I saw Harlan Ellison speak at the first annual Creative Screenwriting conference in LA a few years back: truly, one of the most engaging "lecturers" I've ever had the privilege of being inspired by (if the phrase is germane, here--those of you who've met the man will doubtless know what I'm talking about; though of course, I'll go ahead and qualify that one by saying: I can't help but feel that the guy, were anyone to ever actually muster the courage to thank him in such a manner to his face, would not only bark out a long, wild cackle, one echoing out to the horizon, stirring up the pigeons and everything, but then, would almost certainly turn back around, put his hand on your shoulder, look deep into your eyes for several long moments, and then, finally, weep great, round tears of pity, uttering, "Oh, oh you poor, sad, misguided soul..." And that, really, would be that--but, I digress...)
The man can write. If you haven't read his remarkable Hugo award-winning short story "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream", I highly recommend that you do so. Immediately. (And the obvious question: who owns the movie rights to this one?) I've been going back through a lot of his short fiction as of late (see "Slippage", "Angry Candy", and "Troublemakers", under my "Now Reading" list at right), and though his shorts are, indeed, often a very hit-or-miss affair, the writing itself has so much energy in it--so much pent-up frustration, enthusiasm, glee, all of it--that you almost don't mind when the stories themselves, at times, don't quite realize, in their pay-offs, what he sets up for them in their openings. It's sort of like a really great friend who tells the most hilarious jokes: the punch lines are only funny half the time, but the TELLING of the jokes, that, really, is where the joy is...
So yes, indeed, a little taste then perhaps? Though Harlan's something of a nut when it comes to people ripping off his material on the net (he's single-handedly fighting the 800 pound gorilla that is AOL/Time Warner right now, over this very issue), I did find one rather marvellous piece which he's opted to (and quite fittingly, I might add) release into the public domain, this being: "The 3 Most Important Things In Life".
I know that most of you (which is to say, the two or three of you that actually come to this site) are here for the quick hit (no doubt, I imagine this is what we're all pursuing, these days), and hence, probably just aren't all that into reading these longer pieces, but really, for this one--trust me. I shan't give anything away: just sit back, kick back, take a deep breath, put the phone on hold for ten minutes, and go through the entire piece--it's very, very much worth it.
And now, without further ado: Harlan Ellison’s “The 3 Most Important Things in Life”
