3

X Things Kurt Vonnegut Said Better Than Anyone Else Ever Has Or Will

I did not write that list, because The AV Club already did.

The AV Club

Luckily for Michael and I, The AV Club stopped at 15. There are so many more than 15 concise Kurt gems. Kurt Vonneguys has all kinds of fun segments, and our "Kurt Blurt" segment will celebrate his best quotes, lines, and turns of phrase, book by book.

Also, that AV Club piece's angle of "these great quotes indicate the author's greatness" is a nice attempt to sell Vonnegut to the uninitiated. We think Kurt Vonneguys can be that too. If you've never read him at all, give him a shot. Reading him along with Michael and I can make it even more fun.

And this show's about so many authors beyond Vonnegut. Our "Related Reading" segment flies through a pile of good writing that each Kurt book reminds us of. So far, they've been packed with Harlan Ellison and Ray Bradbury and Albert Camus and more. Listen for why!

2

X Ways Loneliness Is A Disease (And Kurt Vonnegut Tried To Cure It)

Vonnegut called loneliness a terrible disease. He said finding its cure deserves our collective attention. But I didn't write a list about Kurt's efforts to cure it, because Kurt Vonneguys will be a better document of that. From Slapstick (novel, 1976) to Bokononism (meta-religion, 1963) to the rest of Vonnegut's creations, he attacked loneliness in every way he could. And he made his lifelong attack funny. It was his way. He was the kind of author who even makes an attack on the notion of attacks funny. And so this podcast will be funny, even if Swaim and I sit there like quote robots and read Kurt to you (FYI, we do more than that).

Also, remember that "book club" concept I said we're going after? Talk to us about Vonnegut on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. We'll talk back. We'll make a club of it!

StockSnap/Pixabay
And unlike most book clubs, you don't even need pants to participate!

And not to act like making Kurt Vonneguys is A GRAND ACT OF CHARITY, but most every podcast I've ever liked has made me feel less lonely. Maybe this one can chip in on that cause. Check it out. Let us know!

1

X Reasons Kurt Vonnegut Is More Relevant Than Ever

I didn't write this pretty good list idea because, to paraphrase Uncle Kurt, internet articles should not disappear up their own asshole. This idea would combine ideas 1, 2, and 3, which you just got the gist of. It would also work in a thousand other points. I am both too lazy to write all that out and too confident that Kurt Vonneguys will unspool the idea for me.

Please give the show a try. Thank you for reading this. And if you feel this wasted your time, hey, why not send this article to one of your enemies? It'll waste their time too, and you'll come out ahead.

Episode 1 Recommended Reading:

"The Silver Corridor" and "'Repent, Harlequin!' Said The Ticktockman" -- Harlan Ellison

"Knox" -- Harlan Ellison

"The Veldt" -- Ray Bradbury

The Caves Of Steel -- Isaac Asimov

Episode 2 Recommended Reading:

Watchmen -- Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons

V for Vendetta -- Alan Moore & David Lloyd

Speaker For The Dead -- Orson Scott Card

"Dark They Were And Golden Eyed" -- Ray Bradbury

"Mozart In Mirrorshades" -- Bruce Sterling & Lewis Shiner

The Stranger -- Albert Camus

Stranger In A Strange Land -- Robert Heinlein