Books Last Night at Bumbershoot (Non-Wu-Tang Dept.)
posted by on September 4 at 16:26 PM
What Miranda July’s PowerPoint presentation at Bumbershoot was about: Her new book, Learning to Love You More, based on the website of the same name wherein people complete various assignments like “Make an encouraging banner” or “Record the sound that is keeping you awake.”
What’s on the book’s cover: Old man and an old woman making out.
What July said after she explained that she was going to give a PowerPoint presentation: “But it’s not going to be boring. I just put myself in your position and I was like, ‘Oh no.’”
Best encouraging banner: One from Poland that read “You will find it.”
What happened after the Learning to Love You More presentation: An auction.
Relationship between the Learning to Love You More presentation and the auction: None, which is why, as it started, July said, “Let’s just pretend that we all just got here.”
Beneficiary of the auction: “A worthy local cause.”
Up for auction: Three items July collected from people standing in line before the event.
First item: A blue, plastic souvenir coin purse emblazoned with the Pacific Science Center’s logo.
Topics discussed onstage with the coin purse’s owner: His job developing video games, his love of souvenirs, the death of his father 20 years ago.
Amount the coin purse went for, after fierce bidding: $28, plus $2 because the winner had no change.
Second item in the auction: A pair of red-handled scissors that recently failed to cut through thread.
Original owner of the scissors: A senior at Roosevelt High School named Fern.
Fern’s answer when asked what she wants to be when she grows up: “I’d like to be a journalist or a librarian.”
July as auctioneer: “$50? Do I have $50? They cut everything else but thread!”
Amount the scissors went for: $70.
Third and final auction item: A homeopathic remedy for tendinitis.
Occupation of the woman with tendinitis: Conflict mediator.
Total amount raised in auction: $160.
What July said after she counted the money: “This grant is not merit-based. It’s entirely need-based. It’s not that much money, although there’s been times in my life when $160 would have really affected me.”
What July said after she told everyone to close their eyes and not peek: “If $160 would make a difference in your life, just raise your hand.”
Grant recipient: Unknown.
Not that I don't her work and all, but seriously. Who else here is getting quite a bit Miranda Julyed out? I sure as hell am.
I think that "grant" sounds like one of the best things EVER. Just don't tell someone annoying like Oprah.
Wow, that's so like, intense. Like, totally.
Is it possible that you could do cutesy stuff so cutely that the world would just explode into bliss? Because if not, I'm really missing the point of this crap.
I love Miranda July, but even to ME that sounds boring. Maybe there was magic for the actual partipants. Probably the people whose shit got auctioned thought it was really meaningful.
hahaha. "Parti-pants" should read "participants"
Miranda July is so fucking flaky. I can't believe people buy her shit.
Yeah, 'cuz, like, doing nice things for strangers on a complete whim is soooo last Century...
I think she is absolutely adorable.
Something we share in common, Mr. Poe.
I was so hoping she'd show up at William Pohida & Jeff Parker's Back of the Line reading and start a rumble! Alas.
@5
I was so disappointed. I loved her "You and me and everyone we know" and also "no one belongs here more than you" but she was so really boring at bumbershoot. That was the first time I saw her live, does anyone know if that was a typical performance for her?
I loved July's PARIS REVIEW and NEW YORKER stories. In fact I had to augment my antidepressant intake after reading them I was so jealous. Alas! Her Bumbershoot(I was given free tickets thank goodness)deal which I caught the last half of WAS bland. Loved the movie & I believe she is writin' another; love her old video shorts that are so odd. I think with the Bumbershoot deal she was attempting to give REGULAR people a chance to perform, a chance to buy an art-via-context item. In a way her auction was a show of power, her ability to move money from one place to another by hypnotizing the audience into thinking something amazing was going on. Maybe blandness was the point of her non-pointed questions? The person I took with me, a CRAZY ex, leaned over and said, "Am I missing something? I don't get it," and I said, "That's because your whole LIFE is a performance every day -- these people need a guide." People near me were walking out in droves -- ah, choices! Hey, but didn't yawl LOVE Miranda's new fro?!
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