Gore Vidal interviewed by Dick Cavett (1991)

[@bawbtherevelator6445]

Terrific. If you didn't know this was made in 1991 you'd think it was about the end of 2022

[@Johnconno]

Because History was cancelled after Gulf War 1.

[@subversivelysurreal3645]

If anyone wants to hear Gore Vidal speaking on a *’wit-a-thon’* listen to him address the Washington Press Club.

[@richardmckrell4899]

You mean 2016.

[@grega1972]

He is absolutley on point when he says that language and History should be taught from the 1st grade

[@MrRobster1234]

I know a Canadian girl who went to school in the US. She is only 23 now, so this is not ancient news. She is in the top 5% intelligence wise by I.Q. In Florida they taught her that no Americans were killed at Pearl Harbor and that the Vietnamese people were so depressed before the arrival of the Americans that the walked into the sea to kill themselves.

[@musmus-culus]

I'm happy to say I consider myself to have had the kind of education Vidal describes. Thank you, Finland!

[@chokkan7]

I've long been a fan of Mr. Vidal; it was refreshing to hear him speak up for his fellow Americans a bit as he did here. Having spent years as an expat myself, I can vouch for the maxim 'absence makes the heart grow fonder'...he is sorely missed.

[@scottross9628]

This has long been my favorite of all Vidal interviews. Thanks for posting it.

[@andrews2471]

Thank you for your service!

[@jadezee6316]

one of a kind...i sure miss Gore Vidal.....

[@dengelke]

This channel has truly been Christmas come early. Thanks for the uploads.

[@zovalentine7305]

Rest in powerful peace 🙏 Gore Vidal 3 October 1925 ~ 31 July 2012⚘

[@harrylazard805]

As a kid watching these talk shows I thought Vidal was ridiculous and anti-American. Lots of what he said makes sense to me today and still applies......

[@captur69]

Just the government is anti American....not the people..

[@ttacking_you]

Yeah, but he IS pretty damn theatrical with the cynicism. And cynical with the theatrics 💮❇️💢🔆🛑

[@jadezee6316]

who could listen to the truth without some humor...@@ttacking_you

[@jeffearle8172]

Very pompous and self absorbed but I agree with him about the CIA….

[@harrylazard805]

@@jeffearle8172 What about the School system, look how far we've come from what he describes his ideal would be. The children graduating today have been transformed into woke antisemites....

[@rsr789]

Thank you for taking the time and effort for posting the videos! It's greatly appreciated.

[@deansellsbooks485]

Hello! There are several Gore Vidal videos I too am in search of: 1) One involving Enoch Powell; 2) One involving a debate with Father Morton Hill; 3) Several full length talks with Bill Maher. I appreciate what you're doing finding and uploading this content. Keep up the good work!

[@agorevidalarchive5782]

Hello, I'll look around for any Vidal-Powell appearance. I've tried uploading his talks on Bill Maher but they were copyright striked and taken down. I've found the Father Morton Hill debate, but sadly because I don't own a film company I can't request access to the file, due to the fact that the individual who has access to it has family members who appear in the audience; though I do have the transcript of the appearance.

[@slothman1257]

Hi, did you ever end up finding the one with Mr. Powell? Those two must have made good conversation so I'm just curious, thanks. And I don't know if it even exists or not. @@agorevidalarchive5782

[@CheloPerales]

@@agorevidalarchive5782 Thank you. A big thank you!

[@MaxMTTpm]

The thumbnail has me thinking they were gonna have the most intriuging telepathic conversation

[@_artorical_]

😂

[@ukrandr]

Coming upon this channel I feel as though I have struck the Mother Lode. What a treasure, and this conversation was particularly entertaining. Thank you so much for making these available. I am always struck by these coincidences - i am currently reading a biography of Harold Nicholson and of course Eddy Sackville West, Harold's brother- in- law, appears throughout the book. And here Gore drops Eddy's name. What are the chances?

[@cindymaceda2999]

Wow.👍

[@leojagawaga6481]

This Man Was Light years before his time 2024 is far worst than he predicted wish he was still here to destroy both party’s ! Couldn’t get over him mentioning bill maher not being able to hear the truth and have him on the show

[@gingergeezer3685]

He knew Bill Maher is a lightweight.

[@Reprodestruxion]

I saw him say something about Trump being disingenuous about his populism but I can’t find the clip

[@ohnoitisnt666]

He would not approve of your apostrophes and spelling! 😂😂

[@PhilAlumb]

These were Television times when people actually talked & discussed. Where there was more genuineness.

[@kingy002]

Blame the money for that.

[@cindymaceda2999]

And not playing silly games and being made to do outrageous things. 😢

[@Ryan-on5on]

Let's not kid ourselves by pretending this breed of grownup, erudite discourse was ever commonplace on American television. There's a simple reason not a single one of Cavett's network programs ran for more than a decade. Unlike Carson, Griffin, or Douglas, Cavett steadfastly refused to sacrifice genuine realness for the manufactured whimsy, spectacle, or sensationalism that has characterized the television talk show since the genre's nascence. Yes, this commitment to such high standards put his talk show head and shoulders above others in terms of content sophistication, but it also put it in a precarious position as far as longevity is concerned by largely ensuring he would never achieve the high Nielsen ratings that made Carson and, to a lesser extent, Griffin, perennial network darlings. The raw fact of the matter is that commercial television was never meant to be a forum for anything other than the advertising of products for sale. The genuinely cultured content that has been produced on TV over the past seventy years is but a happy fluke in a system designed only to improve the profit margins of advertisers each season. In truth, the podcast is a media format far better suited for mature and in-depth public discussion unhindered by commercial influence than television ever was, a fact proven by the migration of both established and up-and-coming media personalities from television land to the digital world over the past decade.

[@NancySanders-om4ic]

​@@Ryan-on5onThank you,for your concise,well written statements.I,agree with you,100%.

[@NancySanders-om4ic]

​@@Ryan-on5onI agree 100% with what you stated,which is so well stated.Thank you,for your sound,realistic perspective.Sincerely,Nancy.

[@JohnnyHolidaySings]

Brilliant honest and well informed through a lifetime of research. Amazing man and the last great man of literature which is now dead in America

[@calebchapman-smith3052]

I wish Gore Vidal had been an American President, or at least that he’d gone into politics really and been influential there. We needed that influence…

[@proletariatprincess1]

he tried. He ran for office in New York. For the Senate, I think. He didnt do too well...

[@PhilAlumb]

Vidal was too intelligent and sharp and knew how politics were truly run. "They" would Never have allowed him political success. Also, probably the sexual orientation "thing" which rattled people..and still does.

[@cindymaceda2999]

@@proletariatprincess1He ran for Congress same year as JFK ran for President. Didn’t win. Then he ran in the primary for Democratic candidate for the Senate in ‘83 (?) and was beaten by Jerry Brown, who lost to the GOP candidate.

[@MissPerriwinkle]

alwys the voice of sanity.....much thx.

[@philpryor7524]

Any sourness can be viewed beautifully from well back watching my screen, seeing sharp and relevant conversation, with acid wit, deeper intuition, some warnings and guides, some laughs and some focus.

[@robertwilson214]

One of the last candles in a dark world has gone out,and chomsky will leave us soon as we descend into an asylum.

[@steveconn]

Still have Raloh Nader.

[@sitcom1971]

Excellent conversation!

[@CheloPerales]

27:00 Listen till to the moment Dick Caveat says, "-What..." listen to the tone of his voice. Priceless.

[@stevegasparutti8341]

When you find someone so well educated and erudite - you feel you need to read the books they have written.

[@flipshod]

All of his books are good.

[@carlsaveus1735]

This is pure gold! Thank you...

[@rain_down_]

Honesty and wit -such a shame that most people don't value this these days.

[@nejuw]

If I could resurrect one man it would be Gore - for his humour alone.

[@AntonioGarmsci-cy5vt]

This, as an Anarchist, concur completely !

[@lendon5653]

Xmas has come early - you're doing God's work sir!!!

[@kimberlyjwalke3686]

What would Mr Vidal have to say about the politics and society of today!! Everything that he has said in this video can be said today, it is just a trillion times worse.

[@cindymaceda2999]

Particularly, his accusations against the Military-Industrial-Complex.

[@garymontesano5903]

Vidal was incorrect in saying there is no word for wit in the Italian language. There are in fact several of them, one of which is 'ingegno'. 'Uomo d'ingegno', then, translates as a 'man of wit'. which aptly describes Vidal.

[@Reprodestruxion]

Maybe un ingegno scherzino

[@michaelsix9684]

always fun to listen to and had interesting views and ideas to listen to

[@dengelke]

Was this broadcast? Interesting that there are no commercial breaks.

[@EileenKnight-tq2nh]

Vidal is condescending but absolutely correct

[@deckten]

What is the name of the piano solo in the closing credits?

[@petestevens3970]

Vidal’s funny: “Well I try ... (exasperated sigh)”

[@tomrich4571]

Surely this interview wasn’t aired on mainstream media, Gores honesty would have been just as unacceptable then as now.

[@Philbert-s2c]

Possibly PBS.

[@NineInchTyrone]

Never more true than today

[@nvrwlb]

Do you have the 1984 documentary Gore Vidal: The Man Who Said No?

[@agorevidalarchive5782]

I've been trying to get a hold of that for a while now, when I find it, I'll try and upload it.

[@tgore276]

@@agorevidalarchive5782 i think i can help with that.

[@agorevidalarchive5782]

@@tgore276 contact my email!

[@lucianopavarotti2843]

@@agorevidalarchive5782 I would love to see that one too!

[@mmgogre9973]

@@agorevidalarchive5782 where might we find your address (TGore’s spouse here)?

[@lucianopavarotti2843]

@27:14 Gore is wrong about there not being an Italian word for 'wit.' It's 'Arguzia'

[@jamals.8786]

Do you have this BBC show of him debating three British guys on the role of Christianity in society? I think the show was hosted by a lady in glasses but I can’t think of her name. They also debated about Live from Golgotha which was released that same year.

[@starlight0002]

Was that IQ squared or whatever it’s called

[@jamals.8786]

@@starlight0002 I don’t think it was that because if I remember correctly this was more like a round table discussion ala Meet The Press. It was on KZbin for a while until the channel was taken down and I hate that I can’t find it anywhere else. It was Gore at the peak of his wit and verbal dexterity. I do remember the host being truly smitten by him.

[@SuperBagshot]

Watching Vidal and Buckley spar I wasn't that interested in what they had to say but in the mannered way they delivered it

[@richardsimms251]

Wonderful

[@MF.1976]

Gore Vidal was the only treasure we had that actually had wisdom and knowledge who loved America. Things I learned about U.S. history I got from this brilliant man. Unlike the one party system we have or the white mans wing of it aka the GOP, Vidal was actually conservative, at least he would have cut the insane military budget if he had the power.

[@wehaveasituation]

At 18:00 he's talking about ...rhymes with "blues"...

[@Vgy926]

Vidal got into an argument with a rather vindictive and animated Norman Mailer on an episode of the Dick Cavett show in 1971.

[@11Kralle]

"Witz" in German can also mean 'to be witty' - but it is an old expression that came out of use, because so few people have "Witz" anymore...

[@gentlemobster]

Still true today. RIP Mr. Vidal

[@lisblythin7349]

Why do I associate Harold Robbins, Norman Mailer and Gore Vidal in the same instance?

[@softhotty]

If I could ask him; Gore a few questions. What is each Americans civic duty in the scope of actively securing their republic or...democracy? Every citizen actively participating in the election process local, state & federal...every election cycle from legal age? Is that where we failed, are we all culpable?

[@dalecaldwell]

To whom do you turn.

[@donniesmidway]

That’s my idea of heaven

[@mns8732]

We need leaders from the patriarch class such G V.

[@davidmetcalfe2207]

The greatest ever American sage whose thoughts are analogous to the U K

[@paulrumke6991]

Little wonder Hitch revered him..

[@richardkennedy8481]

The American empire now collapsed.

[@winonafrog]

Biden and Congress have expedited billions month after month recently-shipped to the Zionist colony, the patrol of the South China Sea, and the Ukrainian puppet-state proxy war against Russia. Not to mention the control of Haiti. Empire is quite active, even if dying and if the quality of life in the domestic state has eroded completely.

[@weavethehawk]

A great impersonator.

[@cindymaceda2999]

His Ron Reagan, his Truman Capote, even his JFK. 😂

[@ancaprodan3685]

I love him. Bush doesn't know what he does half of the time 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@roberttulba6990]

Gore would have made such an excellent president.

[@georgenelson8917]

Just to imagine what he would say about his fellow New Yorker Trumps Empire of sleaze .

[@daveybalmer]

Probably, he would bring such a crushingly brilliant dissection of the moron Donald Trump that even the maga-morons supporting him, would begin to understand! 18:44

[@nightowl5475]

Wait a minute, you mean to tell me Vidal lived in Italy because naturally, it’s a beautiful country, especially where his villa was situated. However, he didn’t want to learn to speak Italian because they don’t have a word in Italian for “Wit.”

[@Reprodestruxion]

To be fair he never met Roberto Begini and Masimo Trossi

[@MrJoeybabe25]

He was perhaps, the most interesting intellectual on the left. The left has abandoned intellectualism, thoughtfulness, and ideas. I am a libertarian, but I sure wish there were more leftists like Gore Vidal to volley with these days.

[@dq405]

I'm an old-style Canadian leftist, and I wish we still had *any* leftists like Gore Vidal.

[@Philbert-s2c]

As opposed to the Right, which has openly embraced fascism and anti-intellectualism? Pull the other one...

[@johnhaug9612]

41:58 Dave Barry.

[@NineInchTyrone]

A suit and tie. Nixonian

[@jamesanthony5681]

Kennedian. Gore wears a suit and tie much better than Nixon ever did.

[@joebarriga-9945]

i opine that Vidal is turning in his grave now with all of the stupid,nonsense, ridiculious political scene with the Trumpism,the anti- whokeism, the racism, the bigotry going on. for the American Empire marches on.,war capitalism goes on...a pity.

[@dang328]

Something about these old wasp-y accents amuse me. You can't help but enjoy the insufferable haughtiness

[@craigenputtock]

He might have written "The Polity of Beast"--if he'd had that kind if strange imagination.

[@GenXevolution]

Imagine if he had lived long enough to see the Trump presidency.

[@gaylesundahl1474]

CLOWNS IN THE WHITE HOUSE

[@denispgakelly]

And the new president wants to abolish the Dept. Of Education😢

[@freewater_dave]

Stupid, or ignorant…the consequences are the same.

[@carloslozada470]

Talk about hot air

[@morkeljakeson9438]

He’s saying a lot of the same things that George Carlin said

[@carloslozada470]

Valtar indeed

[@NancySanders-om4ic]

Voltaire " Common Sense is not so common."

[@geoffreylondon5339]

Cellulite 😂

[@ctbarry]

um

[@carloslozada470]

Butt of course

[@jasonwiley798]

This before aids I guess.

[@peterdurkin8980]

Vidal's mind is half fantasy

[@Arareemote]

I suppose to you imagination is simply a phenomenon that occurs within other people.

[@NeverFinishAnythi]

This guy is so pompous

[@jefolson6989]

What is the antithesis of ponpous? humble, timid, bashful? Then you are correct. With Vidal, his pomposity is smart and hilarious, provided one has the vocabulary and sophistication to understand him. Now Cavett! That's pompous!

[@NeverFinishAnythi]

@@jefolson6989 He is commenting on things so matter of factly without any understanding.

[@jefolson6989]

@@NeverFinishAnythi he understands it.

[@theplayer2286]

No. Just erudite. Probably a completely new sensation for you. Or am I being pompous?

[@NeverFinishAnythi]

@@jefolson6989 he does not understand geopolitics. He has a superficial understanding, but not a true understanding.

[@scottwhittaker4959]

Bore Vidal.

[@jonathanseewald852]

Who do you consider interesting?

[@scottwhittaker4959]

@@jonathanseewald852 On the Cavett Show: Truman Capote, William F. Buckley, John Simon.

[@tonirose6776]

@@scottwhittaker4959 And Gore Vidal. Of course you've seen Gore Vidal rattle William F.B.'s core to the point he hisses and practically puts out a snake's tongue. Vidal sits there emotionless, having scored.

[@Albo96286]

go replace the battery.

[@cindymaceda2999]

I could listen to him for days.

[@bigstuff52]

Vidal seems to me that he likes Cavett interviewing him...