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I asked Harlan Ellison on his message board about his relationship/dealings with Ballard and this was his gracious reply to me (now I have to ask him about the elevator story cos I have never heard it):
HARLAN ELLISON
- Tuesday, February 16 2010 18:51:22
2 THINGS
1. Yeah, I'm still here. Perhaps a skosch "lurkier" at the moment, work and other stuff, the simple answer. But, noneheless, a definite "still here."
2. Graham Rae reply. Jim Ballard was a top guy, a writer of panoramic insight and excellence, and a critical taste to match his level of craft expertise. We knew each other for decades (introduced by Moorcock when I was in the UK), and he wrote for DV, of course. But across the gap of an entire Ocean, and two Continents, we wound up seeing each other, during those many decades, in Paris, Scotland, Rio, New York, and other of what Ibert called "L'escale," ports'o'call, far and odd and exotic.
So there isn't really a lot for me to say, save I admired him greatly, and he always (as I perceived it) treated me well, with a sly smile, and a mordant wit. Nowhere near the sort of acerbic literary scouring most of the Brit writers of sf stature visited on each other. They made US writers of fulmination and fire seem like poseurs out of a Harry Potter novel. They were always W A Y meaner than their American counterparts, and though I have my less-than-favorite UK writers (on a personal, never a writing, level) -- well, Jim was never one of those. I liked him a lot, and think it was mutual.
But, honestly, Graham, aside from the above, nothing immediately comes to mind about trail-crossings with Jim...except, of course, the elevator story. But I'm sure you know that one. He put it in one of his books. Made me smile. A true recounting of a brief liaison between-floors.
Yr. Pal, Harlan
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Our Man in Havana - Graham Greene