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........______ "R∂Y ∂NSWERS II" from an April 24, 2007 Interview at his Home____

..................Your previously posted QUESTIONS here ANSWERED by Ray Bradbury.
These are the Completed Questions and Answers, as far as 'completed' can be at this time.* ______________________________________________________________________________


Q: What are you plans should you live to a 100 years old?
RAY: I'm going to write 3 or 4 new books of course. I am going to write 3 new books and write 8 new plays.

Q: What is your relationship to Harlan Ellison?
RAY: He's my friend! He's a good guy! If you've ever been to his home, it's an incredible home. He's got thousands of books and thousands of recordings. And he's got gargoyles on his roof.

Q: Thomas Edison said something to the effect that his inventions were 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration. Would you tell us what ratio would you put on your writing of short stories?
RAY: It's a combination of both. When you get up in the morning and you got an idea, by noon the story should be done. So it's inspiration and perspiration in a few hours. Everything is written in a few hours.

Q: Mr. Bradbury, after years of interviews and tons of questions, what question would you love to answer that's never been asked? And what would be the answer?
RAY: I can't think of anything now. No! No...

Q: Mr.Bradbury, you always seem to be optimistic, with high energy, and a positive approach to yourself and your work. But there must be things you find pessimistic and even futile. Care to describe what those things might be?
RAY: ...no, I'm optimistic because, after all, we've only been out of the cave for 5,000 years! And look what we've done! The history of medical research has been incredible.

Q: So you find nothing pessimistic?
RAY: Of course not! We've made it to here, and we've gone to the moon and we're going to go to Mars and we'll be on our way to Alpha Centauri. I'm very optimistic about the future.

Q: How about this one. Is there anything you hate about yourself?
RAY: No, I'm God damned perfect and I love me!

Q: What was your relationship with poet Carl Sandburg?
RAY: I got him the job (screenplay) of writing "The Greatest Story Ever Told". Because I admired him and they wanted me to do the screenplay but I hated the title, "The Greatest Story Ever Told". They should've said, "You want to write a screenplay on the Bible?"... because I just finished doing the narration for "The King of Kings".

Q: Mr. Bradbury, near the end of your book, Fahrenheit 451, Montag receives a new, hidden name known only to a few, after he witnesses his own death on TV by the State. Montag shortly afterwards quotes from the book of the Revelation. Being a Bible scholar hobbyist, the new name thing jumped out at me. I went to that part of Revelation in the Bible which is close to where Montag quotes, and found that part of revelations where God is admonishing the seven churches of Earth to repent. Pergamum (Rev 2,vs 12) is one of those churches. And this church is told that if the members repent, among other things, they will receive a new name as a blessing from God. Pergamum is named after the region and is so named because it is where parchment was created. Considering the crucial importance of the written word in the book, my question for you, Mr. Bradbury, is, did you mean to make this connection as a kind of Easter egg for Bible scholars? Do you think a comparison to Lot and his wife is also fair considering Montag and Mildred in that Montag left the city where Mildred metaphorically looked back. And lastly, was Faber's reading of the Bible book of Job to Montag earlier in the book over the earpiece...a forshadowing?

RAY: (laughter!) I do not write my books. My characters write my books! I wrote the book in the basement of UCLA. I ran up and down stairs excitedly and I found books to take quotes out of and I remember things from the Bible. But it's all intuitive. I had no intellectual concept in mind! So we cannot make these things you are talking about here because it's all intuitive and passion. I don't know what the hell I'm doing, and I do it, and the book is finished. So you can't keep complicating of what you are doing here! That cannot be put in the book.

Q: Mr. Bradbury, years ago you wrote you had poor eyesight because you wanted to blot out the evil of the world. What do you have to say about that today?
RAY: It was stupid. I shouldn't have said that.

Q: What's your take on the all the possible frozen water on Martian South Pole, some locations perhaps 2 miles thick?
RAY: Wonderful! Very encouraging. I'm meeting with some people form NASA next week and will be seeing new photos. And glad to be a part of it all.

Q: What do you think your daughters would say was the neatest thing about growing up with you?
RAY: They were growing up with a twelve year old. I never have grown any older than that. So, I have had fun with my daughters. Created the Halloween Tree painting with them in the basement. And as a result I wrote the book and the history of Halloween has been changed. There will be a brand new edition of 'Halloween Tree' at Halloween this year and I will be at Disneyland and they will give me a tree and I will bring my pumpkins and we will change the history of Halloween because people all over the country are putting up Halloween Trees in their yards. And it didn't occur until I wrote the book. There is no history of Halloween Trees until I created it. And I did it with my children. And that answers your question.

Q: Mr. Bradbury, I teach remedial English. 'Fahrenheit 451' is one of the pieces our 10th graders read and understand. We have a blast. But one of kids asked, "If the houses are fireproof, how do they burn to the ground? Or do you just burn the contents of the house?"
RAY: Those houses that are burnt to the ground are not fireproof. That's the answer! Not all the houses are fireproof!

Q: Which ones were fireproof?
RAY: I didn't say!

Q: Mr. Bradbury, could you tell us a little about your friendship wiith C.L.Moore and Henry Kuttner?
RAY: No, I had no friendship with C.L. Moore. She was married to Kuttner, but Kuttner was my friend and my teacher! And I have 60 letters from Henry Kuttner that he wrote to me, helping me with my stories. He was fantastic! I'm sure he didn't...quite..like me...he didn't understand me. Ah, he was very critical. For instance, he didn't like Forry Ackerman...and I had to tell him to treat Forry Ackerman like the 14 year old that Forry was...and he's still only 14, and that's great, and he changed my life...and he's still very primitive...and I'm glad he's still alive. He just got out of the hospital last week. But he changed my life. I was in high school, at the age of 17, and Forry put me to work and gave me Futura Fantasia which will be published in a new book this week. And Forry gave me the money to go to New York with the portfolio of Hannes Bok's paintings and artwork. And so I sold Hannes Bok to the editors. Forry Ackerman took me to Weird Tales, and I met Farnsworth Wright and I sold Hannes Bok to Weird Tales. So that's Forry Ackerman, you see. Wonderful!

Q: Okay, Ray. What is your greatest memory as a fan, and how does it relate to your greatest memory as a pro?
RAY: Well, one of them...when I was in New York, Forry Ackerman took me over to the Hearst Publications and I met A. Merritt. And I read all of his books...and I had one of his books with me and he signed it, A.Merritt. That's one of the greatest experiences of being just an ordinary 19 year old fan!

Q: So you met Abraham Merritt? (1884-1943))
RAY: Yes! I went up to his office. He was one of the editors of the...Sunday Paper for the Hearst newspapers. And he used the works of Virgil Finlay in his publication every Sunday. So that was a great event for me. Wonderful! And the other event was going to the World's Fair. And I was there July 4th, 1939, because I was madly in love with World's Fairs. And the fireworks in the sky that night...I could see World War II coming. I could see my own destruction! And it worried me because I thought...millions of people are going to be dead in a few months and I hoped that I wasn't going to be one of them. So that was a great event! Being at the World's Fair with Forry Ackerman is terrific. And then going to the Fourth of July night at the World's Fair. So...it's a combination, isn't it? Excitement and Love...and being able to go in a bus all the way to Seattle to tell Hannes Bok he had just been hired by Weird Tales. And I did it, by God! I'm an Agent!! A 19 year old kid. I was an agent! And that changed his future.

Q: It must have been thrilling to bring that good news!
RAY: Oh, wonderful. Wonderful!

Q: How does that compare to your greatest memory as a pro?
RAY: OOohhh!....
One of my greatest experiences is being in Italy and meeting Federico Fellini. And it became a fantastic friendship. And I spent a whole week with him. And I met Nino Rota,(1911-1979) who wrote his films. At the end of the week, after having lunch with Fellini, he took me back to his hotel and threw his arms around me ansd shouted to the sky, "My Twin! My Twin!" And I wept in Fellini's arms! Talk about great nights, days, that was it!

Q: Well, Ray, you are going to have another one in May. Do you want to say something about your 2007 Award from Pulitzer?
RAY: Oh, it's wonderful, of course! I hope I can go east. I gotta call my doctor this week and find out if he'll let me fly, you see!

Q: How about trains?
RAY: Oh, no no! I couldn't do that! It's even worse. I love trains but that's a four day trip. That's too much! And I'd be tempted to take Champagne everynight! That wouldn't be good!

Q: At least in a train you could walk around, but in a plane you're stuck in your seat.
RAY: I'm not in good shape. I got a wheelchair, you see. Can't do that!
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............. More Later...
In the meantime, in case you overlooked it...click on:
http://www.raybradburyboard.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/3791083901/m/9551047603

Also: FOR ALL THE QUESTIONS ASKED:
click on:
https://raybradburyboard.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/3791083901/m/4801043792

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*NOTE: Apologies for all those questions I didn't get around to asking Ray. In the upcoming weeks, I'll try to put together all the 'unasked questions', and if the opportunity presents itself, I'll try to get the questions answered. Hopefully, we'll get them all answered before too long. Excuse me for any typos. I will correct any as I find them, especially where names are concerned. Again, THANKS! for all those that contributed to this!
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This message has been edited. Last edited by: Nard Kordell,

Again, Nard, very nice job. It must be fantastic sitting there hearing Ray's answers to the questions his fans have asked. We all appreciate the fine work you are doing in transcribing his responses.

As I have mentioned before, I do not take lightly my having had Ray's telephone number for many years and being able to call him directly when I have had a question or comment.

And he is always so gracious and appears to really enjoy my calls, as I am sure he enjoys calls from other fans who may have his number as well.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: biplane1,

Nard,

This is an incredible service to the fans you and Ray Bradbury are providing. I never really thought I'd have this opportunity. Thank you, both of you.

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Great! Great! Keep the Q&A coming!

Well, if we all had his phone number, he could enjoy phone calls from even more of his fans..................

Seriously, I love these Q&A sessions, I'm so grateful to you and Ray for being willing to do them, they're very inspiring and uplifting in this modern world that seems to be so focused on negativity. Ray is like a positive voice in the wilderness....to get all biblical about it.......

quote:

Originally posted by fanboy:
...if we all had his phone number, he could enjoy phone calls from even more of his fans...

310...oh, sorry!

Doug Spaulding: Congratulations on your 310 posts. I mean your 1000th posting!

Also,
... are a few more new Q&A posted tonight, May 1st. The remainder of what Q&A was completed will be posted sometime this week.

More!! More!!

quote:

Originally posted by Nard Kordell:
Doug Spaulding: Congratulations on your 1000th posting!

Thanks!

Dang, I almost gotcha!

Tried to find the video clip but no luck! So here's the exact copy to read! Ray was on local ABC 7 News in Los Angeles tonight.
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=local&id=5268380

...
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..... The final Answers to Questions for Ray Bradbury are now posted at this time. Whatever Questions went unanswered, they will be gathered up for an opportunity to ask them to Bradbury in the near future. Once that is done, they will be posted.
~THANKS! to everyone that contributed!
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Thanks for the Q's & A's, Nard. Also, timely ABC video. How about "Ray Bradbury for President!?"

Since the airlines is nearly out of the question, along with trains, that giant modern, comfortable, luxurious motorhome to take Ray Bradbury to New York is Perfect! Now that's something his publisher Harper/Collins should step up to the plate to provide!

Beautiful work, Nard. We asked some really good questions and got even better answers, some of those answers are incredible. The round of questions prior to this for example, Ray revealed that Robert A. Heinlein acted as his agent in selling his very first story. I never knew that before. It was a bit shocking to be honest.

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