Due to his failing health, there had been some doubt about whether Ellison would show up in person or participate in panels, readings and other events by telephone from his home in Sherman Oaks, Calif. But at press time he affirmed he was coming. He is also adamant that MadCon will be the final convention he ever attends, in any fashion."The truth of what's going on here is that I'm dying," says Ellison, by phone. "I'm like the Wicked Witch of the West â I'm melting. I began to sense it back in January. By that time, I had agreed to do the convention. And I said, I can make it. I can make it.'"
Ellison claimed he was going to die onstage, but that didn't seem to happen. The interview is well worth reading for Ellison's opinions about the end of his writing career (his wife is on orders to burn the 100+ unfinished manuscripts sitting around the house the minute he dies). It's quintessentially Harlan Ellison.
(Thanks to Slog tipper Badger. If you're looking to get into Harlan Ellison, I recommend The Essential Ellison. I'm not usually a "Greatest Hits" kind of guy, but it's a really stellar collection.)
