As part of the celebration of Esquire‘s 75th anniversary year, the 75th page of the December 2008 issue of the magazine contains brief quotes from what the staff considers to be the seven greatest stories they’ve ever published, with a link pointing to the complete stories.

In addition to Tom Wolfe’s “The Last American Hero Is Junior Johnson, Yes!” (which I’d read over over again in the collection The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine Flake Streamline Baby back in college when I thought I was going to follow in Wolfe’s footsteps) and Norman Mailer’s “Superman Comes to the Supermarket” (which is not about the superhero, but rather the Kennedy/Nixon debate), they’ve posted the full text of Gay Talese’s classic personality piece from the April 1966 issue, “Frank Sinatra Has a Cold.”

For those of you who’ve never read the piece and don’t understand why you should care, well, aside from the fact that it’s wonderfully written, it also includes a cameo by Harlan Ellison, who went head-to-head with the Chairman of the Board and lived to tell the tale. (more…)

Or at least that’s what Jim C. Hines had to say in his piece over at Genreville titled “And the Award Shall be Known as … The Dangerfield.”

While I agree that writers such as Terry Pratchett deserve more love, I squirmed a bit at the passage in which Hines put forth the premise that the reason science fiction ignores the funny when it comes to awards is because “deep down we’re still that awkward genre trying to work up the courage to ask Romance out on a date, and hoping the Mystery and Thriller jocks don’t stuff us into our locker.”

A funny line, but I don’t buy the premise, so to me it came off sounding like something I’d expect out of the misguided Michael Itzkoff. After all, the Oscars also slight comedy, but no one claims that’s because Hollywood has a lack of self-esteem.

I think the reasons are far more complex. Humor isn’t forced to sit at the children’s table because science fiction is ashamed of it. Instead, I think it’s because most people underestimate comedy, thinking it easier than more serious writing, when in fact, humor is perhaps far more fragile and delicate, and an argument could be made that it’s even more difficult to pull off. Competently written serious narratives can sometimes squeak by even when a passage is slightly off, but nothing bombs as badly as a bad joke.

So, yes, Terry Pratchett deserves all the awards he can get. But the fact that he doesn’t have a groaning shelf of trophies has nothing to do with our shame.

As I wrote in my remembrance of Tom Fagan, who passed away last month, he often mentioned me in his con reports back in the day. I just came across one such report in a copy of the 1972 fanzine Ragnarok, published by my friends Mark Collins and David Simons. (Note the spiffy Marie Severin cover.)

The issue included (along with an extensive Marie Severin interview, the reason for the cover) Tom’s write-up of that year’s New York Comic Art Convention, organized by the legendary dealer and con-runner, Phil Seuling.

It was the first one of those cons for which I got a hotel room (along with Mark and David) rather than being a daytripper, and it seems as if, based on Tom’s report, that I took full advantage of my presence there, and acted like a wild man, for he mentioned my doings multiple times, at one point dubbing me “irrepressible.” (more…)

I’ve taken part in this week’s MIND MIND round table, hosted by SF Signal. Our mandate was to answer the question, “Which speculative fiction books are worth reading twice? Why?”

You can find my answer—along with those of Louise Marley, Cheryl Morgan, James E. Gunn, Gardner Dozois, Sarah Langan, Abigail Nussbaum, Anna Genoese, Lou Anders, Jo Graham, and Dominic Green—here.

Those of you who know me won’t be surprised to discover that I spend most of my space talking about the short story rather than the novel.

Since today is Veterans Day, I’d like to give thanks to those in my family who served our country.

So here’s my Dad being visited by my Grandfather Elias and Aunt Sara while in the Navy, alongside a photo of my Uncle Jack that looks as if it was taken in front of scenery in a photographer’s studio.

By the way, Uncle Jack, my father’s brother, who passed away nine years ago, is the man who first turned me on to science fiction by bringing over shopping bags full of books and magazines every weekend when I was a kid.

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Remember the collection of Stan Lee’s “Stan’s Soapbox” columns I was telling you about back in August? Once I’d heard about the project, I contributed scans of a batch of Stan’s old manuscripts I’d been hanging onto since the ’70s so they could be included in the book.

Well, the tome is finally coming out, and Stan’s done a video in support of this latest fundraising effort of the Hero initiative, a corporation which provides a safety net for comic-book creators in need of financial support.

Check it out:

Not bad for a guy who’ll be turning 86 next month!

Bill Mantlo, a Marvel Comics colorist turned writer who became best known for scripting Micronauts, Rom, Cloak and Dagger, and Alpha Flight, turned 57 today. Well … that may be what the wider world thinks of first when they think of Bill, but what I remember most from the days we worked together back at Marvel was his sense of humor.

Here’s one example—

When I was putting together the December 1974 issue FOOM, Marvel’s fan magazine, I thought it would be fun to run baby pictures of the artists and writers in the news section next to stories about their upcoming projects. I wasn’t going to ask anyone to do anything I wouldn’t do myself, so this image of me appeared at the top of the section:

Many other writers and artists cooperated, and handed in photos such as these, which I will leave unidentified for the moment: (more…)

Oxford University researchers have compiled a list of what they consider to be the Top 10 Most Irritating Phrases.

They are:

1. At the end of the day
2. Fairly unique
3. I personally
4. At this moment in time
5. With all due respect
6. Absolutely
7. It’s a nightmare
8. Shouldn’t of
9. 24/7
10. It’s not rocket science

Readers of the Daily Telegraph chose their own Top 10 list:

1. Literally
2. A safe pair of hands
3. I’m gutted
4. Basically
5. Going forward
6. Upcoming
7. Shouldn’t of
8. Up until
9. Neither here not there
10. On a daily basis

The phrase from these lists which I’ve always found the most annoying? The misuse of the word “literally.”

The phrase that bothers me the most which seems curiously absent from the list? The use of “I could care less” when “I couldn’t care less” is meant.

The one phrase from these two lists that’s new to me? “I’m gutted.” But since a Google search reveals it to be primarily used by UK and Australian sports stars, I guess I can be forgiven.

Another reason that Harlan Ellison entered my dream earlier this week may have been because he entered my pants almost a decade ago, something which I had forgotten until Julia Duncan showed me this picture at last weekend’s Halloween party.

I hadn’t even known that this picture existed, and had forgotten about my antics back at Readercon 11, but now that she’s shared a scan of the photo with me, I’m sharing it with you. (more…)

I had a wretched night’s sleep, and was up multiple times. I figure this was because I’m in the middle of putting the latest issue of SCI FI magazine to bed, and so I kept finding myself awake thinking, “Can I really afford to sleep?” But then I’d force myself to drop off again, because I knew I’d be no good if I attacked the mound of work while fatigued. A side effect of these frequent bouts of consciousness was a plethora of dreams, and each time I woke, I scribbled one down.

In the first dream, I was at a Readercon. I bumped into Texas Triffid Ranch there, whom I haven’t seen in a decade, not since an earlier Readercon at which he shaved his head mid-con. I couldn’t stop for as long as I wanted to so we could catch up, though, because I was late for a panel. I don’t know about you guys, but it’s been a long time since I’ve had the cliched dreams of being at school and realizing I didn’t study for a test, or that I’d forgotten to do my homework. For me, anxiety now turns into dream by me being at conventions and unable to find my panels. And so it was this time, symbolizing, I assume, my real-life rush to meet my waking deadline. So I wandered the hotel, unable to find the correct room. Even though I never made it to the panel, my worries faded when I ran into Barack Obama. I sat with him for awhile in the lobby of the hotel, and everything then seemed all right. Wow, that guy can do anything! (more…)