasons. All I know is Heinlein didn't make any such demands" Sounds a bit paranoid to me.

@@carringtondale Harlan Ellison's behavior towards Sci-Fi readers before before allowing them into being part of an audience is self-explanatory. Demanding people to be searched for recording devices before allowing them to hear him????? Please.

Harlan is often, a terrific human being, unlike yourself. You no nothing about him obviously. I knew Harlan and when I was in the hospital for 2 months, got out and found some get well gifts from Harlan waiting for me. So, learn before you speak Herby.

Your knowledge of Harlan Ellisons life work is sorely lacking if that is what you TRULY believe.What is YOUR obituary going to say? Underinformed perhaps??

mark s I know perfectly well what's in Ellison's "lifes work," as most of it is on my shelf. But thats not what I said, now was it? I said his "Obituary." What can you name of Ellison's that has the slightest interest to the average joe? His short stories are stupendous to be sure, but they're also obscure and of no historical impact to anyone besides sci fi nerds, and even then only the elitist bookworm dork who cares about something written half a century ago. Most of the TV shows he wrote for have been off the air for 50 years. Ellison has no movie, no franchise, no "epic" to call his own. NONE of his creations ever transcended their origins to go mainstream. He has no "2001," no "Stranger in a Strange Land," no "Martian Chronicles," no major creative achievement. His "lifes work" is only a series of flash-in-the-pan one-hit-wonders. The ONLY creative achievement thats survived any length of time or has *any* popular culture word of mouth is his Star Trek episode.

SpreadingtheMuse He doesn't write for the average joe, pinhead. He writes for intelligent people. Obviously you don't have any idea what you're talking about, because he has done MANY memorable things, such as the outer limits, the twilight zone, I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream, A Boy and His Dog, and countless other things that morons like you could only dream of doing. What's your obituary gonna have? "The guy who complained about Harlan Ellison?"

1) "intelligent people" I ought to know, as I have a whole shelf of his books right behind me ;) 2) He can be as elitist as he wants and ignore the "average joe," but none of that refutes my original statement, that its the average joe who's going to write his obituary and wont know him from Adam. 3) "Outer limits" You mean shows that have been off the air for 50 years? Just like I said in the post above this one? Imagine that... :/ Dont be a nerd. When was the last time "Demon with a Glass Hand" has even been on TV? Let alone MENTIONED? Let alone even given the time of day? Are you sure you didn't just prove my point for me? Lets examine: -- "Twilight Zone" The 80s version? If its so famous then why didn't you name the episode? And if its so famous WHY DID CBS CANCEL TZ AFTER ONLY TWO YEARS? Newsflash, no one gives that show the time of day either. -- "I Have No Mouth" Written in 1967. WOO HOO!!! See the "50 year old" comment above. So WTF has he done lately? Even better, since when did anyone earn immortality *for a fucking short story???* Wont happen. Hate to break that to you. -- "A Boy and his Dog" ROLF and that movie has just *smoked* up all the Best-Of lists hasnt it??? Its on TV all the time, referenced in every sci fi essay....oh wait...it isnt. That movie aired for like, 5 minutes, then fell off the face of the planet. Dont waste my time. All you did was prove me correct. He's done NOTHING that will be remembered in the measly 6 inches of obituary he's going to get. Its going to say "Star Trek writer dies" and you damn well know it. Ellison's career has been a huge waste. He's the only Hugo Grand Master without any grand "epic." He has nothing to compare with the cultural influence of 2001, or Stranger in Strange Land, or Fahrenheit 451, or Dune. Not a damn thing. And don't be the predictable cutie-pie with "your obituary." I'm not in competition with Ellison. HE is in competition with Clarke, Heinlein, Bradbury, Herbert, Tolkien etc etc, and he's going to lose, and lose bad. I am only in competition with retards like you. And already being an author, filmmaker, and having gotten on national TV for my creative endeavors, I've already mopped the floor with you. You want to compare resumes, nerd credibility or otherwise? Then you just bring it the fuck on.

I would post the Rick and Morty meme, but I think its cancer. The long and short of it, an artist can either work for the love of the art but than has no place appointing himself to any position, or he can work for the audience, in which case he must contend with them. The President doesn't get to claim to be for the people wizhout getting elected, and a Dictator can not claim to be for the people with honesty.

Didn't Cameron explicitly say he took ideas from Ellison's Outer Limits work? And the similarity is considerable. Personally, I'm fine with it. As they say, great artists steal.

Spacemonkeymojo Well considering James Cameron literally said "I just ripped off his Outer Limits episodes" I think Harlan's justified.

And its pathetic you suck daddy for a place to.live and car payments because your shit job at mickey Ds dosent pay enough.

Millennial parasite. Look whos calling.ppl above you bloodsuckers. Lol inbred troglydite. You arent worthy to smell my ahit let alone HEs.

Cameron has never had an original idea in his life.