Kurt Vonnegut, Dead at 84
Kurt Vonnegut died yesterday at the age of 84. He had apparently sustained a brain injury during a recent fall and that makes me sad.
And so it goes.
My homey Alex introduced me to Vonnegut via Cat’s Cradle and he’s been an influence on me since then. I’m particularly a fan of his short stories and keep a copy of Welcome To The Monkeyhouse in my glovebox in case I need it (and I usually do at least once a week). He’s made me laugh and made me think pretty critically about myself, my chunk of the world, and the world at large.
We had the pleasure of hearing him speak in April 1998 at Wash U’s Field House. I remember enjoying the gig even though I can’t recall what he talked about. He ended the engagement in the most clever way I’ve seen.
His talk led up to a point where he asked everyone to shake hands and introduce themselves to everyone around them. Not just next to you, but the folks in front of and behind. Everyone enthusiastically started making new friends.
Vonnegut used this activity to quietly walk off stage. In spite of Zeusian levels of applause, he apparently kept right on walking.
Brilliant.
A few things for your brain:
- Listen to him reading this clip from Breakfast Of Champions
- Refer to this older post of mine with a segment of Slaughterhouse 5.
- Read this fantastic essay called Cold Turkey
And so it goes.
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