Thursday, January 28, 2010

Random Story: Kurt Vonnegut

So I was having lunch with a friend of mine, Duane Davis, an internationally renowned expert on the writings of Maurice Merleau-Ponty who teaches in the Philosophy Department, and he mentioned something about Kurt Vonnegut. I mentioned that I lived next door to him in NYC on 48th St and saw him almost every morning sitting on his front stoop having a cigarette and looking really cranky. I never worked up the courage to speak to him, even to just say "So it goes" or "Hi-ho." Anyway, that prompted Duane to tell me a hilarious story about him. Apparently, he was a member of the American Humanist Association, which at the time was headed by Isaac Asimov. When Asimov died, Vonnegut became the new President of the group. At the first meeting after Asimov's death, Vonnegut stood up behind the dias, looked over the assembled crowd, and said, "Well, Isaac's in heaven now..."

3 comments:

Laura Sue said...

Renounced? Internationally renounced expert? Wait until I tell Duane.

Scott Walters said...

LMAO. Oops! Oh, Dr. Freud! And I have a doctorate. I should be ashamed. I have changed it to "internationally "renowned." With apologies to Dr. Davis, who is really only renounced locally.

Jess said...

hysterical - both the typo, and the story!

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