Vonnegut Playlist
Featuring music either directly inspired or by artists who were devoted fans of his work, this playlist showcases one of the many ways Kurt Vonnegut's life and writing have influenced the cultural consciousness across time. In this mix, you'll find a selection of artists from the early 70s to today, as well as representation from a variety of genres and musical movements, including early rock and roll, psychedelic pop, grunge, hardcore punk, and hip hop. While some of the highlighted songs clearly reference his life, with lyrical connections and allusions to his work, others were selected to offer an example of the style of artists who have frequently affirmed their love of Vonnegut.
Note: To enjoy the playlist in full, click on the white Spotify icon in the upper-right corner of the playlist, and press the "like" (♡) button in the application to save.
For more information about other artists with potential connections to Vonnegut, check out this directory of bands from Brian Rodriguez.
Visual Media
A selection of streaming, DVD, & VHS titles. CAS authentication is required to access streaming video.
2081Publication Date: 2010, 25 minA short film adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron, 2081 depicts a dystopian future in which, thanks to the 212th Amendment to the Constitution and the unceasing vigilance of the United States Handicapper General, everyone is "finally equal...." The strong wear weights, the beautiful wear masks and the intelligent wear earpieces that fire off loud noises to keep them from taking unfair advantage of their brains.
Breakfast of Champions by Publication Date: 2000, 110 minA portrait of a fictional town in the midwest that is home to a group of idiosyncratic and slightly neurotic characters. Dwayne Hoover is a wealthy car dealership owner that's on the brink of suicide, and is losing touch with reality.
Happy Birthday, Wanda JunePublication Date: 1971, 105 minKurt Vonnegut Jr.'s blend of farce and biting satire aimed at American masculinity, sex and marriage. Rod Steiger, Susannah York. Woodley: George Grizzard. Herb: Don Murray. Looseleaf: William Hickey. Ryan: Steven Paul. Wanda June: Pamelyn Ferdin. Mildred: Pamela Saunders. Directed by Mark Robson.
Monkey HousePublication Date: 1993, 100 minSelected stories from Kurt Vonnegut's book "Welcome to the monkey house" adapted for television in 1992. All the King's horses: When an American ambassador falls captive to guerilla enemies, a sinister game of chess unfolds, and people are the pieces. -- Next Door: This charming tale takes us into the world of a nine year old boy who's "home alone" during his first night without a babysitter. -- The Euphio Question: When an astronomer taps a pleasurable signal from a distant planet, people discover that pleasure can be theirs at the flick of a switch. But a cosmic high proves no easy way out, and in this surreal story, we see how bottled bliss can produce a very major hangover. -- Fortitude: A twist on the "Frankenstein" legend, with Frank Langella in the role of a brilliant, obsessive doctor. He's handsomely paid to keep a 114 year old billionairess alive, defying death by mechanical means. When her head remains her only human part, the "patient" rebels and teaches the good doctor a lesson in the high cost of living.
Slaughterhouse-FivePublication Date: 2004, 104 minBased on the novel "Slaughterhouse-Five or the Children's Crusade" by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., Billy Pilgrim has become unstuck in time. An otherwise typical soldier in WWII, without warning, he jumps back and forth in his life with no control over where he is going next. Sometimes he is an ophthalmologist at home in suburbia; deep in World War II Europe, surviving the Allied bombing of Dresden; on the planet Tralfamadore, being held captive by aliens in an intergalactic zoo--accompanied by a porn star. In the end, he learns that the many tragic and sometimes funny ironies of life--the randomness of tragedy, the cruelty and senselessness of war, and man's complete lack of control over his fate--remain constant.
Who Am I This Time?Publication Date: 1981, 60 minMix together a small town community theater's shy leading man and the lovely telephone worker who moves into town and you have a perfect recipe for a delightful romantic comedy. Academy Award-winners Susan Sarandon and Christopher Walken star as the couple who discover that affairs of the heart on the stage may be a bit less complicated than continuing the romance off the stage. Director Jonathan Demme, an Academy Award-winner, deftly weaves this endearing tale of love in bloom from Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.'s story.
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.: "Deadeye Dick"Publication Date: 1983, 63 minEvokes all the power and brilliance of the author's major works, including Breakfast of Champions, Slaughterhouse Five, Palm Sunday, and Cat's Cradle. Uses Vonnegut himself as actor, mentor, and guide.
Kurt Vonnegut: So It GoesPublication Date: 2005, 61 minIn this interview, Kurt Vonnegut-iconoclastic writer of science fiction and satire-discusses his family history, how he got his start as an author, his experiences in World War II, his obsession with the betrayal of humankind by science, and his vision of technology gone mad. Delving into the psyches of his characters, he even enters into a dialogue with his fictional alter ego, Kilgore Trout. Dramatizations and excerpts from Slaughterhouse-Five, Breakfast of Champions, Cat's Cradle, and Deadeye Dick bring the offbeat yet vivid world of Vonnegut's stories to life. Contains mature themes.
Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in TimePublication Date: 2021, 126 minExperience the extraordinary life of author Kurt Vonnegut, through the 25-year friendship with filmmaker Robert Weide who set out to document it.
Learning to See & Understand: Developing Visual LiteracyCall Number: 1989, 61 minShows how great artists have expressed their feelings through art. Explores works by Leonardo da Vinci, Goya, Lichtenstein, Bierstadt, Picasso, Wyeth, Kelly, Albers and Matisse to show students how great artists have expressed their feelings in their work. Ruth Benedict, Marshall McLuhan, Stanley Kubrick and Kurt Vonnegut offer contemporary comments on visual literacy.
Nelson Algren: The End is Nothing, the Road is AllPublication Date: 2016, 85 minKurt Vonnegut, Studs Terkel, Paul Buhle and others provide literary, social, and historic perspectives on a six-decade-long career that produced five novels, two collections of short stories, countless articles, and a public affair with Simone de Beauvoir. While his best work was produced over 50 years ago, Algren's prescient focus on disenchantment with consumer culture was prophetic and remains relevant today.
The Redemptive ImaginationPublication Date: 2000, 25 minStorytelling is a relentless human urge and its power forges with memory to become the foundation of history. Novelists Charles Johnson (Middle Passage), Arthur Golden (Memoirs of a Geisha), and Esmeralda Santiago (America's Dream) join Professor Miller in discussing the intersection of history and story. Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., closes the series with a reflection on the power of the human imagination.
Requiem AeternamPublication Date: 2020, 6 minRestricted access for educational use only via Media Collections Online -- Requiem Aeternam is an abstract journey through the afterlife of a transgender person. This film was written to supplement Cary Boyce's musical composition, which is set to text written by renowned Hoosier author, Kurt Vonnegut. Requiem Aeternam is intended to be a poignant but whimsical story, explored largely through dance.