Ray Bradbury Gets Interviewed by Biographer Over Skype

Although Ray Bradbury resides in Los Angeles, he made a 45-minute appearance in New York Wednesday night to chat with his biographer Sam Weller about Weller’s book, “Listen to the Echoes; The Ray Bradbury Interviews.” The 90-year-old dialed in via Skype while Weller sat in front of a 78-person crowd at McNally Jackson. “Listen to the Echoes” is Weller’s second biography on Bradbury and chronicles the last 10 years worth of conversations between the two.
In order to accommodate the massive crowd, the SoHo independent bookstore staff rearranged the front of the store as Bradbury lovers eagerly grabbed available chairs. The café closed early to ensure the sputtering cappuccino machine would finish its noisy rounds before Weller began. Complete silence fell upon the room as if a sacred event was to begin.


Weller, with spiked hair and rimless glasses, opened to a gracious applause. He spoke about Bradbury, his age, his difficulty hearing and his lack of stamina, in the case that the conversation needed to be cut short. The biographer also pointed out that “Fahrenheit 451,” Bradbury’s most popular novel, clocked in as the ninth best selling classic in 2009.
Further preparing the audience, Weller read an opening passage from “Listen to the Echoes” about Mr. Electrico, a circus performer that was electrocuted as an act, and the time he passed the charge via sword to the tip of Bradbury’s childhood nose. The story touched on Bradbury’s joie de vivre, his love, and his passion for both life and writing.
Dialing California, the coffee machine dared not sputter as the audience hung in anticipation of the Skype session.
The first call attempt failed, then all at once sunlight mixed with big black glasses and filled the screen. Bradbury waved, Weller waved, like two old friends meeting once again. For the duration of the conversation Weller softly and comfortably questioned a smiling Bradbury, knowing how the man would respond to each of his questions.
“I could do 10 more books with all the stuff I’ve got,” said Weller of his 550 tapes that he just converted to digital. “He still infiltrates my life, he’s central to my nervous system; every road goes back to Bradbury.”
Delicately selecting his questions, Weller exposed Bradbury’s humor, and with an effortless transition, drew out the pragmatic side to the celebrated author.
“I found a typewriter in the back of the library at UCLA. It cost 10 cents for a half hour. I spent nine days at that typewriter and it cost me $9.80 to write Fahrenheit 451,” said Bradbury.
The first edition of the story premiered as a truncated version in the science fiction magazine Galaxy nearly 50 years ago. Weller continued to prompt Bradbury; the pair discussed the 1966 film adaptation of the same name, which Bradbury spoke of kindly and cautiously, but hinted at a subtle displeasure. They forged on into writing, his thoughts on the future and government, and his love of fruit analogies.
“I’m a great big pomegranate that exploded all over the place and now my seeds are everywhere,” Bradbury said, explaining his work which includes over 600 short stories.
“There was something very sensitive about the audience,” Weller said after the discussion, “they felt privileged to see him. It’s a sweetness I’ve never encountered before, a cherishing.”
When the dropped calls became tirelessly frequent, Weller turned the computer to face the audience, which excitedly waved to Bradbury, said goodbye, and logged off.