George RR Martin on Being Compared to JRR Tolkien

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  • čas přidán 18. 03. 2019
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    A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones Author George R. R. Martin Interview about Lord of the Rings Author Jrr Tolkien

Komentáře • 1,2K

  • @iAkis4
    @iAkis4 Před 5 lety +3780

    When J. R. R. Tolkien sold the movie rights for "Lord of the Rings," he did so forbidding Disney from ever being involved.
    He said, "As long as it was possible to veto anything from or influenced by the Disney studios..."

    • @Batnano
      @Batnano Před 5 lety +947

      that makes him even more amazing

    • @playermartin286
      @playermartin286 Před 5 lety +753

      George Lucas should have said the same thing

    • @EterPuralis
      @EterPuralis Před 5 lety +520

      @@playermartin286 George Lucas screwed up his franchise by himself long before Disney got their hands on it, though.

    • @Death_Korps_Officer
      @Death_Korps_Officer Před 5 lety +185

      He was a man ahead of his time.

    • @NuclearHaggis
      @NuclearHaggis Před 5 lety +260

      @@EterPuralis
      In the opinion of a very loud minority.

  • @namelessking4146
    @namelessking4146 Před 5 lety +4345

    If you’re being compared with Tolkien, you’re doing something right.

    • @ClaireYunFarronXIII
      @ClaireYunFarronXIII Před 5 lety +31

      True.

    • @mikearchibald744
      @mikearchibald744 Před 5 lety +69

      Or doing something 'popular'. Chances are good he never heard such comparisons before his books were made into a series, and before the LOTR movies, Tolkien and even fantasy were a forgotten subgenre. Tolkien pretty much stands alone for the reasons this guy mentioned. He wasn't particularly that 'good' a writer, but you can't compare a master surgeon with somebody who invented it. What people generally mean is "I don't know of any other fantasy writers but Tolkien, and I've heard of you, so you must be like Tolkien". Which is sort of like comparing some mystery writer with Agatha Christie, or more likely Conan Doyle.

    • @saeedvazirian
      @saeedvazirian Před 5 lety +8

      Not quite. You're doing right, if you're doing right, not if the media glorifies you. My statement does not denigrate GRRM, before you assume so.

    • @mikearchibald744
      @mikearchibald744 Před 5 lety +1

      @@saeedvazirian i agree, but you didn't say that, you said you are doing right if the media compares you to tolkien, which isn't true.

    • @johnisaacfelipe6357
      @johnisaacfelipe6357 Před 5 lety +16

      @Mike Archibald I don't think you fully understand the scope of tolkien's influence in fantasy.

  • @marctwinam-cauchi3488
    @marctwinam-cauchi3488 Před 5 lety +2734

    except Tolkien actually finished Lord of the Rings

    • @karaliusking6833
      @karaliusking6833 Před 5 lety +25

      Lol

    • @pzalterias5154
      @pzalterias5154 Před 5 lety +248

      But not the Silmarillon ;)

    • @paulgibbons2320
      @paulgibbons2320 Před 5 lety +5

      Lol

    • @seanmoran6510
      @seanmoran6510 Před 5 lety +38

      Esprit Vagabond Proving one person cant create an entire history and culture by themselves
      GOT is an over bloated postmodernists construct
      Enjoyed the first few books the rest were a slog, really started to wonder were it’s going
      Tv series far superior
      Peter Jackson ruined Middle Earth
      Great visuals but excessive cgi and a woeful script which ruined the theme of the story

    • @marctwinam-cauchi3488
      @marctwinam-cauchi3488 Před 5 lety +28

      @Joe Haselwood I think its quite sweet that you believe he's still writing them

  • @nikol3442
    @nikol3442 Před 5 lety +2908

    They write in different style and with different view of reality, but they are both great authors.

    • @kevinlp3951
      @kevinlp3951 Před 5 lety +17

      His writing style in the ´Tower of Joy´ chapter is similar to Tolkien´s,though

    • @benjaminkeith1417
      @benjaminkeith1417 Před 5 lety +34

      Way I see it Martin was influenced by Tolkien the same way Tolkien was influenced to Wagner. All of whom are now Legendary authors. Least that's how I see it.

    • @VictorRochaFerreira6
      @VictorRochaFerreira6 Před 5 lety +42

      George is great, tolkien is in another level of geniality that no writer has ever got to

    • @talos2384
      @talos2384 Před 5 lety +14

      Tolkien was more optimistic

    • @dansomething7742
      @dansomething7742 Před 5 lety +42

      @@talos2384 I think he had to be. He fought in a real war, he almost certainly watched real people die and was lived in truly horrific conditions (the trenches weren't a good place to be). He had probably experienced enough sadness and misery in real life, so he didn't want to put it into his passion

  • @wk3820
    @wk3820 Před 5 lety +1359

    It's the double-R thing...

    • @balinttakacs7111
      @balinttakacs7111 Před 5 lety +9

      It is funny to see that comment while the name of the creator of Twin Peaks is on the screen the whole time :)

    • @Rinesmyth
      @Rinesmyth Před 5 lety +3

      @@balinttakacs7111 what do you mean?

    • @balinttakacs7111
      @balinttakacs7111 Před 5 lety +22

      @@Rinesmyth The famous restaurant from the series Twin Peaks is called double R, which was created by David Lynch, whose name is in the lower left corner of the screen.

    • @Rinesmyth
      @Rinesmyth Před 5 lety +1

      @@balinttakacs7111 ohhh, I didn't notice Lynch's book. Nice catch

    • @gnuling296
      @gnuling296 Před 5 lety +3

      The will of the double-R is inherited.

  • @wonderboy13579
    @wonderboy13579 Před 5 lety +868

    Martin absolutely nails that response. Very measured and well said.

    • @franciscomaia3299
      @franciscomaia3299 Před 5 lety +22

      Maybe after being told that to many times, he mastered the asnwer

    • @tanaypandey1771
      @tanaypandey1771 Před 2 lety +4

      He knows his politics and responses well , won't make choices same as his characters xD

  • @whinemax
    @whinemax Před 5 lety +1456

    Tolkien came from a time of war, writing about good uniting against evil and winning.
    Martin puts history, human nature and historical conflicts under a fantasy-tinted loop.
    One doesn't nullify the work of the other, and while the genre is /broadly/ the same, the thematics and purpose are wildly different.
    Both incredible authors in my opinion.

    • @zaidabraham7310
      @zaidabraham7310 Před 5 lety +41

      Tolkien fought in the trenches in WW1, I doubt he had such a simplistic and rosy viewpoint on war.

    • @Nutellafuerst
      @Nutellafuerst Před 5 lety +139

      @@zaidabraham7310 the real war for tolkien , as i read him, is not humans vs evil humans, aka The Free People vs Sauron. Its us vs the evil in ourselves. Thats why the corruption of the ring and of power in general is such a big deal.

    • @ieuanhunt552
      @ieuanhunt552 Před 5 lety +7

      George RR Martin was a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War. That's who ASOS has such a War Is Hell outlook.

    • @bavarianpotato
      @bavarianpotato Před 5 lety +27

      @@zaidabraham7310
      Exactly because he experienced the horrors of war caused by real-world politics, he probably didn't want to write about that. Maybe you could interpret it as wishful dreaming about a better time where fighting actually meant something. The soldiers of his day fought for basically nothing but the status of their nation, dying to make a few feet of ground. In LOTR, fighting actually means something.
      Just my 2 cents.

    • @sinanyegen8907
      @sinanyegen8907 Před 5 lety +2

      You're a narrow minded idiot

  • @Monochromicornicopia
    @Monochromicornicopia Před 5 lety +722

    George RR Martin looks just like an elderly Waluigi

  • @mrmoviemanic1
    @mrmoviemanic1 Před 5 lety +122

    You can tell George is a huge fan of Tolkien. And despite there different writing styles you can also tell that George has taken a ton of inspiration from Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion.

    • @anatoldenevers237
      @anatoldenevers237 Před 3 lety +27

      Is there any fantasy auther today who wasn't influenced by Tolkien?

    • @dafuqmr13
      @dafuqmr13 Před 3 lety

      @@anatoldenevers237 those cunts, so called writer in young adult genre

    • @shreyapatil1
      @shreyapatil1 Před 2 lety +4

      So true

    • @maxi1ification
      @maxi1ification Před 4 dny

      @@anatoldenevers237probably not, even if indirectly modern fantasy takes from Tolkien a lot. Once heard about something that it was like Mt. Fuji when you film in Japan, like you either make a conscious effort to put it so everybody sees it, or you make an effort NOT to put it so people don't see it, unless you are actually ON Mt. Fuji. Obviously not a perfect metaphor, but it gets the point across

  • @vorthora
    @vorthora Před 5 lety +744

    If you love comparative Germanic linguistics, Old English and Lit, plus Norse mythos, read Tolkien. If you prefer nitty gritty real world politics, go to Martin. Both are giants, each in different aspects.

    • @vorthora
      @vorthora Před 5 lety +10

      @Asier Linazasoro Really? Have you read the Poetic Edda?

    • @vorthora
      @vorthora Před 5 lety +10

      @Asier Linazasoro Your loss. Oh, and have you studied Old English literature and meter? You should, it would explain so much.

    • @vorthora
      @vorthora Před 5 lety +26

      @Asier Linazasoro Please refer to the Prose Edda for information and advice Snorri gave gave to skalds. Tolkien followed it. For your info, Tolkien based his elvish languages on Finnish and Welsh. But please, take the time to study Old English. And no, this is not a contest.

    • @vorthora
      @vorthora Před 5 lety +13

      @Asier Linazasoro Read it again: The Hobbit, LOTR, and both Eddas. Also, study master-level courses on Historical Linguistics, Old English, Old and Middle English Literature, History of the English Language and yes, study Tolkien.

    • @vorthora
      @vorthora Před 5 lety +3

      @Asier Linazasoro Boy, you just discovered America with your reasoning. Suomi is a Finnic language belonging to a vaster group of Uralic languages. And Cymraeg is of the western Brittonic branch of what is left of Celtic languages. I do know he wanted to create languages. He created his first one under the are of 6. Anything else new?

  • @Dxwill10
    @Dxwill10 Před 5 lety +213

    "You're a pirate, you even stole my R.R.!"
    lol E.R.B is great. Ahem, anyway, yeah Tolkein is my all time #1 of any author ever but Georgie is someone I genuinely admire, dude is awesome.

    • @gnuling296
      @gnuling296 Před 5 lety +15

      They should have called it E.R.R.B.

    • @jeanrock3047
      @jeanrock3047 Před 2 lety

      @@gnuling296 oh my god they should have.

    • @jeanrock3047
      @jeanrock3047 Před 2 lety +1

      We love an ERB reference.

    • @Kimnino
      @Kimnino Před rokem

      "I'm number one and two, you're under fifty shades of grey" - rapper J. R. R. T

  • @grishy8203
    @grishy8203 Před 5 lety +332

    lot of respect for Martin for being so humble

  • @daleeps
    @daleeps Před 5 lety +245

    ik its obvious since he's a writer but man hes an excellent communicator

    • @andrewsheridan612
      @andrewsheridan612 Před 5 lety +23

      You can be a great writer and a shit communicator.

    • @byronsenior6499
      @byronsenior6499 Před 3 lety +3

      @@andrewsheridan612 I was just gonna say lol. I mean I'm still just starting out as a writer. I think I atleast have an okay handle on what I'm writing. But when I explain it it comes out muddled.

  • @ricardocastillo5485
    @ricardocastillo5485 Před 3 lety +249

    He's respectful to other authors, that's classy, that counts for a lot, he doesn't trash them like Stephen King.

    • @earningzekrom4173
      @earningzekrom4173 Před 3 lety +18

      You a Twifan or something?
      Stephen King recommends a lot of other authors

    • @thatonelionguy5038
      @thatonelionguy5038 Před 2 lety +5

      can someone explain this to me? i dont know anything about steven king, did he hate other authors?

    • @AnimatedTerror
      @AnimatedTerror Před 2 lety +17

      @@thatonelionguy5038 he’s taken jabs but he’s also shown a great deal of respect for other authors.
      But I mean it’s Stephen king.

    • @efrainr.4098
      @efrainr.4098 Před 2 lety +19

      Too bad a ton of Tolkien fans can't be as respectful as him

    • @carlosdiaz7573
      @carlosdiaz7573 Před rokem +1

      Cause Stephen King is perhaps the greatest American living author

  • @TotallyToonsTV
    @TotallyToonsTV Před 5 lety +137

    If you have R.R in your name you can write incredible fantasy stories. FACT

  • @carlosalegria4776
    @carlosalegria4776 Před 5 lety +267

    But what was Aragorn's tax policy?

  • @thanatos204
    @thanatos204 Před 5 lety +71

    Someone should show George the Epic Rap Battle of History episode of him battling JRR Tolkien.

    • @JarinCOD
      @JarinCOD Před rokem

      Old comment but I bet Martin would laugh his ass off.

  • @samwallaceart288
    @samwallaceart288 Před 5 lety +656

    “Martin is the new Tolkien” = “they both have a lot of characters and a world map”

    • @mikearchibald744
      @mikearchibald744 Před 5 lety +20

      LOL. And initials on their covers!

    • @samd2013
      @samd2013 Před 5 lety +10

      JRR Tolkien and GRR Martin

    • @arabiannights5301
      @arabiannights5301 Před 5 lety +15

      @Dark Lord Sauron May I see something you've written? Then we'll see who's a fool.

    • @arabiannights5301
      @arabiannights5301 Před 5 lety +12

      @Dark Lord Sauron Your attempt to bait me is charming, and you're in luck, I have a bunch to time to kill rn. So, can I see something you've written? Or are ya just gonna deflect all day.

    • @NickJerrison
      @NickJerrison Před 5 lety +25

      Arabian Nights I do not agree with that person's statement, but "if you can't produce something better, do not shit on someone else's work" is a bullshit argument. People are free to criticize creative products without the skill or talent or experience of making some themselves.

  • @pCeLobster
    @pCeLobster Před 3 lety +118

    The difference is that you want to live in Tolkien's world. No one in their right mind would want to live in Martin's.

    • @dekarmeryalmar8774
      @dekarmeryalmar8774 Před 2 lety +19

      But George world is more realistic
      Than good guys always defeat the bad guys
      And besides we are living in Martin's world right now

    • @pretendtheresaname9213
      @pretendtheresaname9213 Před 2 lety +7

      Mostly agree but send me to Highgarden during times of peace and I'll be living✌️ (except for medieval hygiene but I guess that shatters my will to live in any medieval world)

    • @kd1306
      @kd1306 Před 2 lety +3

      @@dekarmeryalmar8774 fking our sisters, fathers, aunties, nephews and brothers too? nice job Alabama.

    • @vmox7453
      @vmox7453 Před 2 lety +5

      @@dekarmeryalmar8774 realistic he said....ok

    • @tombombadil8084
      @tombombadil8084 Před 2 lety +9

      @@dekarmeryalmar8774 Fantasy is meant to be unrealistic, that's literally why it's called fantasy... If you want to experience the nitty gritty details of the real world, go read up on some history

  • @samtheman7642
    @samtheman7642 Před 5 lety +74

    They write very differently from one another, but no-one can deny that they have both revolutionized the fantasy genre and inspired many others to write in the same genre.

    • @mickeye6428
      @mickeye6428 Před 5 lety

      I can deny it:
      It isn't true.

    • @averagejoe8280
      @averagejoe8280 Před 3 lety +7

      @@mickeye6428 I’ve seen you respond to dozens of comments on this video specifically hating on George. Seems really petty and pointless. Are you doing okay?

  • @Chibanah
    @Chibanah Před 5 lety +137

    Only those people who didn't read their books compare them... and book publishers to get more attention to GoT. They are totally different in style and topic. The only similar thing they write in the genre of fantasy, but even inside fantasy there are different ones.

    • @paws27
      @paws27 Před 5 lety +16

      You're just parroting what he answered in the video.

    • @FrostyFyre
      @FrostyFyre Před 5 lety +8

      That’s literally exactly what Martin says, did you watch the video?

    • @brianmerritt5410
      @brianmerritt5410 Před 2 lety +1

      @@paws27 I am commenting before having watched the video and am saying the same thing.

    • @brianmerritt5410
      @brianmerritt5410 Před 2 lety

      I agree. They both have a dragon in them, end of similarities.

  • @SirRickTheNick
    @SirRickTheNick Před 5 lety +117

    I love GRRM Martin and the ASOIAF series and I really love this channel where you just go through various interviews and snip them down into bite sized chunks. That's really awesome that you do that. I'm presuming you're a fan and not affiliated with GRRM directly, but even if you are, thanks for the channel :)

  • @GamerTagCaptCluel3ss
    @GamerTagCaptCluel3ss Před 5 lety +18

    I hope the series will end with an actual Song of Ice and Fire. Meant to be sang by like 10-20 people, meant to have been compiled by all these travelers and sung together as to truly convey the Epic

    • @viz4884
      @viz4884 Před 5 lety

      I really hope my man

  • @cjacobsen99
    @cjacobsen99 Před 5 lety +9

    They have distinctly different literary styles that can both be appreciated. In my opinion, both are fantastic novelists that create immersion and interest over thousands of pages. Respect

  • @squamish4244
    @squamish4244 Před rokem +26

    “J.R.R. Tolkien has become a sort of mountain, appearing in all subsequent fantasy in the way that Mt. Fuji appears so often in Japanese prints. Sometimes it’s big and up close. Sometimes it’s a shape on the horizon. Sometimes it’s not there at all, which means that the artist either has made a deliberate decision against the mountain, which is interesting in itself, or is in fact standing on Mt. Fuji.” - Terry Pratchett

  • @kekero540
    @kekero540 Před 5 lety +9

    While he isn’t writing the same storytelling genre as Tolkien. he did revolutionize writing in his own way he basically popularized dramatic nuanced storytelling to such a large degree that that genre is now defined as being like game of thrones.

    • @mickeye6428
      @mickeye6428 Před 5 lety +1

      No he didn't. What' people mean when they say something is like Game of Thrones is that it's a wandering narrative full of blood and guts and unexpected events. It has nothing to do with nuance.

    • @awsomeboy360
      @awsomeboy360 Před 3 lety

      I don't think he revolutionized nuanced writing in fantasy, but he is really, really good at it.

  • @tanaypandey1771
    @tanaypandey1771 Před 2 lety +12

    I feel that they are both VERY different writers , and even fantasy in itself is a very broad term . GRRM does things out of mainstream trend , no one else could have chopped off Ned's head at that moment . Thats what reading this series is such a joy , you never know what is around the turn . While Tolkien made such a beautiful world that can immerse people for decades without getting tired of , lots of people re read those books every few years , and there is a lot of hope / happy moments . Respect to such great authors .

  • @FindecanorNotGmail
    @FindecanorNotGmail Před 5 lety +7

    Of course he would be flattered. He is a huge Tolkien fan!
    The first book of GRRM's I read was _The_ _Armageddon_ _Rag_ about a heavy metal band called "Nazgǔl" whose singer was called "Hobbit" and whose "Black Album" had only a picture of Sauron's lidless eye.

  • @slickboxingidentityveritas1932

    He's nothing like Tolkien, even after changing his name to be similar

  • @diaz2634
    @diaz2634 Před 5 lety +28

    "song of ice an fire is the dark souls of fantasy"

  • @joseluisguillen3632
    @joseluisguillen3632 Před 3 lety +3

    Im surprised he even finished the answer to that question. Props to him!

  • @jacobnion2525
    @jacobnion2525 Před 5 lety +9

    I wish I had two R.s so I could write a great saga myself.

  • @onemanenclave
    @onemanenclave Před 5 lety +10

    I would've liked it if the interviewer had followed up the second question with "And so why third person instead of first person?"

  • @louisjwiese5515
    @louisjwiese5515 Před 5 lety +9

    One essentially started, created and laid the foundation for the whole of modern fantasy fiction. The other just laid something good on that foundation. Like many others.

  • @ggt47
    @ggt47 Před 5 lety +40

    What an honor.

  • @NoName-hg6cc
    @NoName-hg6cc Před 2 lety +4

    "In book sales, you've got nothing to say! I'm number one and two! You're under Fifty Shades of Grey"
    Tolkien

  • @meaniemaelily
    @meaniemaelily Před rokem +6

    Tolkien finished his books, George.

  • @Hugh_Morris
    @Hugh_Morris Před 4 lety +7

    They’re both fantasy writers, unique in their own ways

  • @ClaireYunFarronXIII
    @ClaireYunFarronXIII Před 5 lety +164

    I hate when people compare Martin and Tolkien. Their approach to writing is completely different, especially in what makes a story. I read both of their works and found no similarities besides that they're both set in a secondary world. Both Martin and Tolkien are amazing, but are not at all alike.
    Which one is better? There is no right answer, obviously. Everyone has different tastes.

    • @phantomapprentice6749
      @phantomapprentice6749 Před 5 lety +7

      People who compare rarely even know what makes a good story, they just know they love reading it.

    • @LauftFafa
      @LauftFafa Před 5 lety +19

      peoples does not compare the writing style and the approach they took , they compare the fantasy as whole and their impact on it , they compare the worlds and battles etc .

    • @mikearchibald744
      @mikearchibald744 Před 5 lety +1

      Which one is better may be an objective question, much in the same way I think we can 'objectively' state that Homer's Illiad is 'better' than a harlequin romance, despite the fact that 90% of the public would probably rather read a harlequin romance. Thats not a definite comparison, but there are LOTS of fantasy authors out there, just because this is a big show on TV doesn't mean much about the books. I haven't read this guy's books, but on commercials I saw they were using swords and midieval weapons, I also saw a dragon I think on a commercial. So there is more in common than just 'secondary worlds'. Kurt Vonnegut's stories were on 'secondary worlds', now THAT has little in common with Tolkien. Science fiction has little in common, but these stories don't involve ray guns or grenades, so again, there is more similarity than just secondary worlds.
      But 'classics' are hard to gauge until significant time has passed. I think this guy is still writing these books isn't he? There was a channel I think that had turned the Shannara series into a TV show, and while I read and enjoyed them when I was 20, they are certainly not in a league with Tolkien. So just because this guy wrote a bunch of books that got made into a tv show means little to critical theory. So 'better' I think is something that DOES have a 'right answer', it doesn't necessarily mean "I'd rather read it" or even that its written as well. VIrtually NOBODY has read "Ulysses" despite it being considered a classic, or Prousts Swanns Way. But we DO have objective criteria in literature that says that just because more people have read Fifty Shades of Grey, that doesn't make it 'better'. And I think it would not be contentious to say that not only is that book worse, but its much much much, and a whole lot of much's more, worse than those authors.
      PS, plus, they both use initials as part of their name on the books:)

    • @Crichjo32
      @Crichjo32 Před 5 lety +2

      It's case of not comparing their style of writing, but more their stature in the literary landscape. Tolkien had a massive influence as a fantasy writer in his time, while Martin also has made a huge influence for modern day fantasy. No other American fantasy writer has really made that impact, so that's why he gets labeled as the "American Tolkien."

    • @mikearchibald744
      @mikearchibald744 Před 5 lety

      @@Crichjo32 I get that, but addressed it. Popularity isn't the same as impact. Harry Potter was popular, but its impact, thats another story. Fifty shades of grey was popular, and even had thousands of would be writers run out and write their own porn novels. Again, thats not necessarily 'impact'. Its now basically forgotten as a fad composed mainly of poor writing.
      The first books of GOT didn't even hit the bestsellers lists, not until the later books and the show did it really gain popularity. So I really don't see that big an impact. The SHOW had more an impact than the books, and mostly because its continuation of LOTR meant that TV producers were willing to invest in high cost fantasy epics.
      And its just as likely that its success was due to the success of hte LOTR franchise.
      So basically what you are saying is that no american fantasy writer has had books made into such a commercial success, which is true, but doesn't mean much about 'impact'.
      The Shannara series I mentioned above were virtually ALL on the New York Times bestsellers, as have numerous other fantasy books. They weren't recieved as commercially for various reasons, but the impact of the books are similar to GOT-a continuation of the fantasy genre.

  • @juantoledo5248
    @juantoledo5248 Před 5 lety +7

    I talked about this with some friends, and how the comparison is in reality very superficial. What got me so interesed into Martin's work, was realizing that his writing had more in common with Garcia Marquez' A Hundred Years of Solitude than with Tolkien's Lord of the Rings.

  • @Ignisan_66
    @Ignisan_66 Před 3 lety +13

    Tolkien at least finished his main book series. George on the other hand...

  • @Hobobob1041
    @Hobobob1041 Před 5 lety +6

    “You don’t see if someone was sneaking up on you with a knife” shout out to Arya.

  • @crookedpaths6612
    @crookedpaths6612 Před 6 měsíci +2

    Tolkien writes with a detail that other writers gloss over. Reading Martins work I could tell it’s written by a guy imagining the experience. Tolkien’s writing tells you that he’s lived many of the experiences that his characters endure.

  • @williamgragilla7007
    @williamgragilla7007 Před 7 měsíci +4

    Look, with the exception of genre there is no comparison. LOTR is timeless. GOT is trendy.
    One is forever. One will be forgotten.

  • @bromixsr
    @bromixsr Před 5 lety +8

    One is a master of his craft, the other is the benchmark for which all others in the genre will be measured against for years upon years to come.
    So they are both very good, but one big difference is that the latter finished his work whereas the former...well..is George R. R. Martin.

    • @lizardlegend42
      @lizardlegend42 Před rokem

      Tolkien did NOT even remotely finish his work what are you on about!?!? 😂
      He died still trying to perfect the Silmarillion (which he had started even *before* starting to write the hobbit). It was up to his son Christopher then after his death to assemble a publishable version from his many, many revisions.

  • @mwnciboo
    @mwnciboo Před 5 lety +10

    "You Myopic Mantee"...

  • @gurpreetsingh793
    @gurpreetsingh793 Před 5 lety +15

    Absolutely agree on the perspective thing. After reading ASOIAF it's hard to go back to the "god" perspective.

  • @GeneThundersnow
    @GeneThundersnow Před 5 lety +5

    Such an eloquent man

  • @chestbuster1987
    @chestbuster1987 Před 5 lety +79

    I'd like to see George react to season 8, episode 3 ..

    • @_MARSyt
      @_MARSyt Před 5 lety +37

      It probably bugs the hell out of him. I still enjoy the show, but let's not kid ourselves. it hasn't had the same feel or attention to detail since it passed the books

    • @srimposible1853
      @srimposible1853 Před 5 lety +6

      He stopped watching GOT

    • @_MARSyt
      @_MARSyt Před 5 lety +1

      @@srimposible1853 yeah maybe but he can't ignore all the people currently saying the battle was bad. Plus he's still a part time consultant for the show

    • @mickeye6428
      @mickeye6428 Před 5 lety

      @@_MARSyt The Show is much better written than the books. The books need an editor.
      No one gives a shit about the people whining over how they didn't like episode 3 of season 8.

    • @johannesoberlies8947
      @johannesoberlies8947 Před 5 lety +3

      This comment didn'g age well...

  • @thejimmydanly
    @thejimmydanly Před 5 lety +31

    I think calling him the American Tolkien works if you use American to mean more than just being from America. Tolkien is essentially the most British an author could get in terms of style. Meanwhile, though ASoIaF is a medieval fantasy largely, at least aesthetically inspired by British history, it has a very American feel to it, with the cultural ideas of being independent, free, and able to improve your place in life being found within many of Martin's characters.

    • @jonharrison9222
      @jonharrison9222 Před 7 měsíci +1

      None of which are unique to America.
      Why on earth did you think they were?

    • @olefredrikskjegstad5972
      @olefredrikskjegstad5972 Před 2 měsíci +1

      ​@@jonharrison9222Not being unique to America in no way prevents those qualities from being strongly associated with it.
      "This Book about redemption and rising from the dead is quite biblical"
      "No, because those things aren't unique to Christianity"
      This is how you sound.

    • @sunkintree
      @sunkintree Před 27 dny

      @@jonharrison9222 there's always gotta be an edgelord in the comments

  • @thomasalexanian927
    @thomasalexanian927 Před 5 lety +5

    I would be in tears if I found out that I was being compared to tolkien.

  • @LesPaul2006
    @LesPaul2006 Před rokem +4

    It's like comparing Mickey Mouse to a Gremlin.

  • @smallseal17
    @smallseal17 Před 5 lety +6

    That pause after "none of *are* God" made me think he was going to crack a joke.

  • @eleethtahgra7182
    @eleethtahgra7182 Před 5 lety +12

    Its two different writing style. JRRT lean more on fantasy n adventure while GRRM lean more on the politics n backstabbing. SoIaF and LotR are both good books.

  • @dennis_duran
    @dennis_duran Před 2 měsíci +1

    They cut out the end of this interview where someone snuck up behind the interviewer with the knife, as George silently watched the assassination.

  • @jsskrishnakanth97
    @jsskrishnakanth97 Před 5 lety +2

    Every time I battle, its return of the KING !!

  • @brahmaputramoskva1215
    @brahmaputramoskva1215 Před 4 lety +9

    0:12 I bet he laughs like that when he kills them characters

  • @xebatansis
    @xebatansis Před 5 lety +16

    Tolkien FINISHED his books.

    • @hq3473
      @hq3473 Před 5 lety +3

      The ones he meant to publish, anyway.

    • @mitchmcginn4250
      @mitchmcginn4250 Před 5 lety +6

      Ummm.... Unfinished Tales????

    • @ategabbysev2993
      @ategabbysev2993 Před 5 lety +7

      He never finished silmarilion his son Christopher tolkien finished it

    • @LethargicGM
      @LethargicGM Před 5 lety +14

      Wow, what an original comment. How long did it take you to come up with it?

    • @wserthmar8908
      @wserthmar8908 Před 4 lety +3

      One of Martin’s books is almost like the whole LOTR in length

  • @RacingSnails64
    @RacingSnails64 Před 5 lety

    the answer i expected, props to this man

  • @WritingGeekNL
    @WritingGeekNL Před 5 lety +1

    That last part on viewpoints....finally someone who agrees with me.
    Only I use first-person viewpoints because it suits my writing style a lot better.

  • @MrKalasznikov
    @MrKalasznikov Před 5 lety +6

    3:24 If George said that to me I would be terrified :D

  • @saikatgoswami9010
    @saikatgoswami9010 Před 5 lety +3

    You are the true successor of your inspiration ❤

  • @theqsanity5797
    @theqsanity5797 Před 5 lety +1

    I remember learning somewhere that there was a shift in omniscience viewpoint storytelling to first person story telling sometime in the 1900s. The former was acceptable until that time, which saw it as boring or simple.

  • @d.c.2775
    @d.c.2775 Před 5 lety +18

    GRR Martin and Stephen King will be truly studied and appreciated only by generations long after they are gone.

    • @noelrebul6877
      @noelrebul6877 Před 4 lety +5

      They are already studied and appreciated by millions of people... What are you talking about?

  • @Jetpackguyy
    @Jetpackguyy Před 5 lety +6

    Even he, i think, can admit that’s not even close

  • @cameronsmith8242
    @cameronsmith8242 Před 5 lety +11

    I think Tolkein and Martin are masters in their own fields. Tolkein a as a poet, linguist and imaginateur who alows us to dream his dream. Martin as a writer of crystal-clear prose and maticulous world-building who allows us to live in his world.

  • @sleepingbeauty3254
    @sleepingbeauty3254 Před 5 lety +1

    I don’t read Game of Thrones nor watched it, however I cannot deny the amount respect I have for Martin.

  • @_MARSyt
    @_MARSyt Před 5 lety +1

    I loved the hobit as a child. Have read it a few times. I've also ready several other fantasy series. Strangely I've never read lotr. first time I tried years back I couldn't get into it. Maybe I'll try again

  • @rotwang2000
    @rotwang2000 Před 3 lety +4

    There was a time when every new Fantasy book was heralded as "Comparable to Tolkien at his best." People seem to think that between Tolkien and Martin nothing was ever produced ... Being compared to Tolkien is one of the easiest things to do, just write a fantasy novel and the publicity director will tag it for you.

  • @Euphrynichus
    @Euphrynichus Před 5 lety +4

    GEORGE MA MAN

  • @zjjohnson3827
    @zjjohnson3827 Před 8 dny

    Almost first thing he does when hearing this is talk about how flattered he is, and then proceeds to talk about how great Tolkien was, instead of hamming up his own work. That’s class and respect.

  • @Niuway44
    @Niuway44 Před 3 lety +1

    How do you have an imagination as amazing as these guys.

    • @peterpengproductions920
      @peterpengproductions920 Před 2 lety +1

      I wonder the same thing. Maybe throw out all electronics for a year, and have your only source of entertainment be a pen and paper. Then maybe your fantasy would go wild.

  • @dzagoproductions3450
    @dzagoproductions3450 Před 5 lety +15

    Honestly i prefer ASOIAS over LOTR, but i would be heretic if i didn't say that both of the R.Rs are AMAZING. Tolkien wrote an amazing world filled with history, magic, wars, gods, monsters and so much more. And Martin also wrote an amazing world and even tho it isn't as filled as Tolkines, Martine created some of the best characters that i have ever read in any story, they are interesting, complex, funny, smart and every character has their own motivation. Joffery wants to stay as the king, Ramsey and my man Teryon want to be respected, Rob wants to aveng his father, Jon had the same motivation, but then it changed when he heard what Ramsey had done, my girl Denarys wants to stay on the Iron Throne and "break the wheel" (don't worry i know that most of these characters are dead, but i love then anyways). That's honestly why i kinda slightly prefer ASOIAF over LOTR, because i like characters more then the world in a fiction. But that's just my opinion.

  • @michaelshort2388
    @michaelshort2388 Před 5 lety +11

    I think Robert Jordan was more Tolkeinesque than George R R Martin. He's an amazing writer, don't get me wrong but I agree with him in saying they are quite different. :)

    • @rodeljagad8127
      @rodeljagad8127 Před 5 lety

      Michael Short. Maybe. I’m on book ten of WoT, but I haven’t read ASOIAF. It’s hard to say who’s more Tolkienesque, because all three have drastically different stories.

  • @user-oq4rm5ci9p
    @user-oq4rm5ci9p Před rokem +2

    They are persons of different caliber.

  • @Velkan1396
    @Velkan1396 Před 5 lety

    How sweet he is

  • @specialunit0428
    @specialunit0428 Před 3 lety +5

    Lord of the Rings was actually written for the British people to give them a sense of national pride as he realised they have nothing but King Arthur. So he combined Viking, Celtic, and Saxon legends into one story.

    • @guille3622
      @guille3622 Před 3 lety +5

      It wasn't written to have a national pride, but to give a story in the form of legends to the creation of the country. Or at least, this was at first, before the boom of the Hobbit

    • @wserthmar8908
      @wserthmar8908 Před 3 lety +2

      Tolkien hated the Celts so you had been misinformed

    • @wserthmar8908
      @wserthmar8908 Před 3 lety

      @@guille3622, he loved his country tho

    • @specialunit0428
      @specialunit0428 Před 3 lety +2

      @@wserthmar8908 The elves are based on the "protectors of Britain" that the Celts believed inhabited the British Isles before the Celts arrived.

    • @wserthmar8908
      @wserthmar8908 Před 3 lety

      @@specialunit0428, “Needless to say they are not Celtic! Neither are the tales. I do know Celtic things (many in their original languages Irish and Welsh), and feel for them a certain distaste: largely for their fundamental unreason. They have bright colour, but are like a broken stained glass window reassembled without design. They are in fact ‘mad’ as your reader says-but I don’t believe I am.”

  • @TheShootist
    @TheShootist Před 5 lety +7

    Stephen R Donaldson is the American Tolkien. though Martin can spend 3 pages describing a door knob with the best of them.

  • @ericcook2423
    @ericcook2423 Před 5 lety +1

    Two masters of the craft.

  • @danielbutchers998
    @danielbutchers998 Před 3 lety

    The woulds they built have a very different reason for existing this is best shown when Martin spoke about what Tolkien got wrong and questioned what Arrogorse police’s where after he became king and those sorts of small insignificant (to what Tolkien was trying to do) details, it can also be seen in how Tolkien was giving us an epic set within a mythological would where as Martin in ice and fire gave us a story of court intrigue set in a fictional medieval would

  • @HelloThere-bj9rw
    @HelloThere-bj9rw Před 5 lety +3

    J R R Tolkien, George R R Martin it all makes sense

  • @francism9782
    @francism9782 Před rokem +8

    Tolkien finished his marathon. Martin did a 50 yard sprint, called it a day and whined that he felt sorry for his fans not appreciating that he walked all the way to his car to go home.

  • @neerajgaur8792
    @neerajgaur8792 Před 3 lety

    Both gave us great stories.

  • @MaxHohenstaufen
    @MaxHohenstaufen Před 5 lety +2

    Well, his answers are great. I used to shun him as a Tolkien wannabe, a hollywood screenplay writer pretending to be a novelist, but I think I was wrong all along. Maybe it was just my prejudice towards TV; But now that the last GOT season is out, and no longer based on his books, and it sucks, I guess his work is the sole best thing of the series. The huge blockbuster budget and special effects look stupid without the story development based on his books. I am late, but I might start reading his stuff. Why not? I only started readin LOTR in 2003 months before the third movie was released and Im still a fan of the book.

  • @businessbusiness9407
    @businessbusiness9407 Před 5 lety +82

    He is literally incapable of making a banal statement. I wonder how he feels about what the show is doing....

    • @Liam-fs5fe
      @Liam-fs5fe Před 5 lety +3

      Businessbusiness he told the directors of how he thought the ending would be like, sp that’s probably right. The execution however..

    • @LethargicGM
      @LethargicGM Před 5 lety +11

      Last I heard, George was disappointed with how the show was going. But my memory isn't the best, so take that with a grain of salt.

    • @markushaahr9194
      @markushaahr9194 Před 5 lety

      IgnoreMeI'mAnAutisticNEET it came out this week...

    • @TheStraightestWhitest
      @TheStraightestWhitest Před 5 lety +1

      @@markushaahr9194 And he hasn't watched since season five. Your point? Clearly he's not happy with it, and he's watching Last Kingdom instead.

    • @mickeye6428
      @mickeye6428 Před 5 lety

      He thinks it's great. It is much better written than anything he's done this century.

  • @Ian-ky5hf
    @Ian-ky5hf Před 5 lety +14

    Robert Jordan is the American Tolkien. George is about subversion of classical fantasy tropes.

    • @mattbailey9874
      @mattbailey9874 Před 5 lety +2

      Ian Hockabout please stop.

    • @jays.8621
      @jays.8621 Před 5 lety +3

      I completely agree. Sadly I am not sure where George RR Martin’s place will be in the pantheon of fantasy writers if he doesn’t finish his core work. The shows are great but realistically I am not sure how long they will endure compared to the written word.

    • @Ian-ky5hf
      @Ian-ky5hf Před 5 lety

      Jay Mark Stocks I hear you. I think he will do it. I hope so anyway.

  • @PoweRaGER
    @PoweRaGER Před 5 lety

    Very very very good answer.

  • @moondive4ever
    @moondive4ever Před 5 lety

    Impossibly well said. Respect.

  • @erendrabble8547
    @erendrabble8547 Před 5 lety +11

    İ love G R R M

  • @Guyverman01
    @Guyverman01 Před 5 lety +19

    He’s like Tolkien if he was a nymphomaniac.

  • @MakeAStrangerSmile
    @MakeAStrangerSmile Před 4 lety

    I like both of this two authors

  • @morganadamo4706
    @morganadamo4706 Před 5 lety +1

    j k rowling can eat her heart out she hasn't been called the new tolkien and i love both martin And tolkien

  • @yigit6047
    @yigit6047 Před 5 lety +58

    release the last 2 books before you go PLEASE

    • @jameswestern3931
      @jameswestern3931 Před 5 lety +5

      @gillysuit2 not like he had 8 years to work on them, he is lazy and undisciplined for a writer, he's good but he doesn't have the right mentality for a professional and it's fairly obvious he hasn't got his heart in it anymore

    • @farsalor2627
      @farsalor2627 Před 5 lety

      @gillysuit2 this book series is over 28 years old, cut some fucking slack to the people who are tired of waiting.
      He will die before it is done so long as he puts off the main books for side book profits.

    • @joaootaviodambrosdezanet5105
      @joaootaviodambrosdezanet5105 Před 5 lety +11

      @@farsalor2627 how about *you* cut some slack to the guy who provided you with that entertainment so far? I'm quoting Neil Gaiman in this one, "George R. R. Martin is not your bitch.", he doesn't owe you another book, he specially doesn't owe you another book quickly. I assume you bought the previous ones and were satisfied, or you wouldn't be whining about the continuation. Enjoy and be thankful for what you have as of yet, and hope the new books will be released when they can.

    • @caseymeyer5418
      @caseymeyer5418 Před 5 lety

      João Otávio Dambrós Dezanet yeaaaahhhhh y'all be Martin's bitch waitin on those books! just shows how good they are. well worth the wait and if they don't come that sucks but a man's gotta do what a man does

    • @Hugh_Morris
      @Hugh_Morris Před 4 lety

      João Otávio Dambrós Dezanet well said

  • @nickronin9618
    @nickronin9618 Před 5 lety +3

    i still don't get why people don't mention Robert E. Howard when they talk about epic fantasy pioneers .

    • @lordofmyarse
      @lordofmyarse Před 5 lety +1

      Especially in relation to Martin.

    • @mickeye6428
      @mickeye6428 Před 5 lety +1

      Because his shit is obscure and greatly forgotten. People are pretty much only aware of one of his characters because of things other writers did with it.

  • @missininaction3680
    @missininaction3680 Před 5 lety

    tonight's the night.

  • @keithfifer9213
    @keithfifer9213 Před 5 lety +1

    I love his laugh

  • @TBRose-kg3hw
    @TBRose-kg3hw Před 3 lety +38

    George Martin isn't fit to refill Tolkien's inkwell. Tolkien is so far above Martin it's almost ludicrous to compare the two.

  • @philthestampede
    @philthestampede Před 5 lety +5

    He literally has anxiety about finishing his series and probably won't soooooo...yeah. not really a comparison.

  • @EM-vw7im
    @EM-vw7im Před 5 lety +2

    While I have read both, kinda sad Steven Erickson never gets any mentions when it comes fantasy writers, his world building is better the Martin's I think, everything is just as complex, for the most part characters don't have plot armor, and his series is bigger giving you the reader more material and somehow weaving together many many separate stories into a cohesive whole with the main plot. I encourage anyone who likes good writing but especially fantasy to check out Erickson's stuff.

  • @michellebeckham5310
    @michellebeckham5310 Před 2 lety +1

    When I see ERB I think Edgar Rice Burroughs.