What if they held a reading and nobody read?

So those of you who were not there last night might be curious as to how my reading went last night.

Well, the short answer is: it didn't.

I don't really blame anybody - there seemed to be a lot of miscommunication as far as the Pianos management was concerned, and I really think Ned did all he could under the circumstances, but the thing is, rock shows never run smoothly. Sets always run overtime, technical glitches always come up, key individuals always disappear when you need them. So the mixture of rock and reading was a little volatile to begin with. Even the first set of readings started almost an hour late - nobody was there at 7 on the dot.

It was a good idea, I think, and I'm always thrilled whenever someone tries to instigate a melding of any two artistic media the way the Shakes are doing with their residency this month, but the execution was a little off. Maybe having all of the readers go first, THEN the bands, is the only way this would have worked.

If nothing else, it was a good object lesson for my own reading series this fall. No bands for this girl's series! And Ned, thank you for inviting me to participate, at any rate. I'll still read for anything you need me to, which is an offer that will hopefully become more valuable once I actually get something published. (And I'll call in that favor you owe me this fall when we get you to read at Barbes!)

By the way, the first set of readers went off without a hitch, and all three were massively talented. It was an honor just to be nominated to share stage space with them.

Besides, as Daryl pointed out, not getting to read only amps up my legendary status. I'm too punk rock to read at Pianos! Damn the man! Fight the power! Um, other inflammatory interjections! You'll all crowd in to my next reading because you'll want to know why no series can handle me! (This reminds me, oddly, of Mike Daisey's piece from last night, in which he talked about a stage production with a controversial scene that gets cut and then put back in, much to the alternating outrage and intrigue of the public.) I assure you, though, I'm not all that controversial, though I suppose it's not a bad thing if this is the mystique I wind up carrying.

So following the egregious clusterfuck that was the Summer Shakes Reading That Wasn't, a bunch of us went down the street to 138 and had a few drinks, and I got to chat with friends (new and old alike), a few of my would-be audience members, as well as fellow would-be reader Will Leitch of Black Table, one of my favorite websites ever. Will was massively cool, and I was glad to have met him after avidly reading his site for so long. I also made contact with several potential readers for this fall.

Overall, I was a little disappointed, but the evening wasn't a total waste, and I did get to spend a good amount of time with awesome people. Many, many thanks to everyone who came out to support me. I really do have the best friends a girl could ask for.

In other news, I am now up to about page 200 of Until I Find You. (The subway ride home from Union Square took about twice as long as it normally does last night, though I suppose that's what I get for staying out until 2 am on a weeknight.) It's engaging, multifaceted, quirky, and completely and utterly depraved. So in other words, it's Irving at the top of his game. I'm loving it, though whether I'm loving it enough to get Until I Find You-themed ink is still up in the air.