The Biome’s Blog posted a piece about “who we lost in 2007.” Vonnegut was the image chosen. I wrote:
Funny you chose Vonnegut [in context with my last posting]. I was a huge fan growing up in the 70’s. Oddly enough, I got to meet him in a very intimate setting, his daughter Lily’s third birthday party. An ex-friend Janet and I were all dressed up for a formal party, so I was wearing a tux and she a gown. Janet used to babysit for Kurt and Jill (Krementz). When we got to the party, everyone got really quiet because Janet and I looked so good. My old friend Lou Miano (Larry Kramer fashioned the character Lou Marino “Anthony Montano” [thanks Larry for the correction!] after him for his biting and bridge-burning novel Faggots) was there and there was that “what are you doing here?” exchange of glances and then comments. Lou worked for a major advertising agency before getting fired, and later sued [and won according to Larry] for age discrimination.
Well, as soon as he could, Kurt came over to introduce himself and because of the way Janet and I were dressed, he assumed we were an engaged item. Kurt was also two-sheets to the wind with a few clothes-pins missing. So he took me outside to give me the fatherly talk. He told me what a good girl Janet was and how I needed to treat her right. Then almost immediately he told me that he was thinking of committing suicide.¹ I turned and without blinking an eye I said – “Well, you’ve been writing about it for years and with your family history, why haven’t you done it already?” He lit up a cigarette and told me sometimes suicide takes time. Then he laughed and said, “I was just trying to see if you read my stuff.” We (Janet and I) left shortly afterwards.
¹ According to Wikipedia: Vonnegut reportedly smoked Pall Mall cigarettes, unfiltered, which he claimed is a “classy way to commit suicide.”
What a wonderful and odd remembrance of the great man. I’m a great admirer of his, and he’s my wife’s favorite writer.
It certainly was a memorable meeting. I can still smell the cigarette smoke and liquor, the sounds of the children playing, the music and laughter. It was an oddly joyous moment.
A camp counselor read “Welcome to the Monkey House ” to us in 1973… it really affected my young mind in amazing ways — now I’m beginning to comprehend some of the stuff in there and really – I’m not surprised he spoke about committing suicide.. I sort of feel the same way – Oh, the horror (of being human)
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