"a very nice fictional young man"

[eldritchhobbit]

The Independent just interviewed A Series of Unfortunate Events author Lemony Snicket. When asked what he thought of Harry Potter, he replied:

Harry Potter seems like a very nice young fictional man. If I were in the habit of befriending fictional people, I'd be happy to make his acquaintance, but the trouble with fictional friendships is that you tend to find yourself sitting in a café talking excitedly to an empty chair. After several hours, the staff will probably force you to leave, even if there are still uneaten madeleines sitting on your plate, all ready to be covered in strawberry jam. Normally, if you were being treated unfairly, you could count on a friend to help you, but a fictional friend - even one with fictional magic powers - will probably just stand there with a confused and fictional look on his or her face.

Definitely quote of the day material, I thought.

I keep trying to conjure a convincingly calm and non-fictional look for my own face, but somehow I don't think it's working.

Comments

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Exactly - its perfect reverse psychology! :)

even tho I've never read them, I think of the lemony snicket books as the bohemian, sarcastic group in the corner of a smoky pub, while the HPs are the nice kids having milk and cookies on someone's porch...

LOL! That totally reminds me of the French nihilist kid in the South Park movie who was always dragging on his cigarette... I don't know about that, but I do know they were very wise to avoid a direct movie competition by spacing them out as they have. If a smackdown had come to pass, it couldn't have been pretty from either direction!

All I kept thinking as I read was that, unbeknownst to me, I suppose I've spent a good portion of my life talking excitedly to an empty chair. :)

[sneezythesquid.livejournal.com]

I know that's how I've spent most of my life. At least you're getting paid to do some of it now. :)

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

LOL! Some of my best conversations have been those kind! :)

[fungus-files.livejournal.com]

and what articulate, animated, thoughtful conversations that chair would've been privy to! :)

have you seen team america, A? have read mixed reviews. and must admit that I have to be in the right kinda mood to respond to messrs parker and stone.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

You're much too kind! :) Really, the empty chair is looking longingly at passersby and trying vainly to shriek "Shoot me now, people! She's the thing that wouldn't shut up!" LOL!

I really enjoyed Team America, though I'm a fan of South Park as subversive political satire anyway. I didn't like the film quite as much as South Park movie, but it really was on point in many ways. My favorite song from the film starts like this:

"I miss you more than Michael Bay missed the mark
When he made Pearl Harbor
I miss you more than that movie missed the point
And that's an awful lot, girl
And now, now you've gone away
And all I'm trying to say
Is Pearl Harbor sucked and I miss you..."

The rock sections bashed the left, the country/western sections bashed the right, and all the while a lot of good genre cliches were sent up in style. I can't ask much more from my mean humor. :)