Who is Harlan Ellison? He's a writer's writer but much more. He's written novels, short stories, newspaper columns, screenplays and even a few Star Trek episodes along with everything else under the sun. For every genre of literature there is a work of Harlan Ellison in it. The man is a machine, pure and simple, that has cranked out thousands of stories. The catch is that most of his work goes unnoticed by the general populace and why could that be?
It turns out that Harlan Ellison is a terrific asshole. He's cut from the same mold of abrasive genius that Kenny Shopsin comes from. In fact, the comparison to Shopsin isn't just skin deep, since both men do look similar, but goes right down to their aesthetics. Each man demands complete and utter respect for the work that they make. Early on in Dreams with Sharp Teeth, Ellison recalls getting a phone call from Warner Bros. about an interview he did for Bablyon Five, in which he wrote a few episodes. Now, the interview was from years ago and WB. wants to put it on the DVD and they ask Harlan if it's okay. He say's sure, if you pay me. Warner Bros. is taken aback by this and they say everyone else has done it for free. Well, Harlan's response is essentially, "Fuck those people. Do I seem like an idiot? Pay me. You're Warner fucking Brothers."
Granted, that's a pretty petty example of Harlan's personalty which gives you a sense with how larger then life (and angrier with life) he is then most writers are. Imagine situations that are actually consequential to Harlan and you get a sense of the veracity of the man. It's inspiring to see someone so passionate and so driven be able to take his anger out. And since Harlan is a writer his rage is almost Shakespearean. I so hope that among the vastness of Harlan's output there exists an Ellison Book of Insults, since he is so damned creative with his put downs (he calls someone a Marmosat and threatens to beat people with an array of odd items).
As a documentary Dreams with Sharp Teeth is entirely guided by Ellison. There are a handful of other people that are interviewed including fellow writers and I think just one critic from the Village Voice but the two big ones are Neil Gaiman and Robin Williams. Gaiman is the exact opposite of Ellison's temperament. He's cool, calm and collected where Ellison is explosive, irritable and collected (Ellison never loses control of his mind and not drinking or doing drugs probably helped him stay alive). However, as writers they are both of the same coin and that's how they became friends. Robin Williams on the other hand I have no fucking clue what he's doing here.
The thing with Sharp Teeth is it suffers from the typical cheap documentary feel. There are lame green screen effects, like when Harlan describes his romantic life (the dude supposedly banged every Hollywood Starlet in the 70s) as a Starfish and in the background there's an actual Starfish. Really, guys? Like I can't imagine a Starfish in my fricking head and in an ironic twist it's this sort of thing that drives Ellison up a wall (which is television makes us stupid by doing all the imagination for us while books force us to create the world in our head). There's also a somewhat cheap soundtrack too but that never bugged me.
Those are minor quibbles since the real reason to watch Dreams with Sharp Teeth is to get to know Harlan Ellison. He's one of the great characters of writing, imagine Hunter S. Thompson minus the drugs but plus a body that naturally produces Ritalin and rage. He's an inspiration and just the kind of writer that would kick your ass and pee on your mom. Now I just need to read some of his books.
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