HARLAN ELLISON ON THE WRITERS STRIKE SETTLEMENT
YOU HAVE MY PERMISSION TO RE-POST THIS ANYWHERE:
Creds: got here in 1962, written for just about everybody, won the Writers Guild Award four times for solo work, sat on the WGAw Board twice, worked on negotiating committees, and was out on the picket lines with my NICK COUNTER SLEEPS WITH THE FISHE$$$ sign. You may have heard my name. I am a Union guy, I am a Guild guy, I am loyal. I fuckin’ LOVE the Guild.
And I voted NO on accepting this deal.
My reasons are good, and they are plentiful; Patric Verrone will be saddened by what I am about to say; long-time friends will shake their heads; but this I say without equivocation…
THEY BEAT US LIKE A YELLOW DOG. IT IS A SHIT DEAL. We finally got a timorous generation that has never had to strike, to get their asses out there, and we had to put up with the usual cowardly spineless babbling horse’s asses who kept mumbling “lessgo bac’ta work” over and over, as if it would make them one iota a better writer. But after months on the line, and them finally bouncing that pus-sucking dipthong Nick Counter, we rushed headlong into a shabby, scabrous, underfed shovelfulla shit clutched to the affections of toss-in-the-towel summer soldiers trembling before the Awe of the Alliance.
My Guild did what it did in 1988. It trembled and sold us out. It gave away the EXACT co-terminus expiration date with SAG for some bullshit short-line substitute; it got us no more control of our words; it sneak-abandoned the animator and reality beanfield hands before anyone even forced it on them; it made nice so no one would think we were meanies; it let the Alliance play us like the village idiot. The WGAw folded like a Texaco Road Map from back in the day.
And I am ashamed of this Guild, as I was when Shavelson was the prexy, and we wasted our efforts and lost out on technology that we had to strike for THIS time. 17 days of streaming tv!!!????? Geezus, you bleating wimps, why not just turn over your old granny for gang-rape?
You deserve all the opprobrium you get. While this nutty festschrift of demented pleasure at being allowed to go back to work in the rice paddy is filling your cowardly hearts with joy and relief that the grips and the staff at the Ivy and street sweepers won’t be saying nasty shit behind your back, remember this:
You are their bitches. They outslugged you, outthought you, outmaneuvered you; and in the end you ripped off your pants, painted yer asses blue, and said yes sir, may I have another.
Please excuse my temerity. I’m just a sad old man who has fallen among Quislings, Turncoats, Hacks and Cowards.
I must go now to whoops. My gorge has become buoyant.
Respectfully, Yr. Pal, Harlan Ellison
YOU HAVE MY PERMISSION TO RE-POST THIS ANYWHERE:
Creds: got here in 1962, written for just about everybody, won the Writers Guild Award four times for solo work, sat on the WGAw Board twice, worked on negotiating committees, and was out on the picket lines with my NICK COUNTER SLEEPS WITH THE FISHE$$$ sign. You may have heard my name. I am a Union guy, I am a Guild guy, I am loyal. I fuckin’ LOVE the Guild.
And I voted NO on accepting this deal.
My reasons are good, and they are plentiful; Patric Verrone will be saddened by what I am about to say; long-time friends will shake their heads; but this I say without equivocation…
THEY BEAT US LIKE A YELLOW DOG. IT IS A SHIT DEAL. We finally got a timorous generation that has never had to strike, to get their asses out there, and we had to put up with the usual cowardly spineless babbling horse’s asses who kept mumbling “lessgo bac’ta work” over and over, as if it would make them one iota a better writer. But after months on the line, and them finally bouncing that pus-sucking dipthong Nick Counter, we rushed headlong into a shabby, scabrous, underfed shovelfulla shit clutched to the affections of toss-in-the-towel summer soldiers trembling before the Awe of the Alliance.
My Guild did what it did in 1988. It trembled and sold us out. It gave away the EXACT co-terminus expiration date with SAG for some bullshit short-line substitute; it got us no more control of our words; it sneak-abandoned the animator and reality beanfield hands before anyone even forced it on them; it made nice so no one would think we were meanies; it let the Alliance play us like the village idiot. The WGAw folded like a Texaco Road Map from back in the day.
And I am ashamed of this Guild, as I was when Shavelson was the prexy, and we wasted our efforts and lost out on technology that we had to strike for THIS time. 17 days of streaming tv!!!????? Geezus, you bleating wimps, why not just turn over your old granny for gang-rape?
You deserve all the opprobrium you get. While this nutty festschrift of demented pleasure at being allowed to go back to work in the rice paddy is filling your cowardly hearts with joy and relief that the grips and the staff at the Ivy and street sweepers won’t be saying nasty shit behind your back, remember this:
You are their bitches. They outslugged you, outthought you, outmaneuvered you; and in the end you ripped off your pants, painted yer asses blue, and said yes sir, may I have another.
Please excuse my temerity. I’m just a sad old man who has fallen among Quislings, Turncoats, Hacks and Cowards.
I must go now to whoops. My gorge has become buoyant.
Respectfully, Yr. Pal, Harlan Ellison
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]MICHAEL H. HANSON
https://www.facebook.com/michael.h.hanson.3
http://www.copperdogpublishing.com
Honestly, I am not a union person.
However, the writers were making, IMHO, logical demands, and it annoys me that they had to STRIKE to get those terms. Percentage of internet sales? Of course (heck, that's in my contracts, and I am a lowly non-fiction writer). I wasn't sure about the percentages requested, because I am not familiar with what is "norm."
What I did notice was that the final "agreement" wasn't anything close to their demands, which left me confused.
Ellison nailed it, I'm afraid. I do hope writers have the sense to negotiate on their own for their own works (or isn't that the way it works?)
By the way, I can NOT be paid here in Ireland for anything I write (from newspaper articles to books) unless I am a member of the union. Since I am paid in the US for my work, it doesn't matter.
I do not understand the producer's point - the happier your employees, the better their work. Or is that just in my dream of a world?
:confused:
However, the writers were making, IMHO, logical demands, and it annoys me that they had to STRIKE to get those terms. Percentage of internet sales? Of course (heck, that's in my contracts, and I am a lowly non-fiction writer). I wasn't sure about the percentages requested, because I am not familiar with what is "norm."
What I did notice was that the final "agreement" wasn't anything close to their demands, which left me confused.
Ellison nailed it, I'm afraid. I do hope writers have the sense to negotiate on their own for their own works (or isn't that the way it works?)
By the way, I can NOT be paid here in Ireland for anything I write (from newspaper articles to books) unless I am a member of the union. Since I am paid in the US for my work, it doesn't matter.
I do not understand the producer's point - the happier your employees, the better their work. Or is that just in my dream of a world?
:confused:
ImDeranged Wrote:You have to love Harlan Ellison, one of the WGA demands was compensation for their works that end up on the internet. And here is one of his best works just given away free. Mighty nice of him.
I respect Harlan for many, many wonderful works. But I wish he'd have clued us outsiders into =exactly= what deal would have made him happy. That rap reminded me of one of his finest tales: I HAVE NO MOUTH...AND I MUST BITCH.
This post was last modified: 02-17-2008, 11:54 PM by Bluesman Mike Lindner.
RichE Wrote:Is it my imagination or did this come off like a warmed over Dennis Miller rant?
I can understand the need to be treated with fairness and get what is due but I'm sure it could have been put forth without the 'Drama-Queen' whine!
Atsa Harlan, Rich.
RichE Wrote:Believe me Mike, I know. He was pestering my wife and I some years ago when a group of us ran into him. My wife turned to me with the expression 'should this guy be under supervision?'
Another reason I steer clear of LA!
She is probably right!!
RichE Wrote:Believe me Mike, I know. He was pestering my wife and I some years ago when a group of us ran into him. My wife turned to me with the expression 'should this guy be under supervision?'
Another reason I steer clear of LA!
A few years back, Maggers reported on seeing Ellison at a con. The hombre was so vile to a woman fan that she [Maggers] vowed she'd never read a story of his again.
Doesn't surprise me. One fellow I met up in the Big Apple at the good ole STRAND BOOK STORE (Hey Paul! Picked up my first HC edition of "BLACK WIND" for the budget shattering price of $2.25! I'll never be the same), a former Vietnam LRRP Sgt., told me in his own words, he nearly used the vile little vermin like a pogo stick for not leaving his wife alone at a LA bar. I think this was around the time he was on the SF channel expressing his fantasy about shooting people with an uzi.
A real sick pup!
A real sick pup!
RichE Wrote:Doesn't surprise me. One fellow I met up in the Big Apple at the good ole STRAND BOOK STORE (Hey Paul! Picked up my first HC edition of "BLACK WIND" for the budget shattering price of $2.25! I'll never be the same), a former Vietnam LRRP Sgt., told me in his own words, he nearly used the vile little vermin like a pogo stick for not leaving his wife alone at a LA bar. I think this was around the time he was on the SF channel expressing his fantasy about shooting people with an uzi.
A real sick pup!
Remember THE NEW TWILIGHT ZONE, Rich? Some =damn= fine stories on that show! (Not to mention the Dead playing the theme!
) But Ellison left it because he couldn't get everything all his way. (In fairness, I haven't heard Harlan's side of the story.)