Ray�s foreward to the new Ray Harryhausen book is brief, but does give some insights into Ray and some of his creative and formative issues.

The opening line is:

�What is to be said new about Ray Harryhausen? Simply the fact that he was always new and has never grown old.�

This, of course, about a man who is in his early eighties (much like Ray, himself). There are always questions about Bradbury�s beliefs � and these are legitimate, interesting questions (I�m working on trying to define some of them now) � but this line tells us one of the most important things about him. I think Bradbury sees life � not as an issue of duration � but as an issue of intensity and newness. For him, creativity in newness is what makes life have meaning. The first praise he puts on Harryhausen is that he has never aged � he is ever new. I think this is what creativity is to Bradbury, and I think it is also what drives meaning-of-life questions for him. Life is in the creative now. We grow old when we choose � through laziness or fear or doubt � to stop generating a new self through the use of the imagination.

The other stories he tells are of his early connection with Ray Harryhausen (at eighteen, right out of high school) and their mutual love of dinosaurs. Dinosaurs seem to be what drove Bradbury�s pursuit of the imagination. They represented a world that was real, but that can now only be reached through the imagination. They shared a love of movies, and Bradbury says some of his happiest memories are of Harryhausen calling him to invite him to early showings (for $.05 cents a seat) of King Kong movies in L.A.

Harryhausen pursued his imagination � driven by his love of dinosaurs � through cinema and special effects to create a world rooted in imagination. Bradbury pursued his imagination � driven by his love of dinosaurs � through writing and his creative use of language to drive the imagination.

Bradbury�s quote in the foreward: �I have sometimes felt that there were never two Rays, but one with a single dream. Dinosaurs were it.�

My only disappointment with the foreward is that it wasn�t longer. But then, Ray is busy, isn�t he?

I think that is what Ray is about. Not all this whining about Moore�s work, but about the connection between true imagination and the meaning of life. The imagination allows us to create a new life in the current moment. I think this is where Bradbury would define meaning and happiness � in the ongoing use of the imagination to make life new in each moment.

(RAY HARRYHAUSEN: AN ANIMATED LIFE. Ray Harryhausen and Tony Dalton (with a foreward by Ray Bradbury). Billboard Books, NY. 2003)

Topped.

In looking through the new teen-targeted biography by Wendy Mass, (see the "two new books out on Bradbury" thread, opened by Richard), she points out that Ray Harryhausen was Ray's best man at his wedding. I had forgotten that. One of the things that's interesting about Ray is that he has several friendships that have lasted through decades. A credit to his character, I think.

Mr. Dark,

Oh yeah? Well what does Ray Harryhausen think about Michael Moo - ?

Oops. Sorry. Guess I'm a little acclimated to some of the other threads.

Kind of nice to wander over to this thread and see someone trying to bring things back to a semblance of normalcy.

And, of course, the who better to get things started than you?

Well, back to the trenches. Be well, my friend.

Best,

Pete

It is good to discuss Ray again. I have to admit to getting sucked in on the other stuff. They are just annoying to me. I admire posters like Richard who just don't get involved, but I also respect those (well, maybe me a little TOOOO much) who are willing to engage and try to hold back the hoardes storming the castle.

It's been nice to read your reasoned posts. I'm afraid I am less patient and methodical than you -- a strength of yours and a weakness of mine. (But this is nothing compared to how impatient I can be behind the wheel of a car!)

Mr. Dark,

Thanks for the compliments. Believe me, it's been difficult to hold back. I posted somewhere that I estimate I post about once in the ten times I get the urge. Sometimes I give in to that demon a bit more often but only when I sense some egrigious unfairness going on.

It would best to sit back and let these people have their say and watch their ill-reasoned arguments wither on the vine but then I think it might be better to match each boneheaded post with a reasoned argument. Try to win some converts over while they're here. I suspect most of them go back to where they came, completely unfazed by by my arguments but at least I tried.

I understand some people think it better not to clutter the boards with these arguments. Fair enough. That's why I started the thread under Ruled Paper, so we could "take it outside" as it were. Maybe I should just take my own advice and start up my own free blog and argue over there.

I think it was Nard, or maybe you, who expressed the most wisdom about this entire affair: these people will finally simmer down and we'll get back to business as usual.

Until then, though. . . Keep on posting your thoughtful and intelligent posts. I'm lurking out there, enjoying them immensely.

Your friend,

Pete

As for myself, I just wait till one of you guys says what I was going to anyway and saves me the trouble.

I imagine -- given the nature and volume of these posts -- just monitoring and deciding what needs to be cleaned up and what can remain is pretty time-consuming.

Keep up the good work! We appreciate what you do out here!!

Imagine what it will be like when... ''Fahrenheit 451''.. starts steaming into full production, and then hits the screens?
It'll have a 'brother' now that the 'family' is going to have to deal with, if only in name...