THC: People also say that same phrase about the bad things they do.

KV: Of course! That is what Mother Night is about. The main character keeps saying, while he describes his actions, "That is not really me." So many Germans said the exact same things after WWII and the Holocaust. "That wasn't me."

THC: For me, one of the most powerful moments in your books is at the end of Breakfast of Champions, when you speak to Kilgore Trout directly and tell him that you are his creator. Trout's only reply was "Make me young!" If you could choose what age you could be forever, what age would it be?

KV: For a man, the best age to be is 44. That's when people finally take you seriously. If you ask women that, they are often insulted and say it is a sexist question. They believe that men insist the obvious answer is when they were most beautiful. But here is an interesting observation. If you ask a pretty woman over thirty how many times she has been head over heels in love, you will find that they almost always say three.

THC: I'll have to give that one a try.

KV: [Laughs] Well, you might not find it to be true. I have been full of shit before.

THE BEST VONNEGUT YOU'VE NEVER READ:

SIRENS OF TITAN (1959) SLAPSTICK (1976) DEADEYE DICK (1982) GALAPAGOS (1985) BLUEBEARD (1987)

HOCUS POCUS (1990) TIMEQUAKE (1994)