(no subject)
Thanks to Daisy Princessfor alerting me about it I was able to meet Francesca Lia Block and witness the magic of the novel "Weetzie Bat" come to life a few Sundays ago at Book Soup in Hollywood. I parked in the old Tower Records parking lot ($5 for parking all day? YES!) Then I crossed the street with this lady who asked me if I was going to the Francesca Lia Block reading. I decided to follow her once we got into the store because she seemed like she knew where to go to get a good view. The front of the store was packed so we went to the back and kind of on the side near some bookcases in the middle of the aisle. Everyone was just sort of standing in between the isles.. not really squished. I mean there was a lot of people but not an uncomfortable amount. Book Soup's set up is just not conducive to events like that. There were all sorts of girls that looked like they stepped out of the pages of Franceca's books and into real life. They especially resembled the description of Weetzie Bat. Girls with long long hair, feather earrings, bangles and bracelets, moccasins, combat boots, glitter and fairy wings. A girl with platinum hair streaked with pink that looked exactly like Tess was standing across from me. It really tripped me out. I saw so many individuals I know I could be friends with. They were all like me. There were mostly young people from like 18-25 and some older in their 40s and even 50s. The "director" of the reading told a little story about his experience with the book and said that he realized that the book had inspired people of all walks of life and from different generations since it came out it in 1989. He said that he's met so many different girls since getting involved with the screenplay who were in love with the book and they all said the same thing about it, "Francesca saved my life." =)
E.G Daily (Rugrats, Babe) opened up with singing "Send me an angel" in raspy resonate Janis-Joplin-esque vocals. Then the reading started. It was perfect. The actress playing Weetzie was an adorable little Pixie. They had styled her to look like Weetzie.. She was wearing a Pink "Je Taime" muscle shirt with a frilly pink poofy lace skirt and little black boots. Francesca talked about this girl/company/designer called Wildfox that styled her and they did a Weetzie photoshoot a few days prior. They stayed very true to the story as Francesca wrote the screenplay too I believe. They had a guy playing acoustic guitar throughout and each time the scene had music playing they wrote say the name of the song and band and then the acoustic guitar would play the song.. just a few bars.. but it was still neat. I really hope they keep the same soundtrack because its going to be amazing! The GoGos, The Cramps, Iggy Pop, Joy Division, David Bowie! Every time a new song "came on" I was giddy with excitement b/c they are some of my most favorite songs. The script itself is so witty. I really think all the actors were well cast for it. I have a feeling they won't be keeping all the same people though. It seems some were just temporarily cast. The girl who played Vixanne was so unbelievably perfect. Wow. As soon as I saw her I knew who she was supposed to be. I feel so scattered trying to recall things. It was the coolest thing watching that book come to life.. like even though it was a reading I could so clearly watch it as a movie played out right there. It kind of made me emotional. I can only imagine how Francesca felt. I know its going to be incredible! I just hope it doesn't take a long time to get it funded and filmed and everything. The end had me teary-eyed. It was just beautiful.
They said after the reading that Francesca would be hanging out.. and they were selling all her books so if you wanted her to sign any she would be hanging out in the back. There wasn't like a mad dash to or mob of people or maybe my timing was just perfect.. I just immediately went to the "back" and stood there with like 3 other girls patiently hoping she would make her way to w here we were because there was specific instruction of where she would be signing. She came up and said hi to some girls that were friends and i waited patiently.. just behind the 3 or 4 girls and came to her. She said "Hi." and looked at me. "What's your name?" and shook my hand and told me my name was pretty. She was so warm! She had fairy energy, totally. I found myself quite nervous.. I told her "I have a kind of funny story to tell you.." She's like, "You do? Okay. Tell me." I realize now that's not really a "funny" story per se but.. whatever. So I told her how i was sitting at home feeling uninspired wanting to write something and i thought of her and her stories and i hadn't thought of her or read any of her books for years. Then an hour later I went on Facebook and my friend Ashley had randomly left me the message about that event. It was like a sign. She thought it was pretty cool. She said, "You should come to one of my writing workshops. I do them every couple of months. Check out my website. I have one coming up in a couple weeks." Then I asked her what she thought of the Weetzie reading and she seemed so overwhelmed with happiness. I told her I thought they had the most perfect Weetzie and she agreed. It seems like I talked to her for a while.. she was so nice and not trying to rush me off or anything.
Then I just stood aside for a few minutes and this girl approached me and started talking to me. She was apparently listening to mine and Francesca's conversation about the workshop and she told me that i should go. She said she'd gone to a few now and its so cool because you get to go to Francesca's house and like hang out with her. She said Francesca let her read the Weetzie script even. She was bragging slightly but she was still nice. I asked if the workshop was expensive. She said, "yeah.. like a $100.. but i mean.. if you buy shoes for..." and I agreed that its probably worth it. I told her that it sounded like exactly the kind of thing I've been wanting to do to get inspiration.. but i would feel intimidated by all the people who are actually writers. She said that it wasn't like that at all.. that she felt the same way but that's why you do it. So I shook her hand and thanked her. She said, "See you soon." as if she knows she will be seeing me at that workshop.
I walked by the girl playing Weetzie and told her "You're a really good Weetzie" and she sweetly said, "Aww! Thank you so much!" Then I hung around the store for a bit trying to decide which book to purchase of Francesca's that I hadn't read. They only had a few at the front desk so I got "The Hanged Man" and "How to Uncage a Girl". As I was flipping through contemplating which to buy this older man started inquiring about Francesca Lia Block and Weetzie Bat. Asking me and the girl at cash register about it. He's picks up "Dangerous Angels" and asks, "So this Weetzie Bat story is in the this book?" I explain that DA is a collection of stories of which Weetzie Bat is contained...but Weetzie Bat was first written separately as its own book and it was FLB's first book. "So then its like a cult book?" he asked. I told him that I never thought of it that way before but after coming to the reading I suppose you could describe it as a cult book. I couldn't tell if the older man was being creepy and inquiring because of the cute, teenage girls who are into her books or if he really was just curious about the phenomenon that he witnessed at Book Soup. I concluded the conversation and he walked away and I purchased "How to Un-cage a Girl" and "The Hanged Man" and walked to my car on cloud nine and feeling super good about life and inspired and like I could see the endless possibilities again which is something I haven't felt truly in a long time.
I'm so so so glad I went to the reading. I have to say the day of I was totally not feeling like going anywhere. Anne wasn't going to come with me so I was going solo and I was just not up to it but i knew if i didn't go I would totally regret it. I've been searching for a while now for something to inspire me again and I think this experience has done it. I ended the evening with a stop at my old-stomping grounds at the 101 Coffee shop and sat at the bar people watching while eating my grilled cheese and sweet potato fries. A perfect end to a perfect night.
E.G Daily (Rugrats, Babe) opened up with singing "Send me an angel" in raspy resonate Janis-Joplin-esque vocals. Then the reading started. It was perfect. The actress playing Weetzie was an adorable little Pixie. They had styled her to look like Weetzie.. She was wearing a Pink "Je Taime" muscle shirt with a frilly pink poofy lace skirt and little black boots. Francesca talked about this girl/company/designer called Wildfox that styled her and they did a Weetzie photoshoot a few days prior. They stayed very true to the story as Francesca wrote the screenplay too I believe. They had a guy playing acoustic guitar throughout and each time the scene had music playing they wrote say the name of the song and band and then the acoustic guitar would play the song.. just a few bars.. but it was still neat. I really hope they keep the same soundtrack because its going to be amazing! The GoGos, The Cramps, Iggy Pop, Joy Division, David Bowie! Every time a new song "came on" I was giddy with excitement b/c they are some of my most favorite songs. The script itself is so witty. I really think all the actors were well cast for it. I have a feeling they won't be keeping all the same people though. It seems some were just temporarily cast. The girl who played Vixanne was so unbelievably perfect. Wow. As soon as I saw her I knew who she was supposed to be. I feel so scattered trying to recall things. It was the coolest thing watching that book come to life.. like even though it was a reading I could so clearly watch it as a movie played out right there. It kind of made me emotional. I can only imagine how Francesca felt. I know its going to be incredible! I just hope it doesn't take a long time to get it funded and filmed and everything. The end had me teary-eyed. It was just beautiful.
They said after the reading that Francesca would be hanging out.. and they were selling all her books so if you wanted her to sign any she would be hanging out in the back. There wasn't like a mad dash to or mob of people or maybe my timing was just perfect.. I just immediately went to the "back" and stood there with like 3 other girls patiently hoping she would make her way to w here we were because there was specific instruction of where she would be signing. She came up and said hi to some girls that were friends and i waited patiently.. just behind the 3 or 4 girls and came to her. She said "Hi." and looked at me. "What's your name?" and shook my hand and told me my name was pretty. She was so warm! She had fairy energy, totally. I found myself quite nervous.. I told her "I have a kind of funny story to tell you.." She's like, "You do? Okay. Tell me." I realize now that's not really a "funny" story per se but.. whatever. So I told her how i was sitting at home feeling uninspired wanting to write something and i thought of her and her stories and i hadn't thought of her or read any of her books for years. Then an hour later I went on Facebook and my friend Ashley had randomly left me the message about that event. It was like a sign. She thought it was pretty cool. She said, "You should come to one of my writing workshops. I do them every couple of months. Check out my website. I have one coming up in a couple weeks." Then I asked her what she thought of the Weetzie reading and she seemed so overwhelmed with happiness. I told her I thought they had the most perfect Weetzie and she agreed. It seems like I talked to her for a while.. she was so nice and not trying to rush me off or anything.
Then I just stood aside for a few minutes and this girl approached me and started talking to me. She was apparently listening to mine and Francesca's conversation about the workshop and she told me that i should go. She said she'd gone to a few now and its so cool because you get to go to Francesca's house and like hang out with her. She said Francesca let her read the Weetzie script even. She was bragging slightly but she was still nice. I asked if the workshop was expensive. She said, "yeah.. like a $100.. but i mean.. if you buy shoes for..." and I agreed that its probably worth it. I told her that it sounded like exactly the kind of thing I've been wanting to do to get inspiration.. but i would feel intimidated by all the people who are actually writers. She said that it wasn't like that at all.. that she felt the same way but that's why you do it. So I shook her hand and thanked her. She said, "See you soon." as if she knows she will be seeing me at that workshop.
I walked by the girl playing Weetzie and told her "You're a really good Weetzie" and she sweetly said, "Aww! Thank you so much!" Then I hung around the store for a bit trying to decide which book to purchase of Francesca's that I hadn't read. They only had a few at the front desk so I got "The Hanged Man" and "How to Uncage a Girl". As I was flipping through contemplating which to buy this older man started inquiring about Francesca Lia Block and Weetzie Bat. Asking me and the girl at cash register about it. He's picks up "Dangerous Angels" and asks, "So this Weetzie Bat story is in the this book?" I explain that DA is a collection of stories of which Weetzie Bat is contained...but Weetzie Bat was first written separately as its own book and it was FLB's first book. "So then its like a cult book?" he asked. I told him that I never thought of it that way before but after coming to the reading I suppose you could describe it as a cult book. I couldn't tell if the older man was being creepy and inquiring because of the cute, teenage girls who are into her books or if he really was just curious about the phenomenon that he witnessed at Book Soup. I concluded the conversation and he walked away and I purchased "How to Un-cage a Girl" and "The Hanged Man" and walked to my car on cloud nine and feeling super good about life and inspired and like I could see the endless possibilities again which is something I haven't felt truly in a long time.
I'm so so so glad I went to the reading. I have to say the day of I was totally not feeling like going anywhere. Anne wasn't going to come with me so I was going solo and I was just not up to it but i knew if i didn't go I would totally regret it. I've been searching for a while now for something to inspire me again and I think this experience has done it. I ended the evening with a stop at my old-stomping grounds at the 101 Coffee shop and sat at the bar people watching while eating my grilled cheese and sweet potato fries. A perfect end to a perfect night.