Border's
San Francisco, CA
July 19, 2005

Paul Feig Signs Superstud

Report by The Sixth Wilbury

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 THE PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE
I didn't take as many photos as I had hoped, mostly because my crappy little point-and-shoot did not work very well under the flourescent lighting. I wish I had brought along the Canon instead. Of course, I got so engrossed in the presentation that I put down the camera and forgot about it until we were in line for autographs.

Anyway here are the few photos I DID take. I think the famed silver pen might be visible in one of them, too:

http://community.webshots.com/album/400132531gPLAJn

SUPERSTUD: LIVE
The event itself was a blast. As I assume the format was at each of the previous appearances, Paul read excerpts from Superstud, which filled the room with raucous laughter. Then he paused for a brief Q&A.

It was funny to me that Paul performed selections from his book right next to a stand full of yoga and Pilates equipment. If you've read Superstud, and have read the "Do Not Read This Chapter" chapter, then you can understand my amusement. On the box for a Pilates mat was a woman contorted in such a way that she might actually achieve where Paul failed.

THE THIRD DEGREE
I can recall some of the questions. I should have brought some sort of recording device like Geoff always does. Next time, next time. But here's what I CAN remember, in no particular order:

What is his connection to Judd Apatow? (This relationship goes back to their comedy days, when Judd was a young up-and-comer who seemed to know an inordinate amount about show business.)

What's happening with Arrested Development? (It's still on. Paul is directing the season opener.)

Does he have any other TV shows lined up? (His show Nice Guys got sidelined for Entourage, but the door still seems to be open on that possibility. However, he found out very recently that he completed a sweet book deal. But I'm sure Paul himself will provide more details on this board.)

Is Life Sold Separately coming out on DVD? (Not yet, and it would be a very difficult proposition, because of a technical snafu with the original 16mm negatives.)

Did the term Superstud precede the show or did he title this book as an homage to F&G? (This was my question. The original title of the book was Pocket Pool, but he changed it to Superstud because it of the reference to one of his favorite scenes in the show.)

What was it like to work with Joe Flaherty? (As Paul has said many times before, he is a huge fan of Joe and SCTV. Many times, he would get Flaherty to revive old characters such as Guy Caballero.)

In 25 years, will he write a book about what he's doing now? (I remember one part of this answer: "when you're young, you're like one big raw nerve." Everything is magnified, you're constantly making poor decisions and there is a freedom that you lose when you reach the "real" part of your life. So he prefers to write about those younger days because it is a more interesting time in a person's life.)

Will there ever be a Freaks And Geeks reunion show? (I should have had Vegan Arnold place a bet at his local sports book that someone would ask this. Paul provided his usual answers: he has never seen one that has worked, the cast has changed too much, etc. However, if he and/or Judd could think up a way to write a really good one, he might consider it after all. Paul jokingly offered the idea of doing a Freaks And Geeks - Sixty Years On, getting a bunch of old people that look like the characters.)

PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED MATERIAL
After the Q&A, he read the Big Red Shoe Diaries. I got the feeling this was the first many people had heard of this. It's all about delivery: as others have found, this yarn is even funnier live.

SIGNATURES
When Paul sat down and began the autograph session, I was very glad that I got there so early -- it enabled me to sit up front. Thus, I was near the front of the line. Most people had him sign Superstud and Kick Me. But I would guess that a dozen to twenty people -- including myself -- had the Norseman yearbook in tow.

Only four people were in front of me in the line of around 50 people. Two women -- we'll describe them as "jolly" -- were among the first. They had some kind of greeting card for him, which I remember they filled out while we waited for Paul's arrival. They also took photos of each other with Paul. Additionally, they had numerous items for autographs: Kick Me, Superstud, an Arrested Development DVD, etc. If each person takes this long, I remember thinking, Paul will be here all night and will never make it to Seattle.

As we waited, a Borders staffer put our names on a Post-it, so that Paul wouldn't have to ask for it each time. One guy had about six items to be signed, so she put a different Post-it on each. I found this funny. It's not like his name would change during the time it takes for Paul to write a message. But it turned out to be a good idea: one woman had several copies to be autographed for different people. So she had the names of each recipient on the Post-Its.

When I got up there, I told Paul that I was representing this message board. (Based on the recent posts, I'm guessing I'm the only one of us from Northern California.) I told him what my handle is, and his face lit up.

"You're the Sixth Wilbury? Yeah! Wow, you've become one of our best contributors." In fact, when he signed my copy of Superstud, he added a "Sixth rules!" at the bottom. Then he signed the yearbook as if he were a fellow student: "Had fun with you in science class. You're cool! - Paul Feig"

Oh, those creative types.

THE CLIENTELE - A FINAL THOUGHT
I missed the Comic-Con thing last summer (almost exactly a year ago, by the way), and I didn't get to attend other F&G-related appearances. So this was my first taste of such an event, and thus, my first experience of the demographic. I consider myself to be a geek, but I think I was seriously overmatched by the crowd.

Half of the people in the crowd -- male AND female -- looked like the comic book guy from the Simpsons. The others were small, mousy and seemingly afraid of their own shadow. The guy in front of me wore a Members Only jacket (no really). If I were to guess, I'd say he was about 35 years old and still living in his parents' basement. When the Borders staffer asked for his name during her little Post-It Parade, he was barely audible. It came out in a squeaky whisper.

Personal hygeine was not held in high regard: greasy, unkempt hair, severe body order, unshaven faces. Normally, I consider myself a geek in the highest order. But last night, I've never felt more physically fit, well-dressed and properly groomed in my life. I think I need to attend more of these, just to boost the self-esteem.

Anyway, that's the long and short (but mostly long) of the San Francisco stop. I'll eagerly await what those in Emerald City have to report from tonight's event.