I’ve yet to read a boring interview with Gore Vidal. Alas, there may not be many more of them. He seems to be fading. Physically. His brain is still bristling with political rage and dishy humour. This from a profile in the UK Independent:
He rapidly became the leading left-wing critic of American foreign policy. He warned against every war from Vietnam to Iraq, often with extraordinary prescience. At the height of George W Bush’s post-9/11 popularity, he said: “Mark my words – he will leave office the most unpopular President in history.” His essays on this subject are often great flares of truth and anger. His horror at US foreign policy can be summarised in one little scene. In the 1980s, the Sistine Chapel was being restored, and some VIPs were invited to view it on an elevated platform. He spotted that old serial killer Henry Kissinger inspecting the section depicting Hell, and said: “Look, he’s apartment hunting.”
Gore Vidal’s United States of fury – Americas, World – The Independent.
