Institute for Contemporary Arts, London
October 24th, 2006 | Uncategorized
My event last night at the ICA went really well. It was part of a series called Comica. The room was sold out, and had a great tech setup so everyone could see the drawings clearly. The brilliant and effervescent-to-the-point-of-exploding Lea Delaria interviewed me onstage after I read. This blurry picture captures a bit of her kinetic energy.
Talking with Lea was really fun. I’d been somewhat nervous, not knowing quite what to expect from the woman famous for saying about Hillary Clinton, “Finally, a first lady we can fuck.” She did grill me rather minutely about my masturbation habits, but other than that I think our conversation was very seemly and apropos. One topic she was interested in discussing was my obsessive tendency to record my own life, which reminded me to take a picture of the audience for the blog. So here they are. I think this made them a little nervous. Or maybe they were just appalled at such obstreperously American behavior. That guy in the front row is Paul Gravett, the Comica organizer
I signed books for a long time afterward—the museum bookshop sold out.
Then I hung out in the bar with some friends. Then we all walked back to Bloomsbury where they got on the Tube and I returned to my hotel.
That’s Jane Hoy on the left, and her girlfriend Helen Sandler—Helen’s directing the York Lesbian Arts Festival which is happening this weekend and which I’m very sorry to be missing. To my right is Lenna Cumberbatch, drag king extraordinare and my erstwhile webmeister.
20 Responses to “Institute for Contemporary Arts, London”
Well, if your ears were burning as you were tucking in to sleep, it might have been because across the Pacific and the continent in Seattle, there was a signing for the “Best American Comics” book, with Anne Moore and Harvey Pekar, and you were invoked repeatedly. Harvey gave an impassioned five minute enthuse about your work and “Fun Home”, and when I talked to him later he reiterated, out of the blue, how much he loves your drawing and how skilled it is.
He was so Harvey last night. One of the organizers of the signing baked cherry pies for each of the panelists, and all during the panel discussion Harvey would turn to Anne Moore or the other cartoonists and say, “Why don’t you eat some of that pie? It’s real good!”
Oh my God, I see my friend in the audience there! (I am writing this from Madison, WI, mind.)
WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE.
Lenna! I miss Lenna. I miss you, too, old boss. Glad to read you’re having fun across the pond.
Thanks for coming to see us. Your talk was fascinating, particularly the detailed account of how the drawings for Fun Home were done in stages.
But I have to point out something less savoury, which I suspect annoyed more people in the audience than just me, namely the toe-curling drivel from Lea DeLaria, who I’d never heard of until last night. I was starting to seriously consider either walking out or loudly requesting that she shut the fuck up – when she did finally and blessedly turn the event over to questions from the floor (the way she was talking to start with, it seemed that her blithering was going to replace the Q&A). The most astonishing thing was that she honestly seemed to have no idea a) that she was goddamn boring and b) that her job was to facilitate the speaker’s communication with the audience, not shout over her.
Normally I wouldn’t post something as potentially hurtful as this… but your work and what you have to say are important to your readers, and if someone gets in the way of something as rare and exciting as a talk by you, it matters. Maybe it’s a bit of a mindfuck, but I promise, Alison, your work *is* that big a deal.
God–I can’t stand L. DeLaria. When the West Coast Women’s Music and Comedy Festival was still happening, I kept the woman who drove the entertainers back and forth to the SF airport company when she had to take this woman back to the city. It was a 3-hour drive, and it was hellish with DeLaria in the back seat.
When DeLaria was at the festival, she bitched about the lack of fresh towels or sheets or something…. She wanted the Sheraton, and we were in the middle of f-ing Yosemite National Park! I feel for you, Alison.
L. W.
She’s a heck of a crooner, though. And a refreshingly out Dyke in a world that most of us have no access to, so kudos to her.
Well, I’d never seen DeLaria before tonight, so for all I know she is a wonderful singer and a breath of fresh air when appearing with people who deserve to be talked over. But no more sharing a stage with AB, oh please…
Back in the early 80s, when I lived in San Fran, Lea had not yet made it Big. She would do comedy routines at the Valencia Rose, billed as the Fucking Dyke (because she said that’s all anybody called her) that made me wet my pants with laughing, she was so over the edge. She was also available for private rental — yes, you could hire her to come to your house, wake up you (or your girlfriend), cook you breakfast with a nonstop running commentary, and serve it to you in bed. I had a friend who bought this as a Christmas present for her girlfriend, and a few of us got to come over and watch the proceedings. A once in a lifetime experience, that’s Lea. Maybe not your lifetime, sounds like, Anna — but rude, working class, loud, graphic, and bulldaggery does need room on the stage, too, I think.
rude, working class, loud, graphic, and bulldaggery … oh, something as raw and vital as that sounds would be great (though probably not ideally suited to a talk on Fun Home). We weren’t getting that though. We were getting loud all right, but it was loud, repetitious and tame, with the possible exception of one slyly worded crack about the “community” consisting of individuals who all hate each other. It would be interesting to see what anyone else who was there thought about it. There was some laughter, but most of the people around me were shifting in their seats and looking at the ceiling.
You’re right, I wasn’t there, and I don’t mean to invalidate your impression, Anna. It would be interesting to hear what others there thought about it. Thanks for the exchange. In MY community, we definitely don’t hate each other. The love grows sweeter and deeper each year.
I don’t mean to invalidate yours either. You evidently have much more of a handle on the history of Lea DeLaria than I do. I hadn’t considered the class angle because to my British ears she didn’t sound like a member of a particular class, but just an American (though retrospectively I can see her accent and Alison’s as an analogue of working and middle class accents in the UK). There’s probably a lot about her that suffers in translation to Britain.
Well, speaking as a fellow Brit I have to say that I found Lea Delaria’s take on FUN HOME to be very funny in an abrasive Ruby Wax-type way. Don’t you recall her initial reaction to the opening picture of “Old Father, Old Artificer”? (“I took one look at that and thought “Oh my GOD, how did you NOT know this man was gay?! Gay gay gay gay gay gay GAY!”) I still chuckle at that.
Afraid I missed Delaria’s “crack” about the lesbian community “hating each other” – perhaps that slipped under my radar? What I do remember is that Delaria didn’t “talk over” Bechdel, that she obviously respected Bechdel’s work, and that I laughed at many of her comments.
Anyway, very enjoyable evening! Thanks, Alison, for coming to Britain and letting us meet you, and Sarah sends her thanks for the portrait of yourself w/ 2-Euro coin 🙂
Okay I was also there and absolutely hated the way Lea dominated the procedings. I did think she was kinda funny, but mostly I was just annoyed that we weren’t having an in-depth discussion about the book. It was a gushing rather than a probing interview which then made it very difficult to go on and have a particulary in-depth Q&A.
WHICH IS NOT TO SAY I HAD A BAD TIME.
On the contrary I had a great time. Meeting Alison is the highlight of my 2006.
(I have to say how very English all this complaining is. On we could sit here fussing on about a slice of lightheartedness at a book launch)
I see that a few English feathers have been ruffled..Lea did a grand job…Thank You Alison for coming to see us, i wasn’t in a talkative mood as i had dragged myself from my sick bed to see you (flu)..and i hadn’t brought my book along for the signing….:( i didn’t buy one on the day as there weren’t enough copies..don’t want to be greedy..feels really odd seeing myself in the auidence photo..after having read the blog for so long…active participation
After suffering ill effects of the flu for past few days, I am now laughing myself to bits at the looks on the faces of your English audience (much needed comic relief). So classically perfect–all dressed just rightly so, wearing properly restrained, nervous smiles (love the girl on the second row stifling a laugh), and the girl with the pink hair is the icing on the cake. God Save the Queen! Please continue to take such charming pictures!
I’m afraid I agree with Anna.
Lea may be funny when she’s on her own stage, but that’s the point, she wasn’t. It isn’t the job of the interviewer to make herself the centre of attention. For those who weren’t there, Lea’s closing words were not “go buy the book”, but “come see me perform next week”.
But Alison, you were sublime!
cannot believe you arrived in london the day before i left and i missed your reading at the ica.
excited for you, however, re this european tour.
i feel guilty at not adding my $$ … am currently unemployed and a bit short myself. however, i buy your books to read dtwof, and consider it eminently reasonable to contribute before they are published, especially since i do not have to wait so long for my fix!
I’m sorry I didn’t weigh in here sooner about Lea. I’m surprised by the negative comments! I thought she was wonderful, and I really enjoyed my public cross-examination by her. She seemed clearly excited about my book, asked excellent questions, and was extremely entertaining. Her style may not be everyone’s cup of english breakfast tea, but Lea’s one brave, inspired, brilliant Fucking Dyke.
Hi Alison…i think its fair to say Lea is like Marmite…u either love her or hate her..lol. I am with u, its a shame she didn’t sing…bloody amazing voice.
Just got around to visiting this ‘sex site’ as my school web nanny classes it! I must quickly say I was there on the second row in my stripy jumper forgetting any Mo connections and feeling tragic. Anyhow Lea was totally entertaining and Alison gracious when signing books for ages while everyone was on their second drink in the bar! Thank you Alison for visiting London – a stones throw from the Queen’s bedroom!