Compare/contrast to great effect

Yesterday I killed an hour or so listening to some old audio interviews of Lawrence Block talking about his then current books, including WHEN THE SACRED GINMILL CLOSES and the writing guides like TELLING LIES FOR FUN AND PROFIT. And I can’t help but compare the content to his newest interview over at Bookslut, where one of the more forthcoming answers read as follows:

You’ve lost a few friends lately, among them legends like Evan Hunter and Dave Van Ronk. Was there any inspiration for the personal losses that Scudder has experienced lately?

One either dies young or loses people. That’s the choice life gives us.

And while, I suppose, that’s revealing in and of itself, I half-expect a moment in the not-too-distant future where Block picks up his metaphorical cowboy hat, looks back at the interviewer and says “I’m not giving any more interviews.”