Gore Vidal RIP

Temaz

Celebrated author, playwright and commentator Gore Vidal has died at the age of 86, his nephew said today.

http://www.breakingnews.ie/world/author-gore-vidal-dies-at-86-561344.html

Chips Lovell

Vidal was responsible for one of the best comebacks ever:

In 1971, in the green room before The Dick Cavett Show, Mailer butted Gore Vidal in the face, having taken exception to the novelist's review of one of his books. Seven years later, at a party, he threw a glass at him and, by some accounts, including Vidal's ("I saw this tiny fist coming at me"), punched him. Still on the floor, Vidal announced: "Words fail Norman Mailer. Yet again."

Jimmyhologram

Mailer, Buckley, now Vidal.

Golden generation of public intellectuals in America, mostly gone.

It's a cliché, but they really and truly don't make them like that anymore

RIP GV'ner

Guy:Incognito

Others called vidal bettere watch out, a 3rd one could be on the horizon.

Diapason

That's a shame. I was very fond of his shampoo.

Zab

Sorry to see him go. Although, he appears to have outlived a lot of his rivals.

Here's a famous clip of him pissing off Buckley enough to make him lose his cool live on TV. He said afterwards that he meant crypto-fascist, not crypto-nazi.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYymnxoQnf8

Dave!

Jimmyhologram wrote: »

Mailer, Buckley, now Vidal.

Golden generation of public intellectuals in America, mostly gone.

It's a cliché, but they really and truly don't make them like that anymore

RIP GV'ner

Chomsky must be sh*tting his bags

Namlub

Diapason wrote: »

That's a shame. I was very fond of his shampoo.

Oh good one you

Lollers

Some of his best quotes here, courtesy of the Gaurdian.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/01/gore-vidal-best-quotes?intcmp=122

My favourite, " Fifty percent of people won't vote, and fifty percent don't read newspapers. I hope it's the same fifty percent".

Diapason

Namlub wrote: »

Oh good one you

Thanks. I'm here all week. Try the veal.

The Corinthian

I actually met him at a dinner party in Rome, just under twenty years ago. I was bit younger (i.e. stupider) then, and at the time recognised him solely as an actor, as he had been in the movie Bob Roberts a few years before.

Much to my surprise, I found him very witty and well-spoken, and his capacity to draw from history to methodically explain why certain things are the way they are was fascinating to me. He was also quite kind as he did not ridicule the few idiotic observations that I made.

I was sorry to hear of his passing.

Shryke

Jimmyhologram wrote: »

Mailer, Buckley, now Vidal.

Golden generation of public intellectuals in America, mostly gone.

Don't forget about the Hitch, although American by choice rather than birth.

RIP Vidal.

Pottler

So, will it be just "Sassoon" now?

MarkHitide

My favourite-
"Whenever I hear of a friend's success, a little of me dies."

Pottler

Did the Nephew check all his vidal signs before pronouncing him dead?

im invisible

so soon?

studiorat

Currently reading "Lincoln" by GV.

Messiah is one of my favorite novels too.

Good game Sir, thanks and well done.

pickarooney

Does anyone in the USA have that accent any more?

stovelid

Possibly the best name ever given to a human being.