15 Things You Probably Didn't Know About George RR Martin

Danielle Dauenhauer
Updated June 15, 2019 39.6K views

During San Diego Comic-Con 2014 at the Courtyard by Marriott Superhero HQ experience, Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin made an appearance to crown the King and Queen of Cosplay (a dubious honor considering what GRRM tends to do to his queens and kings) and sat down for a moderated discussion and fan Q&A where he addressed questions ranging from his progress on the sixth book in the A Song of Ice and Fire series (he's working on it) to what he prefers to eat for breakfast (almost anything goes at a fan Q&A, it would seem). 

Author George R.R. Martin appeared at SDCC 2014 to NOT talk about his upcoming book in the ASOIAF series and further infuriate his readers by making public appearances when he should CLEARLY be at home writing. He was super snarky and fantastic, as you would hope and expect, so most is forgiven. His appearance at the King and Queen of Cosplay event was sponsored by the Courtyard @ series of events, appearing in different locations across North America. Visit the Courtyard Twitter to learn more.

  • GRRM's Favorite Character Is Not The One He Identifies With

    GRRM says his favorite character to write is Tyrion, though he sees himself as slightly more similar in character to a character who resides a bit further north. Said Martin, "I would probably be Samwell Tarly. Tyrion might be who I want to be, but Sam is probably closer to who I actually am: the fat kid who likes to read books and doesn't like to walk up a lot of stairs."
  • Though He's Always Enjoyed Writing, GRRM Saw Himself in a Different Profession As a Child

    "I had a passion for writing as long as I can remember even when I was a little kid. I wrote little monster stories and sold them to kids in the neighborhood. If I sold two stories I could get a comic book."

    Martin continued on to reveal his career aspirations as a youth. "I thought i'd be an astronaut or a superhero; I'm probably better writing about this stuff than trying to live it."
  • GRRM Owns a Movie Theater in New Mexico Which Houses Some VERY Interesting Memoribilia

    No, it's not Ned Stark's head. Keep dreaming, you sicko.

    In August of 2013, GRRM purchased the one screen Jean Cocteau Cinema, named for the French poet and filmmaker, and reopened the venue in his current home town of Sante Fe, New Mexico. Inside the theater stands a replica of one of the author/owner's favorite robots in the history of cinema, Robby the Robot from Forbidden Planet.

    GRRM made his affection for the 1965 sci-fi classic known when asked to choose a favorite between the Star Trek and Star Wars franchises.

    "The first movie we began with [at the theater] was Forbidden Planet. Roddenberry stole everything from Forbidden Planet. Long before the Enterprise there was the C57D. Commander Adams before Captain Kirk. His first officer and his doctor. And there was Robby the Robot who is like, the best robot in science fiction history...I love me some Robby."
  • Batman or Superman?

    Spider-Man.

    GRRM can't be restricted to option A or B.
  • The TV Western "Gunsmoke" Shaped the Style of GRRM's Writing

    GRRM spoke of watching the series "Gunsmoke" with his father for 20 years and how it affected the way he structures his stories. Said Martin, "They say you write what you want to read and in television you create what you want to watch... predictable shows bore me, predictable books bore me."

    He then elaborated on how this tied into his "Gunsmoke" experiences.

    "'Gunsmoke' was a well written and well acted show but in 20 years nothing ever happened... that's not the kind of show I want to watch. I want to watch shows where you're on the edge of your seat where you cant wait to see what happens next and say, 'Oh my god, next week. I have to wait a whole week to to find out if this guy is alive or dead and how are they gonna resolve this mystery.' That's the kind of stuff I love to watch, I love to read and that's the kind of stuff I try to make."
  • In His Mind, the Human Torch REALLY Had Some Big Missed Opportunities

    "I would say the Human Torch is like, really cool but, how come he never like BURNS anyone? I knew some bullies in school I would have just fried their asses!"
  • He First Attended Comic Con Over Two Decades Ago

    In 1987, to be exact. He also attended the first comic book convention EVER in 1964 in Greenwich Village in NYC, and was the first person to sign up.
  • He Watches A LOT of TV Instead of Writing The Winds of Winter

    Asked what TV shows he enjoys, GRRM rattled off far more series than a man whose audience is clamoring for a sixth book should be familiar with.

    Martin said he is a "big fan of...'Breaking Bad' (a brilliant, brilliant show), 'Mad Men' (is a great show), 'The Walking Dead' (is a great show), 'Orphan Black' (I love 'Orphan Black')" and even pointed to an upcoming show as having the same potential as the rest he'd listed. Said the New Mexico resident, "'Manh(a)ttan'...it's gonna be a terrific show."
  • GRRM Has Already Held the Job He'd Pick If He Weren't a Writer

    Martin says that if he wasn't an author, he'd be a teacher (a position he's already held).

    "I was a teacher for a few years in the 70s at an all Catholic girls' college in Dubuque, Iowa. it was a small college, so if you majored in journalism you got four years of me."
  • GRRM Knows How He'd Kill Himself If He Were a GoT Character

    Asked shortly after naming Tyrion Lannister as his favorite GoT character, GRRM was asked the same question the Imp answered in both the books and the show.

    Attempting to save the innocence of the young people in the crowd who may or may not have read his books, Martin implored that "anyone under the age of 14 please cover your ears" and proceeded to recall the moment when "one of the hill tribes says, 'Tyrion, son of Tywin, how would you like to die?' At the age of 90 with a belly full of wine and a girl's mouth around my cock."
  • There IS a Character in GRRM's Works Based On the Author, but It's Not in GoT

    Wild Cards, edited by GRRM and first published in 1986, is a superhero anthology set in a shared universe. While the A Song of Ice and Fire scribe notes that the GoT universe is "too different" for a character based on him to exist in, there are some STRIKING similarities between him and a certain reptilian superhero.

    In Wild Cards, "there's a character in it, Thomas Tugberry, the great and powerful turtle. Tom lives in Bayonne, New Jersey where I lived. In fact he lives at 35 E. 3rd St. where I lived. He lives in the apartment where I lived. He went to the school where I lived. He kept turtles as pets, which I did. But then he developed a kick ass super power which I failed to do. So he's pretty heavily autobiographical, Tom is."
  • GRRM's Picks for Favorite Books Are Not ALL Sci-fi and Fantasy

    In addition to the fantasy epic you would expect (J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings), Martin also named F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby as one of his favorite pieces of literature.
  • His First Printed Words Ever in a Professional Publication Were in a Comic Book

    Fantastic Four issue #20, to be exact.

    "I loved the Fantastic Four and that was where my first words that appeared in professional print were published, in Fantastic Four #20. They published my letter about Fantastic Four #17 where I basically said, 'Shakespeare move over, Stan Lee has arrived.'"
  • GRRM Prefers a Hearty Breakfast

    His dish of choice? 

    Eggs Benedict.
  • GRRM Has A Hard Time Choosing Who Would Come with Him To A Desert Island

    When asked what three things he would take to a desert island, GRRM had fairly straightforward answers for the first two items (a boat and a radio), but hesitated to pick a third asking "Can I bring both Ginger and Mary Ann or do I have to choose one?"