The onus of interviewing him fell to the editor of the LA Times book review, and he made the mistake of trying to talk politics. I’m not sure fiction would have been much better, but only a madman argues politics with Vidal. Even with rather well-researched notes, Vidal still left him totally speechless more often than not.
The poor fellow was doomed before he even began, but all things considered I thought he held his own remarkably well — I told him so as he was making a rather hasty exit — after all, he did manage to form complete sentences throughout, which seems to be rather a laudable achievement in this particular circumstance.
It wasn’t that Vidal was particularly vicious, certainly he was mild in comparison to how he behaves with people he dislikes. It’s just that he’s absolutely impossible to argue with; he’s so well-versed in history and politics that listening to him talk is rather like being hit with an encyclopedia, his replies brook no reproach.
Not to mention that he’s effortlessly venomous, intellectually terrifying, and has that natural, imperialistic grace that reduces mere mortals to dust. Even if he’s rather tired these days, and doesn’t bother to hide the fact that he’s in a wheelchair, he’s a giant of a man. There’s a reason he got a standing ovation just for coming onstage.
