Ah, I was looking at a Sci-Fi Buzz a few weeks back when one of
my commentaries did not appear, and people on the Internet would call
in, I guess to the Dominion, the Sci-Fi
Channel on line thing. Somebody said" Who made Harlan
Ellison the conscience of Science Fiction? Who appointed him?" And
Mike Jerrick tried to be polite about it. But I got the answer for you.
You did, Pin Head. You know, if you stood up and you did your job I
wouldn't have to be sitting here. I'm no different from you. You're
filled with opinions and so am I. I, it just happens, I got to the
money first, that's all. I'm sitting here because they asked me to sit
here, But if you were the conscience of Science Fiction I wouldn't have
and gripe about stuff. I could sit here and talk about good stuff. You
see there's a, there's a very strange relationship between fans and, and
professionals, and uh, on the one hand you'll do something good, like
send money to the Jo Clayton Fund. Now, for those of you who don't what
I'm talking about, Jo Clayton, the Science Fiction writer, is in a
hospital in Portland, Oregon and she's got Multiple Myeloma, which is a
terrible, terrible cancer which punches holes in the bones. And I made
an appeal for money. Here's a little thing for the Jo Clayton Fund:
And I just got a fax the other day that told me over $3,000 has been
collected so far, uh it's probably more than that by the time you see
this. But Science fiction fans did that.
On the other hand, Science Fiction fans think that they should be
treated as if they actually put a writer where a writer is. I did an
online at the Science Fiction convention for the Dominion and
afterit was all over, somebody who I had called a pin head, because he
had asked me a stupid question and you know, with more affection than
with anything else, complained that I had called him a pin head, said,
"I wish you could have been nicer", and nicer ain't my job. Nicer is
the kind of job for people who give a damn, and I certainly don't. I
like my audience. I like them when they keep their place. I don't like
it when, as one of the people on here said, "You ought to be nicer to
the people who put him where he is". Let me explain something to you.
The writer does that. When you buy a book, that's what you're entitled
to - the book. If you get in a signing line and the writer gives you a
signature, or if there's an awards ceremony, or if there's a convention
and they're kind to you, that's largess, it is lagniappe as we say
in New Orleans. That's what you're entitled to, is the book. And so,
do not think that readers put a writer where the writer ends up being.
The writer does it by endless, endless days and nights working at a
typewriter or PC or standing there with a lectern with a quill. And
that's why we have this wonderful love/hate relationship, you and I.
And I'm here almost every week to keep you aware of what you think your
place is in the universe and if you think I'm, you know, above my
station it's only because I'm really basically a wonderful human being,
and I'm glad you understand that.
Jo Clayton Fund
Make checks payable to:
Oregon SF Emergency
mail to:
Oregon SF Emergency
c/o OFSCI
P.O. Box 5703
Portland, OR 97228
From Sci-Fi Buzz, episode 169
Publishing Rights to 'Harlan Ellison's Watching' copyright 1997 the Killimanjaro Corporation.