THE VIEW FROM THE WEST - VOL. 2
A few words about readings.
Authors and poets standing up in front of people and reading from their work.
I have it in my head that a good reading should take on the character of its town. Meaning: a New York reading should be different than a New Orleans reading. A Seattle reading should be different than a Portland reading. A Chicago reading should be different than an Austin reading.
And so on.
Here in LA, it seems like a reading has to be entertaining. Meaning: It can’t just be a reading; it also must be a show. I don’t mean this in a bad way, either. It’s a natural extension of LA culture. The Entertainment Capital of the World. “A reading with jazz hands,” I like to say. People in Hollywood seem to expect jazz hands. They want some pyrotechnics, some musical theater, some weirdness, some special effects.
Maybe even some fake blood.
Or, on a lucky night, some nudity.
