Michael Chabon Book Signing

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Chabon

My man Alain & I were in the Union Square Barnes & Noble last night to hear Michael Chabon read from his latest novel "Telegraph Avenue" (we share mutual Michael Chabon man-crushes). Thanks go to Alain's beautiful bride Kacie who spotted the appearance. Following the reading, Michael signed copies of his book.

The way it worked was, you bought the book on the main floor, then brought it and the receipt up to the 4th floor (it's a big bookstore) for the reading and signing. The receipt was your entry ticket. Michael would sign any book you brought so long as he wrote it, and sure enough, there were people who seemed to have stacks of every book he’d ever touched. (We were told someone at the previous signing wanted him to sign a copy of "Moby Dick" for some reason. New Yorkers, don't ask.)

Alain and I were both surprised by the sound of Chabon's voice. I don't know what I’d expected - I wasn't aware I had any expectations at all - but what I heard surprised me, a slightly higher-pitched soft tenor-y voice as opposed to the commanding baritone I must have imagined. Maybe I expected to hear the narrator in those Hollywood blockbuster trailers: "IN A WORLD WITHOUT HOPE, ONE MAN STANDS ON THE BRINK OF ETERNITY!!!"

I don't follow too many contemporary writers, but Michael Chabon has interested me for a long time. I became aware of him after seeing a movie based on his book "Wonder Boys." The film shares the title and stars Michael Douglas, Toby McGuire, and a pre-sobriety Robert Downey Jr., and is fantastic, I LOVE this movie. I picked up the book and was even more impressed. I haven’t responded like that to a new writer in a long time. Later, in 2001, Chabon won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for his novel "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay" about the early days of the comic book industry. This new one, "Telegraph Avenue," is about a used record store in 2004. Not only is Chabon a brilliant writer, he writes about the geeky things I love.

Chabon read the beginning of the book, then took questions from the audience. He was relaxed and conversational answering questions and came off likeable and genuine. After that he signed easily hundreds of autographs for people. Alain and I were near the back of the line but we got to shake his hand and get our books signed. Very cool night.