My conversation with John Zerzan was as free-form as I might have expected of a meeting between two anarchists. What I hadn’t expected was Zerzan’s softspoken character. His writing is so sharp, uncompromising, and tenacious that I’d feared he would be as fierce in person as he is on the page. I was pleasantly disappointed: he is one of the most gracious, courteous, and simply nice people I’ve ever met.
I shouldn’t have been surprised. Anarchism is not only the desire to be free of domination, but also the desire not to dominate others personally. This abhorrence to manipulate permeates Zerzan’s personality. He is also an extraordinarily good listener. This latter trait, though desirable in a friend, made my task as an interviewer much more difficult. Much as I tried to turn this into a “normal” interview, Zerzan steadfastly refused to play the role of guru. Finally, I quit trying to place him in a role he clearly did not want and just let the tape recorder run while we talked.