I learned from several tweets on Twitter today that Harlan Ellison has died. I didn\u2019t know the man, though I had read a number of his works, but I do have one tale to tell of him.<\/p>\n
It was many years ago at the Writer\u2019s Guild theatre in Beverly Hills. I had gone with a Guild member friend to a screening. I don\u2019t recall the film we saw, but I have a vague recollection, likely unreliable, that it was a new (at the time) James Bond film. In any case, after the film a few of the filmmakers responsible held a question-answer with the audience, at which point the diminutive Harlan stood up (looking scarcely taller standing than seated) and made some sort of snarky comment. In response, a number of the audience members groaned and several shouted, \u201cSit down<\/em>, Harlan!\u201d<\/p>\n
My friend later told me that this was not the first time the Writer\u2019s Guild theatre had hosted such a display of authorial camaraderie.<\/p>\n
Harlan Ellison may be gone, but, if there is any sort of after-life, I suspect that he is not resting peacefully in it. It would be wholly out of character.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"