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Jan. 20th, 2005
So remember how I slagged Douglas Coupland? I feel a bit bad, because I found out that he is doing a book called "Terry". It's about Terry Fox, and a large percentage of the funds will go to the Terry Fox Foundation.
Yesterday, B*, my roommate and I went to see Doug Coupland speak at the McMillan Space Centre. It was a strange audience. It was a lot younger than most reading audiences, and there were a lot more men in attendance. Doug looks quite different than he used to look. As my roommate put it, he now looks like someone's middle aged Dad. His banter was quite amusing. He read a bit from "Eleanor Rigby" and some from his upcoming novel, "J Pod." "J Pod" is the sequel to "Microserfs", and it will be coming out next year. I'm looking forward to it, as I loved "Microserfs" and "J Pod" sounds promising. The section that Doug chose to read to us was quite funny.
While I liked his banter and his writing, I must admit that I don't like the way that Coupland reads. I'm very particular about public readings. In short, I spend a lot of time studying good readers and bad readers, and I think his voice and pitch was off. I'm a snob when it comes to readings, and I'm not afraid to admit it.
***
I realized a while ago that many of my regrets have to do with missing or not paying attention to various writers while they were alive. I fully regret that I never got the opportunity to see or meet Carol Shields or Timothy Findley. Since I've learned more about Pierre Berton, I also regret that I never paid more attention to him while he was alive. Not everything comes into my radar, but I have vowed to see famous writers and Canadian cultural producers whenever the opportunity arises.
Yesterday, B*, my roommate and I went to see Doug Coupland speak at the McMillan Space Centre. It was a strange audience. It was a lot younger than most reading audiences, and there were a lot more men in attendance. Doug looks quite different than he used to look. As my roommate put it, he now looks like someone's middle aged Dad. His banter was quite amusing. He read a bit from "Eleanor Rigby" and some from his upcoming novel, "J Pod." "J Pod" is the sequel to "Microserfs", and it will be coming out next year. I'm looking forward to it, as I loved "Microserfs" and "J Pod" sounds promising. The section that Doug chose to read to us was quite funny.
While I liked his banter and his writing, I must admit that I don't like the way that Coupland reads. I'm very particular about public readings. In short, I spend a lot of time studying good readers and bad readers, and I think his voice and pitch was off. I'm a snob when it comes to readings, and I'm not afraid to admit it.
***
I realized a while ago that many of my regrets have to do with missing or not paying attention to various writers while they were alive. I fully regret that I never got the opportunity to see or meet Carol Shields or Timothy Findley. Since I've learned more about Pierre Berton, I also regret that I never paid more attention to him while he was alive. Not everything comes into my radar, but I have vowed to see famous writers and Canadian cultural producers whenever the opportunity arises.