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Philip K. Dick on Kurt Vonnegut

Posted almost 3 years ago
  • Artist:
    Philip K. Dick
  • Album:
    David Roel's collection of Philip K. Dick interviews
  • Track:
    on Kurt Vonnegut
Far be it for me to add another to the blossoming forest of eulogies for Kurt Vonnegut, a man who I loved -- I'm just thankful I've been alive at a time when I could read his writings (Mark Twain, never got the chance). I do have something to share though: some audio of Philip K. Dick expressing his insight into Kurt Vonnegut, an author which arguably, I think, he shared much in common with. Both Vonnegut and Dick used speculative fiction to explore a relationship between author and character and the hopes and tragedies of individuals within narrated realities outside their control (see Breakfast of Champions and Man in the High Castle). Vonnegut's Player Piano was also one of Philip K. Dick's favorite books.
Interviewer: Did you read Breakfast of Champions?

PKD: Yes.

Interviewer: What did you think of Vonnegut's attitude towards his characters?

PKD: Disgusting and an abomination. I think that that book is an incredible drying up of the liquid -sack- sap of life in the veins of a person like a dead tree...that's what I think. I also love Kurt Vonnegut.

You can listen to it below in the mog player, or download the mp3, here. The audio comes from a cassette rip of an interview with Philip K. Dick, circa 1981, by persons unknown for a PKD newsletter. The cassettes came from a collection of tapes loaned by a friend to David Roel, who in turn made them available on the Internet a few years ago. You can hear more of these recordings here.

Click here, for a post on Vonnegut's Calypsos of Bokonon.

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Comments (24)

  1. Kate
    Kate says Great post. Maybe you would also like to check out the most wonderfully named PKD website: http://totaldickhead.blogspot.com/ Also, have you read "Venus on the Half-Shell" by Kilgore Trout (aka Philip Jose Farmer)? With permission from Vonnegut, Farmer tried to cure his writer's block by writing one of Trout's so-far imaginary novels. It must have worked, because the result is a funny and strange sci-fi journey.
    Permalink posted 04/12/2007
  2. kaleef
    kaleef says this is a great post. but so what?
    Permalink posted 04/12/2007
  3. spaceling
    spaceling says indeed
    Permalink posted 04/12/2007
  4. david hyman
    david hyman says nice insight. i think about ice-nine almost every day.
    Permalink posted 04/12/2007
  5. spaceling
    spaceling says So Kate, I checked out TotalDickHead, and lo and behold, aptly named PKD scholar, Ragle Gumm has already linked to this very post. That's proof enough for me that folks read these ramblings of mine here at mog. (And welcome totaldickhead readers!) David: Here in Louisiana, I've been working on a comprehensive coastal plan to protect and restore the eroding coastlands. As the writing is mostly done, this past few weeks my work has mostly entailed the processing of public comments. Would you believe I came across a public comment that called for turning mud into land by a chemical process -- obviously submitted by someone who had never read Cat's Cradle (or Rachel Carson's Silent Spring).
    Permalink posted 04/12/2007
  6. david hyman
    david hyman says hahahahah. funny and sad at the same time. then again, have you ever used magic shell on ice cream? hmmmmm
    Permalink posted 04/12/2007
  7. spaceling
    spaceling says You know, this is the first time I've ever heard of that food product. (Is it a regional food ?)
    Permalink posted 04/12/2007
  8. david hyman
    david hyman says in my efforts to inform you, i've dug up some stuff. from wikiepedia: Magic Shell is an American dessert product produced by Smuckers. It is a syrup that quickly hardens into a crispy shell when poured onto a cold surface, which is the origin of the product's name. The syrup is primarily designed for use on ice cream. It comes in several flavours, including chocolate, caramel, and fudge, in addition to two unique flavours—One, with chocolate, caramel, and pecans which the company calls "Turtle Delight", and a flavour based upon the candy bar Twix. The "shell" effect is done via a combination of paraffin and soybean oil. strange stuff. here's something: http://www.cockeyed.com/inside/magicshell/magicshell.html official site: http://www.smuckers.com/fg/ict/default.asp?groupid=4&catid=8&prodid=97 now, this is seriously SCARY!!!! - i searched for magic shell on youtube too see if i could find some video of the stuff in action. instead i found this:
    Permalink posted 04/12/2007
  9. spaceling
    spaceling says I think it is a parody of a kid sniffing glue... well, I hope it is a parody.
    Permalink posted 04/12/2007
  10. david hyman
    david hyman says hope so too
    Permalink posted 04/12/2007
  11. spaceling
    spaceling says The director says at the beginning that it's just flour, and the kid keeps referring to it as crack... but since when did crack users huff crack powder from plastic bags. Kid could be onto something -- perhaps that is what "magic shell" is code for.
    Permalink posted 04/12/2007
  12. david hyman
    david hyman says sad though. like when i was in summer camp, smoked toilet paper and pretended it was a joint. few years later.....
    Permalink posted 04/12/2007
  13. spaceling
    spaceling says if only they had warned you that toilet paper was a gateway drug.
    Permalink posted 04/12/2007
  14. david hyman
    david hyman says being 10 or so, huffing flour in a plastic bag and pretending you are on crack can lead to no good imho.
    Permalink posted 04/12/2007
  15. kaleef
    kaleef says spaceling, that is really interesting what you are doing. are you working only in the state of Louisiana? i would be interested to hear your conclusions. i am not well versed in that subject but i have deep seeded interest in our environment and green spaces. magic shells... num. but the video? come on guys, that video is funny. it's just a recreation of a dave chappelle show skit.
    Permalink posted 04/13/2007
  16. El Monko and Son
    El Monko and Son says Kurt Vonnegut is dead? Shit. I used to love Magic Shell, by the way.
    Permalink posted 04/13/2007
  17. spaceling
    spaceling says An anonymous reader at TotalDickHead points out that the correct transciption of Dick from the interview should read "sap of life" rather than "sack of life" as I oringially had it. Of course! That makes much more sense. Thanks again to anonymous for the correction.
    Permalink posted 04/13/2007
  18. spaceling
    spaceling says welcome fellow Boing Boing readers :)
    Permalink posted 04/13/2007
  19. wassonii
    wassonii says Was gonna say, saw you on the BB. Sad loss, but great legacy. Thank you very much for the links and such. Sap makes much more sense:) As to the magic shell, gotta say it's some good shit. really bad for you, but at that point, you've kind of bought into the whole thing. Good luck with the coastal plan! Please keep us posted. merci
    Permalink posted 04/14/2007
  20. steve simon
    steve simon says i am coincidentally surfing mog while talking to a reporter in indianapolis about building a vonnegut center
    Permalink posted 09/24/2007
  21. spaceling
    spaceling says A lot of people don't realize what's really going on. They view life as a bunch of unconnected incidents and things. They don't realize that there's this, like, lattice of coincidence that lays on top of everything. Give you an example; show you what I mean: suppose you're thinking about a plate of shrimp. Suddenly someone'll say, like, plate, or shrimp, or plate of shrimp out of the blue, no explanation. No point in looking for one, neither. It's all part of a cosmic unconsciousness. (sez Miller in Repo Man)
    Permalink posted 09/24/2007
  22. wassonii
    wassonii says and so much more... ;-)
    Permalink posted 09/25/2007
  23. spaceling
    spaceling says and the bokoninsts say: busy, busy, busy
    Permalink posted 09/25/2007
  24. wassonii
    wassonii says word.
    Permalink posted 09/28/2007

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