Vidalotry

Exploring the wit and wisdom of Gore Vidal
through his own words.

Brought to you by
Ryan Breegle and We Own This Town

Gore and the Gay Novel

1: Gore and the Gay Novel

In this debut episode, Vidalotry explores the complex relationship between Gore Vidal and his stance on homosexuality. Host Ryan Breegle looks at Gore's passion for promiscuity, his first love that would forever haunt him, and how writing a novel about gay sex would affect his career in the years to come.

  • Books:
    The City And The Pillar, Gore Vidal, 1948
    Palimpsest: A Memoir, Gore Vidal, 1995
    Empire Of Self: A Life of Gore Vidal, Jay Parini, 2015
  • Audio:
    Omnibus, BBC, 1995
    Gore Vidal, An Appreciation, PBS, 1995
    The South Bank Show, ITV, 2008
Candidate Vidal

2: Candidate Vidal

In Episode Two, Vidalotry explores Gore Vidal's love/hate relationship with America. Host Ryan Breegle looks at Gore's two political campaigns, his controversial views on party politics, and the play he wrote about the scandalous secrets candidates dig up to use against each other.

  • Books:
    The Best Man: A Play About Politics, Gore Vidal, 1960
    Palimpsest: A Memoir, Gore Vidal, 1995
    Snapshots In History's Glare, Gore Vidal, 2009
    Empire Of Self: A Life of Gore Vidal, Jay Parini, 2015
  • Audio:
    French interview, 1964
    Profile of a Writer, 1978
    Afternoon Plus, Thames Television, 1981
    The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson, 1981
    The Merv Griffin Show, 1981
    Omnibus, BBC, 1995
    Gore Vidal, PBS, 1998
    Theater Talk, 2000
    The South Bank Show, ITV, 2008
Hollywood and Howard

3: Hollywood and Howard

In Episode Three, Vidalotry explores what happens when Gore Vidal is invited to work in Hollywood. Host Ryan Breegle looks at homosexuality's network television debut, and we meet the man Gore chose to live with for more than half of his life.

  • Books:
    Palimpsest: A Memoir, Gore Vidal, 1995
    Snapshots In History's Glare, Gore Vidal, 2009
    Empire Of Self: A Life of Gore Vidal, Jay Parini, 2015

  • Audio:
    The Homosexuals, CBS News, 1967
    The Celluloid Closet, 1995
    60 Minutes, CBS, 1975
The Buckley Debates

4: The Buckley Debates

In Episode Four, Vidalotry explores the 1968 televised debates between Gore Vidal and William F Buckley, Jr. Host Ryan Breegle looks at how Gore prepared his witty remarks in advance, the speed at which the debate became nothing more than a war of words, and how both men were greatly affected by the aftermath.

  • Books:
    On Experiencing Gore Vidal, William F Buckley Jr, Esquire, August 1969
    A Distasteful Encounter with William F Buckley Jr, Gore Vidal, Esquire, September 1969
    Palimpsest: A Memoir, Gore Vidal, 1995
    Snapshots In History's Glare, Gore Vidal, 2009
    Empire Of Self: A Life of Gore Vidal, Jay Parini, 2015
    Buckley Vs Vidal: The Historic 1968 ABC News Debates, 2015
  • Audio:
    Buckley / Vidal debates, ABC News, 1968
    Braden / Buchanan, 1984
Mean Mad Mailer

5: Mean Mad Mailer

In Episode Five, Vidalotry explores the tumultuous friendship of Gore Vidal and author Norman Mailer. Host Ryan Breegle looks at Mailer's history of violence toward women and how it took Gore, a legendary female journalist, and a late night TV show to finally put him in his place.

  • Books:
    Of a Small and Modest Malignancy, Wicked and Bristling with Dots, Norman Mailer, Esquire, 1977
    Palimpsest: A Memoir, Gore Vidal, 1995
    Snapshots In History's Glare, Gore Vidal, 2009
    Empire Of Self: A Life of Gore Vidal, Jay Parini, 2015
  • Audio:
    The Dick Cavett Show, 1971
    Profile of a Writer, 1978
Tennessee and Truman

6: Tennessee and Truman

In Episode Six, Vidalotry explores Gore Vidal's relationship with two gay authors; one friendly, the other contentious. Host Ryan Breegle looks at Gore's adventures with Tennessee Williams and their involvement in a film featuring lobotomies and cannibalism. And he examines Gore's detest for Truman Capote, culminating in lies and lawsuits.

  • Books:
    Palimpsest: A Memoir, Gore Vidal, 1995
    Empire Of Self: A Life of Gore Vidal, Jay Parini, 2015
  • Audio:
    60 Minutes, CBS, 1975
    The Dick Cavett Show, 1978
    Profile of a Writer, 1978
    Omnibus, BBC, 1995
    The Celluloid Closet, 1995
    The Tim Haigh Show, 1995
    An Appreciation, PBS, 1998
    Theater Talk, 2000
    Interview with Jay Parini, 2006
The Three Kennedys

7: The Three Kennedys

In Episode Seven, Vidalotry explores Gore Vidal's entrance into the Kennedy inner circle. Host Ryan Breegle looks at Gore's family ties to Jackie, the bad blood between Gore and Bobby, and his thoughts on what really led to the assassination of John F Kennedy.

  • Books:
    The Best Man 1968, Esquire, March 1963
    Palimpsest: A Memoir, Gore Vidal, 1995
    Empire Of Self: A Life of Gore Vidal, Jay Parini, 2015
  • Audio:
    60 Minutes, CBS, 1975
    Profile of a Writer, 1978
    Afternoon Plus, 1981
    JFK, A Personal Tribute, 1993
    The Clive Anderson Show, Channel 4, 1993
    We The People with Jerry Brown, July 8 1996
Gore's Watergate Fix

8: Gore's Watergate Fix

In Episode Eight, Vidalotry explores Gore Vidal's fascination with the downfall of Richard Nixon. Host Ryan Breegle looks at Gore's early wariness of Nixon, the play he wrote using words directly from the President's mouth, and Gore's suspicions that were finally proven correct.

  • Books:
    An Evening With Richard Nixon, Gore Vidal, 1971
    Palimpsest: A Memoir, Gore Vidal, 1995
    Empire Of Self: A Life of Gore Vidal, Jay Parini, 2015
  • Audio:
    Vidal / Buckley debates, ABC, 1968
    Laugh-In, Jan 12 1970
    The Merv Griffin Show, May 14 1970
    Laugh-In, Jan 11 1971
    The Dick Cavett Show, Nov 1 1973
Ronnie and Nancy

9: Ronnie and Nancy

In Episode Nine, Vidalotry explores Gore Vidal's humorous criticism of the Reagan administration. Host Ryan Breegle looks at Gore's initial dismissal of Ronald as a convincing politician, his good-natured jabs at Nancy, and his overall concern that the United States was governed for eight years by a talented cue card reader.

  • Books:
    Ronnie and Nancy: A Life In Pictures, Gore Vidal, The New York Review of Books, September 29, 1983
  • Audio:
    Afternoon Plus, Thames Television, 1981
    Merv Griffin Show, Jan 26, 1981
    The Tonight Show, Dec 15, 1981
    Saturday Matters with Sue Lawley, BBC, 1989
The Wartime President

10: The Wartime President

In the tenth and final episode, Vidalotry explores Gore Vidal's ridicule of George W. Bush and the title 'Wartime President' which Bush bestowed upon himself. Host Ryan Breegle looks at the accusations of voting fraud in 2000 and 2004, Gore's fears during the Bush Presidency, and his thoughts on the politicians that followed, namely Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John McCain.

  • Audio:
    Open House with Gloria Hunniford, Thames Television, 2000
    Ali G, HBO, 2004
    State of Things, 2005
    Ring of Fire with Robert F. Kennedy Jr, 2006
    The Henry Rollins Show, IFC, 2007
    HardTalk, BBC, 2008
    Dear President Bush, Gore Vidal, 2008