I've got no sympathy for Deborah Solomon. She's not always polite to her subjects, and after the way she's misleadingly edited people's interviews, she's extremely lucky to still have her job. As for Gore Vidal? Anyone who knows anything about his writing won't be surprised by his outspokenness.

I loved it. The man has every right to be crotchety.

I don't understand why Vidal's answers seemed inflammatory or rude to you. He's been a cranky old man since the age of forty. He's one of the few writers today who doesn't mince his words for fear of offending. We need more like him.

Oh I loved this interview! And, yeah, i do a ton of interviews, too -- but the worst interview subject isn't the crotchety one, it's the one with NOTHING TO SAY. Vidal is wonderfully quotable. And, hey, we're talking about it now so.... (kudos to both Vidal and Solomon).

I think a lot of people are nonplussed upon encountering serious dry wit; although as a mannered old-school royalist, I think Bill Buckley is more likely in a dark, creaky monastery in Purgatory rather than Hell...

It's easy to see why he doesn't like American critics. They don't love his novels as much as he does. His comments on McCain were interesting, but he didn't back them up with any facts.

Good for Mr. Vidal. He does not court publicity or status, which permits him a rare quality: honesty. And remains uniquely himself.