Chuck Palahniuk winnipeg smackdown
So, any one who was at the super happy fun smile Chuck Palahniuk extravaganza last night in winnipeg already knows what the title is refering too. What a man, Chuck doesn't take S#!+ from no one. He even politely said first that he didn't want anymore interruptions. I was sitting in the second row and it was almost embarrassing, who am I kidding, it WAS embarrassing to watch some bozo almost ruin the show by shouting out in middle of chuck trying to answer a very good question, "would he ever consider writing for children?" I owe eternal gratitude and thanks the brave man who stood up and apologized on behalf of our city, he may just have saved the night. I think the heckler should thank him as well, I mean, if the guy hadn't saved his a$$, then there would have been a couple hundred angry fight club fans itching for some release. And to the guy who answered his cellphone, how dumb do you have to be.
Anyways, with that said, I really enjoy Chuck's two short stories, it was like expieriencing "guts" for the first time again
Kid's book question guy and the heckler are not the same person. I can attest to this, as I was the question guy. I was closer to the stage than that jackass.
It was a great show, I thought. It's been sort of a bummer to see how people have been reacting to what happened in the forum. Guy was asked not to shout, as were we all, and he continued to do so...I'd have done the same (and have, it's a great trick for a teacher to use...turn the joker's peers against him)
I was totally in a weird emotional place at the time, as my Easter basket was working it's way back as that all transpired. Kind of a "woohoo/shit" feeling.
Owing to being on another continent and all, I have to ask - a)is asking about children's books such a crime - especially considering that latest review (the Times - London) that I've read of "Rant" states - "The best satire works by the friction between knowingness and a childlike sense of fun" - and while this is certainly an abbreviated version of what makes satire work - surely Chuck qualifies as one of the best in the genre... and given this, would a leap to writing aimed at kids be such a leap? Some of the best/hardest hitting books in this country are actually aimed at kids/young adults at the moment - I'm thinking Melvin Burgess, Pullman, Zusack And given this - 
Did Chuck answer the question? And if so...?
I think if Chuck wrote a children's book there would be a lot of fucked up kids...
[QUOTE=ShakeZula123;977734]I think if Chuck wrote a children's book there would be a lot of fucked up kids...[/QUOTE]
Je ne comprends pas ce que vous dis, if Chuck wrote a kids book it'd be geared towards kids, a biggish audience of kids of the non-fucked-up variety I say.
Yes, although interrupted he did answer...jokingly said "hell yeah, to get a piece of that Harry Potter money." The heckler yelled something about the Fight Club money which prompted the exit from stage.
Obviously, targeted towards kids, the normal Chuck book style wouldn't work...I just think the honesty inherent in his work would speak to youth...I would actually strongly consider using "Cold Calling" as a short story in a high school class.
Neil Gaiman's done some great children's book and I think Chuck got the talent to pull off a kid's book too. He'd just need to re-adjust his shock vernacular. Make it more boogers and poop and dead kittens or something.
I guess maybe my wording was confusing, I was trying to say the "would he write for children" was a good question, and while trying to answer that some other bozo almost ruined the show, sorry 'bout the confusion
[QUOTE=mr kurtz;977831]I guess maybe my wording was confusing, I was trying to say the "would he write for children" was a good question, and while trying to answer that some other bozo almost ruined the show, sorry 'bout the confusion[/QUOTE]
My guess is he probably wouldn't ever write for kids. He'd probably just be happy for them to find his stuff when they get older. He [i]could[/i] though, he likes changing up the way he tells each book, and it would be an interesting experiment.
Has no-one read Melvin Burgess's "Junk", or "Doing It" for that matter? Both ostensibly 'kids books' - and Kevin Brooks too - both Brits, and I guess you could say their audience was more 'young adult', but my contension is that kids need authors who don't pull the punches, but still tell a compelling, driving and immediat story - I mean, some of the rubbish you have to read in school - excuse me, "Roll of the Thunder Hear My Chunder" (Mildred D Taylor)? I had to read it 4 times in 4 different years of school - and it did nothing for me the FIRST time... And I hate to say it but Lemony Snickett of the "Unfortunate Events" - sarcastic, mocking, but with a turn of phrase, a mode of explanation that was never trite - and kids gobbled them...
I think the guy asking about the children's book was a different guy. I was in the sixth row and the asshole who almost ruined the show was about four rows behind me. The children's book guy was in my row.
And I was thankful as well for the Sorry guy in the third row, he DID save the show.
What happened to the heckler? Did he get thrown out?