SNUFF Tour: Reading In Denver, CO!

It was crowded - maybe two-hundred and fifty people - and hot. Chuck joked that last time he was in Denver (at the Tattered Cover) he nearly fainted. That was two years ago, I believe.

The evening began with handouts - Choke movie book marks with novelty "beads" - and then Chuck got up to the podium and talked a bit about Snuff and then read the short story "Loser" which he said would not be published. It's a second person short about being on The Price is Right, struggling to maintain composure after having downed a Hello Kitty tab of acid, and realizing that all the prizes are junk. Very funny, had the audience cracking up. It was sarcastic and silly but nothing gross or even remotely sexual. Nice set-up.

The local reviewer - like MN - was pretty lame. She wasn't familiar with Chuck's works and asked very simple, surface questions. Chuck was great, answered her questions (once even turned one back on her) and went off on some amazing tangents - how porn is like fairy tales, minimalism, a funny story about his friends and their dying cat.

Showed the trailer for Choke.

The prizes? Inflatable dolls, autograph hounds, signed copies of Knockemstiff and one copy of that Interiors book.

Great evening!

Let me just say that I love Chuck. Now, I'm sure everyone reading this can say the same, but I seriously doubt anyone can mean it the way I do. Love him. Really.

And though this was the case I had yet to see him in person. I was excited. Over-excited. Like first date excited, but even more so, as I have just made clear, I LOVE HIM.

I came in off of 16th Street, taking a good look at the type of person I would be sharing the evening with. Fans of the man. Young (mostly), attractive (mostly). No noticable vomit-inducing pretentiousness as is the case at so many of these type of writers events. Not seeing the ocean of people I had expected, my friend and I decided to grab a cup of coffee. The line to the coffee bar  was moving slowly so we ditched the idea and went upstairs. A woman approached us and told us the room was already filled to capacity. My heart sank. However, we could, she said, stand out in the hallway and listen. Not quite the same, is it? I couldn't believe it. I had fucked myself in a bad way just because I wanted coffee. I was pissed, and, understandably, nearing heartbreak. I wanted to SEE him. I wanted to be inside, with those who also felt my affection for the man and the works.

In the hallway we stood with a few others who had arrived too late.. I felt like a douchebag. I should have left earlier, sprinted down to the bookstore, done SOMETHING to get me there earlier. Not waited in a line for coffee I never even got. My friend told two guys who were also in the hallway that she hoped she wasn't blocking their (already shitty) view. They just glared. Who were these assholes? I thought all of us would be of like minds: dirty minds, but friendly nonetheless. A moment later someone came to the front of the packed room and said "those folks in the hallway should look for seats not filled. Anyone with an empty seat raise their hand." A ways in front of me (though a good deal closer to the glaring assholes) were two prime seats. Front-ish and center-ish. I knew what I had to do. If I really loved Chuck as much as I felt I did, if I really looked forward to this night as much as I had been saying in the days leading up to it, if these books were really that important to me, I had to make my move. Shoving, pushing, I made my way to the seats, friend in tow, successfully beating those two jerks to the seats. Now they were really glaring. It is a good thing they were so jerky or I may have done the polite thing and not barreled over all in my path to get a such a good view of the man himself.

And was he ever great! Listening to him talk on about pornography, about the "victim, rebel and witness" as illustrated in "Gone with the Wind" and "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", about Petey the diabetic cat made me realize, as much as one can, that here and now was exactly where I needed to be.

The night was more than I could have hoped for. I caught an autograph hound, a sex-doll (male), bookmark/anal beads. He read "Loser" specifically for Denver, a story about a tripping fratboy on a gameshow (and it specifically mentions Denver at one point). It was hot. The people around me were great. I met a cute hippy on methadone (I myself just got off of heroin and onto methadone about 10 weeks previous) and very hyperactive photographer guy who insisted buying us coffee after the event. These people were a vast improvement on the others, the "hallway people." Funny, dirty, good people. 

Back out on the street I felt that satisfied excitement of the end of a first date or after a long day at the carnival as a kid. A mix of exaustion and enthusiasm.  All went well. Better than well. It was the best. Near perfect. Earlier in the day a tornado had come through Windsor, a couple miles away from my place in Loveland. Completely decimated my mother's workplace along with 70-some other structures. Nothing left. A totally surreal day, front to back. My first amazing day in some time. Being off narcotics, sweating my balls off, and being glared at by a couple of dicks never felt so wonderful. To Chuck I owe a a debt of gratitude for providing the best night I've had in ages. Thanks Chuck, I love you man...

I wonder if chuck was inspired for that Loser story by this guy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHdjqsSSa_A

I actually saw this when it aired one day when I didn't have class.  The last bid was priceless, perfect timing.  Meant to see if it ever ended up online.  Guess it did.  Ha.

Was anyone at the St. Louis show? how horrible was the lady doing the Q&A session? I was so lost.. She even referred to number 37 (Snuff) in one of her questions. Had she not even read the book? there was no number 37, 137 but no 37. And all she wanted to talk about was dildos. Stupid lady. She almost ruined the whole night but not quite. He finally asked her if the crowd was going to get to ask some questions and she finally shut the hell up.. The story Loser was brilliant. I have never laughed so hard. Does anyone know where i can get a printed copy of it???