Kurt Again...

It was really wonderful to see how many comments were posted yesterday marking, with sadness and admiration, the passing of a true American Original, Kurt Vonnegut.

I know that in my early 20's I read every novel he wrote. In my 30's, I played the lead role in "Happy Birthday, Wanda June," a typically bizarre by KV. My son played my son. One of the actors was drunk a lot, and on some nights, the actors outnumbered the audience.

I have a friend in Venice, Italy who owns an oriental art gallery. Her husband is an artist. A few years ago, when in New York, for an exhibition of his very modern, very abstract paintings, my friend simply called up Vonnegut out of the blue. Vonnegut soon endorsed my friend's work and put his name to a rave review in the display book.

I know he had a difficult life, but wouldn't you just have loved to have a coffee with this guy? I bet you he would have been funny and charming.