Clarke's 2001: A Space Odyssey

Bringing back memories, Grizz.I first saw 2001 in KC, Missouri, in 1971. I was . uh . well . in an altered frame of mind at the time. I didn’t remember much except that it was beautiful with really neat music (I’ve been a Strauss fan ever since . both of them). Again in about 76 or 77, again in an enhanced mental condition, I , again, saw the pretty pictures and reveled in the pretty music. It wasn’t until 82 that I finally saw the film in the way Kubrick intended, but it was too late. Whenever I hear “Also Sprach Zarathustra” or “Blue Danube” my mind reaches back and whacks my consciousness silly. I must have seen this film a dozen times by now and all I can do is stare at it and sort of giggle.I’ve been a SciFi fan since seeing Robby the Robot in Forbidden Planet on one of those late, late night TV re-runs a hundred years ago. I must have been 10 or so.I have Asimov’s Complete Anthology and 7 of his books (First Editions of Foundation and Empire and Second Foundation, and a Second Edition I, Robot), 8 works of Jules Verne (with a First Edition of Mysterious Island) and 5 Ray Bradburys (First Editions of Fahrenheit 451 and The Vintage Bradbury story collection), and, piecemeal anyway, most of Crichton, except Sphere I’m still looking for a First Edition of Sphere. And, yes I have a First Edition 2001: A Space Odyssey and a First Edition of one of Clarke’s short story anthologies The Nine Billion Names of God.[rant]The problem with SciFi these days is they are more Monster-of-the-Swamp things with little or no Sci in their Fi. SciFi Channel might as well be the Horror Picture Show Channel. The only thing good there is “Stargate SG-1.” I don’t even like the latest “Dr. Who,” and that recent repro of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide” really sucked.[/rant]Time to go home.