Ray Bradbury Talks About Love (and Monorails)

Writer Ray Bradbury may be 87, but his mind and sense of humor are as agile as ever. LAist joined his diehard fans and other audience members for an evening with Bradbury live at the Fremont Centre Theatre in South Pasadena on Friday night. The author of American classics – Fahrenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles etc. – took the stage and talked for nearly an hour and a half on his love life.

Using the term quite loosely (thank God), he gave audience members a rundown of his life, writing career and his great loves. Bradbury pontificated on everything from his love of dinosaurs, to the Hunchback of Notre Dame, worlds' fairs, Buck Rogers and his wife Maggie (“She was a rich girl who took a vow of poverty to marry me.”) He talked about dating booksellers, teachers and librarians because of their great “pillow talk,” but he expressed his disdain for higher education. (“They can’t possibly help you.”)

It was a sermon of sorts from a raconteur – a man who’s been there and done that – trying to pass on what he’s learned to the rest of us: “You can’t listen to anyone else…you just do it.” Sounds like great advice.

But one thing that was noticibly missing from Bradbury's list of loves: monorails. So we couldn’t help but ask about them at his after party (see above video...)

Video by Christine for LAist.