Harlan Ellison

I love Harlan Ellison. Not just his writing--I love the man's wit, his
ability to say exactly what he thinks, and his refusal to kowtow to the
society around him and be the meek and quiet writer it wants.

As a writer, I admire the hell out of him. Even when the subject is
depressing, he writes fucking beautiful prose. His short stories are things
of utter (and sometimes stark) beauty, and I wish I had half his gift.

As a human, I get where he's coming from. Lots of my friends like to say
he's a good writer, but an asshole. And I see why they think that, but like
Harlan, I rail against a society that labels you an asshole for standing up
for yourself and for saying what you mean. Is he sometimes crass? Yeah,
sure. Is he sometimes pointy? Of course. Aren't you?

Anyway, here's a great clip from 1997. Harlan, J. Michael Straczynski, Herb
Solow, and Ivonne Solow participate in a discussion on the difference
between "Science Fiction" and "Sci Fi," with some great jabs at Gene
Roddenberry.

I agree with Harlan's position completely. (So do most of the others in the
clip, but he's very specific in his statements)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDNrnpefGio&feature=related