Tonight I went to see Spalding Gray preform his new ("work in progress") monologue called "Life Interrupted". I've been wanting to see him perform for years, ever since I read "Swimming to Cambodia" on an overnight train ride from Melbourne to Sydney back in 1993. I even extended my stay in New York just so we could catch the show which is only on Sunday and Monday. But when I called the theater this afternoon to reserve tickets, they told me it was sold out. SOLD OUT! SHIT!

We decided to go anyway. I figured someone wouldn't show up and we could snatch up a pair of tickets. We walked down Columbus Ave and caught the subway down from 59th street to East Village where lies the PS 132 theater. The dude in the box office said there was a decent chance there would be some one selling tickets, but they didn't sell no-shows because people sometimes came as much as 20 minutes late and would be pissed if the theater sold their seats. So we waited and waited and finally at the last minute, litteraly right at 7:30 when the show was supposed to go on, a woman walks in with one ticket to sell.

Here we had something of a dilemna because both Josh and I wanted to see the Mr. Gray and neither of us was willing the see it while the other waited for an hour at cafe or walked around the block a few dozen times. The box office dude came to our rescue and said he could sell us one seat, which might be standing room, if we bought the one ticket from the woman. So everyone was happy.

It turns out we got great seats. Josh was in the front row and I was right behind him. Within a few minutes, Spalding Gray comes limping from the darkness behind his signature desk and he sits down and starts telling this story and that is how the show begins.

"Life Interrupted" is about the car wreck he was in during a trip to Ireland for his 60th birthday and his subsequent convalesence. Poor guy is all jacked up and
I think the head injury he sustained during the accident might have damaged his faculties. At least he doesn't have the energy he used to have.

Despite all this and being a work in progress, the show was great. His stories are funny and poignent. He has an incredible delivery that just puts me in such a state of ease and wanting to hear more and more. I was severely disappointed when he stopped talking and the show was over.

Afterwards we walked around the East Village, stuffed our faces in a
Polish restaurant, and walked around some more. I love the pulse of the city. It's really an amazing place.

I'm heading back to DC tomorrow and then out to Arizona on the 5th. It's going to suck to leave the east coast. I've really enjoyed my stay out here and the weather has been so damn agreeable.