I've had my moments with Douglas Coupland, on and off. (Ok, I was secretly in love with him for the past 15 years, but, still, on and off. Off, after his first book, on after Life After God, off again after Microserfs, on again after Girlfriend in a Coma... sort of, off again after All Families)
But tonight, youtubing him for video material for a class, I saw him on film for the first time... and it was like... dude, he's crazy, and if I met him on the street, I'd be scared of him, and I certainly wouldn't want to spend a night next to him.
I mean, I guess that's kind of cool. I would love it if a fan of mine met me on the street and was scared of me.
But, just seeing him, it was like seeing the Grateful Dead for the first time. Ooof. Just an old guy trying to bring it off with a rattled mind. Like someone who thought, "Wouldn't this Hard Talk interview go better after a joint?" and then wet his pants anyway.
I youtubed Tama Janowitz, too. And Denis Johnson (though there's evidently some sports-playing person who's taken his name and I was too lazy to scroll all the way through a thousand basketball shots) and Ian McEwan.
Anyway, summary: I saw a bunch of middle-aged people of extraordinary talent, who changed my life, struggling in a way that was unbefitting. Not ... nasty. Or even particularly fuddled. Just unbefitting. Maybe the format of American television just isn't conducive to interviews with writers. I dunno. All I know is, watching them was like hearing myself on the phone with my lover. I can write genius stuff (modest, ain't I?), but put me on a phone and I turn into an idiot.
I'm not planning on going on national television any time... well, any time, ever. This wasn't about that. But I guess I wanted to ask, how was it for you, when you met or saw someone whose writing you loved for the first time?
But tonight, youtubing him for video material for a class, I saw him on film for the first time... and it was like... dude, he's crazy, and if I met him on the street, I'd be scared of him, and I certainly wouldn't want to spend a night next to him.
I mean, I guess that's kind of cool. I would love it if a fan of mine met me on the street and was scared of me.
But, just seeing him, it was like seeing the Grateful Dead for the first time. Ooof. Just an old guy trying to bring it off with a rattled mind. Like someone who thought, "Wouldn't this Hard Talk interview go better after a joint?" and then wet his pants anyway.
I youtubed Tama Janowitz, too. And Denis Johnson (though there's evidently some sports-playing person who's taken his name and I was too lazy to scroll all the way through a thousand basketball shots) and Ian McEwan.
Anyway, summary: I saw a bunch of middle-aged people of extraordinary talent, who changed my life, struggling in a way that was unbefitting. Not ... nasty. Or even particularly fuddled. Just unbefitting. Maybe the format of American television just isn't conducive to interviews with writers. I dunno. All I know is, watching them was like hearing myself on the phone with my lover. I can write genius stuff (modest, ain't I?), but put me on a phone and I turn into an idiot.
I'm not planning on going on national television any time... well, any time, ever. This wasn't about that. But I guess I wanted to ask, how was it for you, when you met or saw someone whose writing you loved for the first time?
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