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I have one of those "first impressions can be hard to change" experiences with Ellison. When I was in college, part of my studies included writing for the school paper. I was given the opportunity to attend a science fiction weekend (probably an early version of a "con") and write a review of the speakers.
Ellison came in looking disheveled and bored. His first comment to all the eager folks who'd come to hear him speak was along the lines of "you fat losers really need to get out of your mother's basements and get lives".
I honestly couldn't tell you what else he talked about, if anything. I was so insulted for the people who'd actually paid to see him!
Up to that time, all I knew of him was that I'd loved his story "A Boy and His Dog". I was never able to read anything else by him after his performance at that gathering, though.
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