{"id":1049,"date":"2017-05-24T06:33:29","date_gmt":"2017-05-24T06:33:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/interview-with-the-devil"},"modified":"2019-08-14T09:59:03","modified_gmt":"2019-08-14T09:59:03","slug":"interview-with-the-devil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/2017\/05\/24\/interview-with-the-devil\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview with the Devil"},"content":{"rendered":"

I hope that enough time has passed for me to talk about the last time I saw Hitch[I]<\/sup><\/a>. Fortune had blessed me with the opportunity to interview the shrunken titan, and also to test the mettle of my confidence against the confidence of his mettle. [Editor: Strike, no one cares about your B.A. – people want to know about Hitchens because he\u2019s dead, not you]\n

I had planned to write an article for McSweeney\u2019s (who had paid for our lunch at a hotel bar whose mis en scene better suited the Economist than the hipster rag, but hypocrisy is missed so often by those who swear in irony\u2019s name).<\/p>\n

Man plans and God schedules a funeral. I didn\u2019t cry for a long time, despite missing him straight away, as if we had known each other since olden days, or as if I needed him to fix something desperately which he only could.<\/p>\n

I cried yesterday, and today I agreed to share a man who was mine for the length of a happy hour.<\/p>\n

\/ – \/ – \/<\/p>\n

We agreed within minutes that transience was the most elevated of vanities, and so eschewed recordings or notes, and in lieu I smoked and Hitchens coughed.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what I remember, and also what I wish to remember; I don\u2019t care to ever know the difference.<\/p>\n

\/ – \/ – \/<\/p>\n

Hitchens<\/strong>: I miss being able to do what I know I could regret. Now I just regret.<\/p>\n

Me<\/strong>: So debauchery is the wages for the pain of guilt?<\/p>\n

Hitchens<\/strong>: You don\u2019t have to try so hard. And not exactly. I never appreciated how the present was a dance. I inherit yesterday\u2019s hangover and decide what to give myself for tomorrow. Now I just receive.<\/p>\n

Me<\/strong>: Sounds like being on the dole.<\/p>\n

Hitchens<\/strong>: Precisely.<\/p>\n

Me<\/strong>: So why don\u2019t you kill yourself?<\/p>\n

This was the only time Hitchens smiled. He never answered, and I caught a glimpse of death\u2019s abyss within my own mindscape, and so retreated with another careless attempt at dazzling the man I wished to have loved sooner.<\/em><\/p>\n

Me<\/strong>: I discovered god.<\/p>\n

Hitchens<\/strong>: Raises an eyebrow, and shifts into a coy character I imagine would have swept me to his bed within the hour if he wasn\u2019t carrying his skin like stale washing left in the laundry far too long.<\/em><\/p>\n

Me<\/strong>: It was this morning. I mean I\u2019d been thinking about it for a while, but it all came together really nicely with my second coffee.<\/p>\n

Hitchens<\/strong>: Did you discover him when someone showed you or was it when you really needed to find god because you wanted something you knew you couldn\u2019t have? I prefer the desperate believer to the gullible fool.<\/p>\n

Me<\/strong>: Neither. I was just thinking about life, and what it meant to be a person, and how I could see more.<\/p>\n

Hitchens<\/strong>: More words?<\/p>\n

Me<\/strong>: More world.<\/p>\n

Hitchens<\/strong>: I\u2019m getting tired, I\u2019ll have to go soon.<\/p>\n

Me<\/strong>: You don\u2019t believe me.<\/p>\n

Hitchens<\/strong>: I believe most people are capable of being idiots, and I believe that statistical regularity is provable from the circumference of a circle. I believe that humans spill their dreams into pretty garbage to let everyone else know how special their inner world must be. I believe that you\u2019re a failed author of a novel about not being loved by your parents, and I wouldn\u2019t be the least surprised if you\u2019re hoping to impress me with nonsense as if I could make up for your father who wanted a son instead.<\/p>\n

Me<\/strong>: I\u2019ve never written a novel in my life.<\/p>\n

Hitchens<\/strong>: And you\u2019ve never seen God, so I guess we\u2019re both bullshit amateurs.<\/p>\n

Me<\/strong>: Here\u2026 look.<\/p>\n

I closed my hands together, moved them across the table, opened them, closed them, opened them, closed them, opened them, and watched the most jaded man alive gasp as a pair of butterflies flew up, merged into a flower which slowly metamorphosed into a raven which smouldered from its amber eyes, and whose thermal vortices and flapping wings carried its ashes far enough to be grasped by the breeze from the window, through which it too departed, crawing until indiscernible from the noise of cars and trams and other birds.<\/p>\n

Hitchens<\/strong>: Christ Almighty! That was brilliant. Sheer brilliance. Best interview of my life, which is a title I think you\u2019ll own for good\u2026 But how did you do it!<\/p>\n

Me<\/strong>: I channelled god into possibilities.<\/p>\n

Hitchens<\/strong>: I won\u2019t insult you more than I must, but let\u2019s trust that a dying man can be trusted to die with a secret. Or is \u201cgod\u201d a magician who thinks his tricks are too special for sharing? Come on already, I\u2019m captivated, you win. What\u2019s the secret?<\/p>\n

Me<\/strong>: I told you.<\/p>\n

Hitchens<\/strong>: Fuck you and Dave Eggers only gave you this interview because he wants your head wrapped around his cock, fuck off and goodbye.<\/p>\n

Me<\/strong>: No it\u2019s not like that. I can prove it to you. Put your hand here.<\/p>\n

I held him and showed him that the whole world was a fire and that the embers were birds of paradise, and the smoke was children buried in mud and the tree was a spaceship carrying a bride to her wedding day. I filled the room with feathers and sent rainbows cascading across the dimming sky. I took him back to see his mother being born and stood in the very centre of the earth feeling the thick iron rolling around us. He marvelled at the numbers which acted like lights, and metaphysics drawn like galactic circuitry. We fell through dimensions, and when we finished, it was obvious that the eternity we had witnessed still lay before us, a hair\u2019s breadth below the surface of every table and chair and waiter.<\/p>\n

I held his hand until he finished crying, and then I called over a waiter and we both gave our tomorrow\u2019s headaches (he would be nauseous regardless), and we laughed and laughed and laughed.<\/p>\n

He laughed, but I never saw him smile. Nevermore.<\/p>\n

<3[II]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

[Editor: Great piece, some of your phrasings reminded me of Bukowski[III]<\/sup><\/a>. I did, however, have some ideas for extending it, maybe turning it into a 4-page piece with artwork why not. I\u2019ll be busy until 8, but it shouldn\u2019t take more than an hour to finalize in time for tomorrow press deadline. See you tonight.]\n

<\/div>\n[I]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0“Christopher Eric Hitchens<\/b>\u00a0(13 April 1949 \u2013 15 December 2011) was an Anglo-American author, columnist, essayist, orator, religious, literary and social critic, and journalist. Hitchens was the author, co-author, editor or co-editor of over 30 books, including five collections of essays on culture, politics and literature. A staple of public discourse, his confrontational style of debate made him both a lauded\u00a0intellectual<\/a>\u00a0and a controversial public figure. He contributed to\u00a0New Statesman<\/a>,\u00a0The Nation<\/a>,\u00a0The Weekly Standard<\/a>,\u00a0The Atlantic<\/a>,\u00a0London Review of Books<\/a>,\u00a0The Times Literary Supplement<\/a>,\u00a0Slate<\/a>,\u00a0Free Inquiry<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Vanity Fair<\/a>“. For further details see\u00a0https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Christopher_Hitchens<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

[II]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0“<3 viewed\u00a0sideways, appears to be the\u00a0outline\u00a0of\u00a0a heart. Used in an expression of love”. See\u00a0https:\/\/www.urbandictionary.com\/define.php?term=%3C3<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

[III]<\/sup><\/a> Probably a reference to “Henry Charles\u00a0Bukowski<\/b>\u00a0(born Heinrich Karl\u00a0Bukowski<\/b>; August 16, 1920 \u2013 March 9, 1994) who was a German-American poet, novelist, and short-story writer. His writing was influenced by the social, cultural, and economic ambiance of his home city of Los Angeles.” For further details see https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Charles_Bukowski<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I hope that enough time has passed for me to talk about the last time I saw Hitch[I]. Fortune had blessed me with the opportunity to interview the shrunken titan, and also to test the mettle of my confidence against the confidence of his mettle. [Editor: Strike, no one cares about your B.A. – people […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[159,154,114],"tags":[195],"metadata":[171],"class_list":["post-1049","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-all-posts","category-google-drive","category-story","tag-christopher-hitchens","metadata-editors-footnotes"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1002,"url":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/2016\/12\/31\/fixing-a-broken-crown\/","url_meta":{"origin":1049,"position":0},"title":"Fixing a Broken Crown","author":"Pala","date":"December 31, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Fixing a few fractures: BROKEN If look at any obsessive dedication, especially where prone to escapism the following is apparent (simplified): The 10III, qua ta\u2019anug, is not seen properly, and this is due to a few overlapping expressions (ratzon l\u2019ratzon) of that hidden agenda. One damaged 10II seems to be\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "All Posts"","block_context":{"text":"All Posts","link":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/all-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":803,"url":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/2016\/03\/15\/walking-home-from-the-doctor\/","url_meta":{"origin":1049,"position":1},"title":"Walking home from the doctor","author":"Pala","date":"March 15, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"David was a historian at the institute. The machine had been cold, like the look on his father's face when he cried. The noises that erupted from it felt uncoordinated and overeager, like the dreams where he could not stop\u00a0running and falling. The nurse had been friendly, like the voices\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "All Posts"","block_context":{"text":"All Posts","link":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/all-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":816,"url":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/2016\/09\/16\/an-attempt-at-seeing-creation\/","url_meta":{"origin":1049,"position":2},"title":"An attempt at seeing creation","author":"Pala","date":"September 16, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"I am small and the world is great and beyond my comprehension right now. This at least I can say without doubt. But here is a dream. Once there was a fish in a fishbowl. There were pebbles on the ground, water all around, a toy castle, and a filtration\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "All Posts"","block_context":{"text":"All Posts","link":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/all-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1115,"url":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/2017\/10\/02\/noodles-and-lunar-fruit\/","url_meta":{"origin":1049,"position":3},"title":"Noodles and Lunar Fruit","author":"Pala","date":"October 2, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Editorial notes: One of Shai's special skills was writing short stories in a style used by famous authors. The two short stories below are a reflection of these attempts. The first written in the writing style of the American-British novelist and screenwriter, Raymond Chandler[I] and the second in the writing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "All Posts"","block_context":{"text":"All Posts","link":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/all-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1026,"url":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/2017\/06\/21\/idea-for-a-porno\/","url_meta":{"origin":1049,"position":4},"title":"Idea for a Porno","author":"Pala","date":"June 21, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Brainstorming notes: Assuming the following re sexuality: Men desire to dominate women physically, but then to be needed by them physically and emotionally, and woman desire the emotional connection after Men\/woman shock each other, re being dishonest to each other about how they feel about each other\u2019s sexual mores; hence\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "All Posts"","block_context":{"text":"All Posts","link":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/all-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1234,"url":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/2016\/09\/29\/we-lived-in-a-farmhouse\/","url_meta":{"origin":1049,"position":5},"title":"We Lived in a Farmhouse","author":"Pala","date":"September 29, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Editorial notes: The first part of this short autobiographical narrative refers to the time Shai lived in a debilitated farmhouse in the Brisbane area. I was there is June 2015 and the description of the farmhouse, its surroundings and inhabitants is spot on. The last paragraph is Shai\u2019s beautiful, yet\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "All Posts"","block_context":{"text":"All Posts","link":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/all-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/padotI-gV","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1049","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1049"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1049\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1049"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1049"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1049"},{"taxonomy":"metadata","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/metadata?post=1049"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}