Don't get the wrong idea. That's certainly something that doesn't happen very often.

I'd commented on something in a tongue in cheek sort of way and I don't think he thought he could agree with me in a public forum. And he actually thanked me for being supportive of him--as if that's a chore!

I know someone who has interviewed him a couple of times and she can't speak more highly of him as a person. It's always a relief to find out someone whose work you admire isn't a jerk.