In this rare interview, Ray Bradbury tells stories about wearing his murdered uncle’s bullet-holed suit to graduation, meeting a carnival mystic who claimed to know him from WWI, and why thinking is the worst thing a writer can do.
You Can’t Make This Sh!t Up
- Bradbury graduated high school wearing his murdered uncle’s suit—bullet hole and all. They couldn’t afford another one.
- He met a carnival magician named Mr. Electrico who told him, “You died in my arms in the Argonne Forest.” Bradbury was 12. He says that encounter made him a writer.
- He’s never driven a car or flown in a plane. He believes he’d be a “murdering fiend” behind the wheel.
Watch the Interview
You can watch “Day at Night: Ray Bradbury” on YouTube here.
More Highlights from the Interview
- My favorite parts are when Bradbury talks about writing only what you feel—never what you think. He kept a sign above his typewriter that read: “DON’T THINK.”
- He says writing isn’t about plot. What matters are the “asides”—those moments that show who the writer really is. (He compares it to Shakespeare: You don’t go to Hamlet for the mystery, but for the side speeches.)
- He didn’t attend college—and didn’t want to. Bradbury argues that professors intellectualize creativity into oblivion. He thinks writing is about intuition, rhythm, and living—not analysis.
- He fell in love with books by wandering blindly through library stacks. If the book didn’t grab him in 30 seconds, it went back on the shelf. “You can only go with loves in this life.”
- Bradbury believes science fiction will always stay ahead of reality. We’ve only been on the moon for a few hours in five billion years. “They haven’t caught up at all,” he says.
Lesser-Known Details from the Interview
- Bradbury got a job reading comics aloud on Tucson radio at age 12 by hanging around the studio, running errands, and being “underfoot.”
- He says Charles Laughton (the actor) taught him more than any school ever did—just by performing Shakespeare in his living room.
- His daughter, at age 4, once listened to a Dylan Thomas record and said, “He knows what he’s doing.” Bradbury loved that—pure emotional recognition, no intellectual filter.
- He mixes Shakespeare and James Bond in the same night. He says reading “junk” as a kid helped him appreciate the classics later. “You can’t get to Shakespeare without Tarzan first.”
Ratings
- My Rating: 91/100
- IMDB Rating: Not listed (Part of “Day at Night” archive series)
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: NA
Director’s Note
This episode is part of the classic 1970s series “Day at Night,” now remastered by CUNY TV.
James Day brings a calm, respectful tone, letting Bradbury do what he does best: think out loud. It’s not just an interview—it’s a window into a wildly creative brain.
Release Date: January 21, 1974 (Re-released: 2023–2024 by CUNY TV (digitally restored))
Wrap Up
If you love writing, reading, or just hearing someone speak from the heart, this is essential watching. It’s not just a glimpse into Bradbury’s mind—it’s a lesson on how to live with passion.