Hello, Mudpuppie! LT here - just saying hi, just saying hello, you know, like I used to back when I did things like that. How's everything? Chickens well? How are Cody and Skosch, your kittens? Boy, I sure miss them and that Ball O' Yarn game we played.

Hey, 'member when we went and got pizza that one time? Man, that was good! Anyway, take care of yourself and feel free to say Hi whenever. Love ya lots! TTYL!

-LT

Can not stand him.

I had no opinion one way or another before now but this

I am a master of fiction. I am also the greatest crime writer who ever lived. I am to the crime novel in specific what Tolstoy is to the Russian novel and what Beethoven is to music.

makes me really dislike him. Heh, no, dude, you're not.

Totally turned me off. I have no interest in his writings at all, especially now.

There are a lot of authors who are total assholes, but write pretty decent books. Artists too. Oh, and musicians. If you can't seperate the artist from his art I think you'll find there's not much you're going to like. This day and age people are more interested in the fanboy(girl) aspect of things and in celebrity. You can't do anything public these days with out a publicist and an image management team. I find in general people are pretty disappointing. That doesn't mean I won't find some of the things they do compelling. YMMV

hrm, I really liked LA Confidential. He sounds like an unmitigated ass, though.

eeka, I disliked his writing before I knew anything about the person behind it.

What a hilarious interview. I didn't know Ellroy did improv comedy.

I like his stuff a lot, but I won't try to defend this interview.

He's fucking with the interviewer and the audience. I've met Ellroy a few times, he's actually a pleasant and interesting guy. I just think he holds the media in contempt and enjoys playing with it. He is in fact a literary genius, who outclasses every other writer working today except for Price, Sandlin and Perrotta.

If that isn't an act, the man is a prick. I've never read any of his books; I'm not much into crime fiction (non-fiction is a whole 'nother ball of wax).

There are a lot of authors who are total assholes, but write pretty decent books. Artists too. Oh, and musicians. If you can't seperate the artist from his art I think you'll find there's not much you're going to like.

There's William Faulkner, for example.

One day, his daughter asked him not to get drunk because it was her birthday.

His response? "Nobody remembers Shakespeare's child."

An interviewer once asked him about his work with television. Faulkner thought it was a low-class medium and felt embarassed about having to work in that field. So he blurted out "Television is for [a not-very-nice expression for Americans of African ancestry.]"

Just to revisit, I'm perfectly capable of separating the artist from the art.

Never liked his books. (And I disagree with jonmc's contention that he's one of the greatest fucking artists ever. But since jonmc is a known fan and we all know how this works -- all the people you like, jon, are the greatest fucking ever -- I don't feel the need to make any sort of argument to the contrary.) I can separate his books from the interview.

But the interview is just totally fucking wack. And I don't buy that it's an act. Anyone who wants to can. I'll just continue to laugh. Haha.