Gore Vidal with Christopher Hitchens in Berkeley Community Theatre, March 11, 1999
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- čas přidán 27. 08. 2024
- This program was first viewed on Berkeley's Public Access Channel 25 as part of "The Activist's Hour: Speaking Out in Berkeley" Cable Series.
I remember when Tucker Carlson was grilling Vidal on a recent book. Carlson quoted a passage in an attempt to make him look bad. Vidal said that it was written with irony, "perhaps the publisher should put those passages in blue".
Tucker should have stuck to writing. He's a clown now.
@@billyb6001 He's always been an elitist crown whose only worth is as literal food for cattle stock.
Withering.
Tucker "I just smelled a fart" Carlson doesnt get irony?? That's ironic.
Tucky has no sense of irony, just like his small minded followers, literal minded fools
Marvelous! I'm always thrilled when I find a Hitch video I haven't seen yet-- and this one with Gore Vidal! Thank you so much!
Rare to see Hitchens admire a man and cheerful to do so
Both were absolutely delightful in every word spoken and written by them. Full of knowledge, wit, wisdom and satire. One knows they are in heaven together and laughing, asking each other, "What the hell are we doing here here?"(lol). Looking down upon us both replied, "Hell is definitely alive and doing well on earth still. Washington D.C. has gotten worse. Those damn corrupt politicians and corporations. Capitalism isn't doing so well."
All is forgiven. They are truly missed.
"A general definition of civilization: a civilized society exhibiting the fine qualities of truth, beauty, adventure, art, and peace."
Alfred North Whitehead
I adore these two men esp Gore Vidal, of whom I have held in high esteem since I was an adolescent. No one has replaced them.
They replaced each other.
Two geniuses, much lamented. Thank you for showing
Really enjoyed this. Two of my favorite thinkers on the same stage.
So happy to see this meeting of the minds
Vidal warnings about prohibitions was prophetic
Gore at 16:58. So true then; moreso now.
Nothing compares to this exchange in our current discourse (10/2022)!
Roughly 30 seconds of this discussion - the 'gin in our campari' closing line - existed on CZcams for years. Full talk delivered everything and more. Much appreciate the upload.
My two favorites of all time. It devastated me when they had their falling out.
I turned 18 that day.... awesome that a hero uploaded this...
I turned eleven the day before...and yes, it surely is.
Wow, my hear melts when I see Christopher
He is wonderful here with his hero
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS!!! These two in ONE video. I'm in Old Left Heaven. Miss these excellent men of letters and Wit. So sad that their relationship was on the outs at the end.
Subbed, of course.
I'm glad you called it "the old Left".
Hitch thought he would become Vidal’s successor but then Hitch defended the invasion of Iraq & Vidal was angry.
@@cindymaceda2999and Vidal said after 9/11 that there isn’t enough evidence to say Al Qaeda did 9/11 but he did suggest that Bush administration did it so he was off his rocker and that’s one reason why Hitchens dropped him
OMG I have been looking for this for years. Thanks so much!
Wow, what a treasure. So glad to see this.
priceless, legendary, wit beyond words...oh to have been a fly on the way afterward when they got drunk at the bar down the street...
I really appreciate this. For years this only existed as a clip.
Fantastique to see this finally. Shame the way it ended between the two of them; towering minds both.
It's honestly not that bad y'know. It reminds me of Hayek & Keynes, or Vidal himself and Mailer (Hitch was friend to both, crazy) but with a crisis like 9/11 to ponder on. Strong personalities that clashed is all, they are both models for badasses, with some care.
One of them lost their mind. I suggest it was the one who seem to buy in to 9/11 conspiracy theories.
What happened though? I wasn't born when this happened, so. (if you have the time to answer )
@@ankushds7018 In Hitchens' own words: "Since Gore always likes a good feud, I just gave him one". Vidal was joining the likes of Noam Chomsky, Michael Moore and Howard Zinn at this time and went on full conspiracy mode, the usual stuff: America deserved the bombings, Bush gave the bombing order, Bin Laden Is a Cia agent, and so forth. Hitchens was cautioning the audience that contrary to the public, Gore Vidal is actually both quite reactionary in person and entertaining liberal fantasies quite often. One of those that I remember the most is that he admired Charles Lindberg, founder of the America First movement, while at the same time curiously a long-time homosexual himself.
@@polymathicheretic5068 _"Vidal was joining the likes of Noam Chomsky, Michael Moore and Howard Zinn at this time and went on full conspiracy mode, the usual stuff:"_
Just based on this event alone, none of that surprises me. I don't really buy that Hitchens was thrown off. This was 1999, and the dismissive statements on terrorism stick out the most, about midway in. But that's more because I'm used to post-9/11 Hitchens and here he just smirks along.
I think Hitchens enjoyed a good feud as much as the old guy himself. Or at least he always figured it wouldn't hurt book sales.
Prophetic, and results in one fidgeting around in search of hope.
Enjoyed this immensely 🥃
Delighted and thrilled to find this. Great discussion. I laugh to think how frustrated the video team must be by the camera angle with a foam microphone hovering the center of Vidal's face the whole time.
Excellent discussion, and so sobering that we're not only STILL struggling against corporations, but after rulings by the SCOTUS on such cases as Citizens United, etc., we've fallen even further down the rabbit hole!
Thank you for the upload. I have been looking for this gor years!
Brilliant discussion ❤❤❤
Gore Vidal and Chris Hitchens together again. What illumined writers they were.
Gore Vidal's understanding of the American Empire and what has been taught in our elite colleges by some of the powers of greed and what is not taught to the masses, one has to dig for that.
Reading books of quality and thinking outside the box may enlighten one.
With the deepest appreciation and admiration for these men. Understanding books of quality and then television came in.
We know who controls the American Empire. Socialism for the elites and free enterprise for the poor. How many times have our great journalist writers of history given us these truths? (We do have quite a few.)
No one is perfect.
History and world histories grow , sciences, monotheistic religions, philosophers, as centuries unfold , nothing is stagnant. Psychology fields also. Creative arts and music, literature, and poetry, dance are the glues that lift us out of despair. One has to have an open mind and see the divisions of beliefs. It comes from thought.
What amazed me was when Mr. Vidal mentioned two frontal lobes of the brain. May one see what we are learning now about that.
We now have the election of 2024 coming come.
Have we learned anything?
Who are we?
Thanks for this upload. Really liked both chaps.
Wow. A Hitchens talk I haven’t seen
When these 2 were bashing the Clintons and Gore, little did they know what Bush/ Cheney / Trump & MAGA would do to this country.
A great talk between great minds our world is worse off for having lost you two
the "World"
never ever listens
to anything "Great"
the Devil always wins
for that...
@@raginald7mars408 I hope you can one day get past your delusions bud
@@jeffhough7460
... you ex Pose your self
the Devil
wins again
Mr De Lusion
what are YOU listening...
@@raginald7mars408 you drunk? If you want to have a conversation I'm down to do that, but first you need to prove to me what devil and God you believe in and why, and if you expect me to believe any of your statements you've better come with the substantial evidence for such substantial claims
@@jeffhough7460
I am a German Biochemist Ph D
the way you behave
there is no Con Ver Sation
more like WAR
what YOU pre tend
is a thin veneer
proving
the era of the Vidals is submerged in a global plate tectonics
of Dumbification
makes me sober day and night
the world is a lonely place...
The Devil always wins
quod erat demonstrandum
Thank you for sharing!
Very entertaining!!
Real political discourse was already rotting away when this event happened around 1999. Social media, Twitter and all that garbage was just around the corner.
Thank u so much wow
Need waiting for this release for a while😂
Oh wow! I always wondered where this was!
Wow. I was there! I think this was in 2000. It couldn't have been March, 1999. March 11 2000 was a Saturday
Gore and Christopher. Amazing
Family.🖤🖤
someone once pointed and told me, "in that building there are more lawyers than in all of Japan'
Interesting interview. I did not expect him to quote Groucho marx and misunderstand the statement, which was a joke. He was stating that he wouldnt be a part of ANY club which would have him as a member.
Thanks for the upload! Just one thing, at the end the text on the screen says this was recorded in 1998 not 1999 as your title now suggests, so perhaps you should fix your title.
It would have been very interesting to hear these two discuss current events post-9/11.
They're two towering intellects and both loved a good scrap but it seemed like with Gore there was a mean spirited quality to it that I never felt in Hitchens. As a result....Gore was admired. Hichens was loved.
Unfortunately Hitchens reputation was tarnished by his backing of the lraq war
Ukraine a $hite show sadly.
@@johncarroll772
Hitchens lost me at that point. Almost every position he took from 2003 until his death went against everything he used to stand for.
“What spring does for the cherry trees ...
the incomparable couple 👍
Sadly, a war two years later split this friendship apart. There's a conspiracy they didn't expect.
I sometimes wonder whether Vidal knew Burroughs...he seems to have a very similar presentation and outlook.
This is odd, but in The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon there is a character that said that teamwork is a symptom of the gutlessness of society, a way of of avoiding responsibility; and, now thinking of how the men Captain John Smith led behaved: perhaps they would of said something similar before Smith saved Jamestown.
Hitch looks so hung over and high. This is gold.
How exactly did getting involved in, essentially a domestic, civil war in Vietnam, over 8000 miles away, defend the US's peace and security
It didn't.
@@allencollins6031But it made many rich.
@@recherche4528 yep
Amazing how these two brilliant men could be so wrong. Pioneers of all we are witnessing today. Modern day Jacobians
Wasn’t the 1954 Income tax for the wealthy 90% AFTER keeping something like the first $25,000? Ten yers later my father was a physician making $30,000. So Gore did ok - if I have correct information.
I'm sure that's correct. Gore was given to hyperbole.
And they would die 7 months apart, the elder going last.
Alas, before the great schism...
_54:00__ when heterosexuality is compulsory, youre going to have some oddballs"_
Hey is the date correct on this??? There's a stereotype mentioned about Muslims that I don't believe started being a thing until after 9/11?
Sounds like it's during Clinton era - I'd assumed late 20thC. Which stereotype?
Terrorism from religious extremists existed before 9/11.
What people fail to remember about what happened with Christopher Hitchens in that regard is one of his very, very close friends, Salman Rushdie had a fattwa put on his head for writing a book some muslims found offensive. He never forgot that.
How about reverse angle italics for irony ? Does such a typeface exist already ?Not /, but \ !!!
lovely idea.
If he'd lived long enough hitch would have many things to regret but his comment about White house immorality won't be one of them
And rightly so.....
He said NOTHING about the immorality in the Bush White house.
He was an enthusiastic proponent for the invasion of Iraq
Vidal interviewed by Ali G was priceless
Before handbags at dawn.
what is Vidal's "new book" here? They keep referring to it but not the name.
creation?
@@youtubeuser-7098 "The Smithsonian Institution"
Hitchens did drop the name in this discussion early on (The Smithsonian institution), but it was easy to miss.
Arguably not the most gripping title, but the book cover art made up for it.
@@Johnconno That was Hitchens, he gave it to Bush to read
American history, World history: Blood and Money.
17:17
Vidal saw total control coming...others too...to be fair but you cant get the people to listen...
And all the sheep go baaaaahhhhh
I`m not sure if I should be concerned or relieved that I don`t find Mr. Vidal inspiring. He certainly thought a lot, especially about himself.
not amused, then. be concerned. the audience came to be entertained, not inspired. vidal is priceless. youre welcome
@@josephgrimes3886 Grimes by name and Grimy by nature.
@@sevengrapes1257 youre still welcome
Wow!!!!..........whose gore vidal?
A great author
Yeah Mr Vidal let's bring back smoking in restaurants
I'm twenty minutes in. In many ways these two sound more conservative that Rush Limbaugh.
Gore Vidal going on about taxes and big government?
are you high right now? sit this one out einstein
Vidal always admired how America started; small time businessmen (farmers and such) with a coast dotted with small but growing cities where commerce flourished. There was early on what was called an 'era of deference' towards the well to do and better educated (Founding Fathers class) and government more or less left everyone alone to do their own thing. He thought President Garfield represented a sort of peak in the quality of American presidents. So, in many ways in was a conservative--but he hated corporate America and its influence.
Excellent alnalogy of: RIPSenator, 300lbsCondemmedVeal? A3 and a half year old hiding behind my Mothers' back seeing this big block of a guy disembark an aircraft, Tall, DarkOvercoat Smile on his face with an outstretched hand of greeting andeye was scared witless: SenatorKennedy was huge! 2 A 3 yr old in '71 maybe '72? {\} 🙂
hitchens was no match for Gore Vidal......
Two different writers entirely, but equally sharp & brilliant. In other interviews, Vidal is quite dismissive & visibly disenchanted with poor interviewers but with Hitchens he was quite obviously at ease/home.
Please!
He stood his ground but he also showed due deference which was good.
You're ears are no match for intelligents ...
15:10 18:10 23:05 33:10 36:30 1:05:10 1:07:07 1:08:10 LOL
has anything this sodden queen prognosticated turned up accurate?
Your command of the English language is quite suspect.
@@davejones5745 you cannot expect an ape to master English.
What’s that Hitch is drinking?
bile
Probably Johnnie Walker Black with a splash of tonic. It was his favorite drink and today is often affectionately called a “Hitchslap”.
Two crashing bores
What Vidal doesn't understand is that Christianity is atheistic as well. He went his entire life without seeing that!
That makes no sense at all.
The first Christians were called atheists by the Romans. It makes sense if you know history.
@@orangesurfboard2238 Does that make them so? Atheism by definition is the absence of faith.
@@Gerguzalbutzelnikoskech
atheist
noun
One who denies the existence of God, or of a supreme intelligent being.
A godless man; one who disregards his duty to God.
One who disbelieves or denies the existence of a God, or supreme intelligent Being.
The Christians denied the existence of gods and believed that god is a man. To the pagan world they were atheists, which is correct.
@@orangesurfboard2238 God as a man is not equated with God as a human.
There is a fundamental difference.
I love Hitch but he didn't possess the ability to differentiate between great works of aesthetic art in fiction and tendentious, tedious political pseudo-fiction.
Hitchens best friends were great writers of fiction, as Hitchens said his greatest love was English literature.
@@johncarroll772 Yes, but he also was a Marxist, which means that he was trained to view everything, including literature, through the lens of politics. It was a major defect of his existence.
Tendentious, tedious political pseudo-fiction was his stock in trade
@graham6132 all art is propaganda - George Orwell
@@johncarroll772 That was taken out of context. He meant during times of war.
I admired Vidal, but like most atheists he has really bad takes on religion.
..and then Hitchens, that turncoat, yellowed, and turned his controversial writing into something with less flak.
No. No turncoat at all. Both men opposed tyranny in all its forms. Hitchen's believed that a war against the tyrant of Iraq could only be in the cause of good. Would you not think similarly about a war against Mugabe, Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini, Idi Amin? You might think it a bad idea because of the consequences that follow from said war, but can you criticise the motive in fighting it?