# Chuck Palahniuk Hugged Me! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 12, 2007, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-palahniuk-hugged-me/403793 "2007-05-12T01:58:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CeilingWhacks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8baadc/32.png) [@CeilingWhacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CeilingWhacks)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2007, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-palahniuk-hugged-me/403793/1 "2007-05-12T01:58:26Z")
I completely feel like a rock groupie! Chuck Palahniuk did a reading at my all time favorite book store…the Brookline Booksmith in Brookline, MA. I gathered all his stuff I had in the house that hadn’t already been signed…five books…and marched off about an hour early. He was signing stuff before the reading, but after waiting for forty minutes, I was told, “Sorry, you’ll have to wait until AFTERwards.” Dang it! He started his readings by announcing, “I’ve gotta piss, be right back!” Then, he alternated, first asking for questions from an audience member, then asking a trivia question about one of his books, then reading either something he wrote or something he’d received from a fan that he found interesting. The place had a total rock concert atmosphere. The bookstore had to sell tickets for $2 apiece just to keep the supply and demand in check. But there were throngs of people waiting outside offering to pay $20 for tickets and begging to be able to stand in the back of the theater. So they filled the local movie theater with MOBS of people, some of them in costume (prizes were given if you showed up in a wedding dress, a nod to his most recent work “Rant”). Prizes were also given for answering the trivia questions right. I won a squeeky rubber hamburger, signed and everything! I’ve never been so happy! Some people got inflatable moose heads or rubber arms and legs, but I was happy with my hamburger. He read us an unpublished and (he says) NEVER to be published story that he wrote, which I thought was a real treat. He also read a couple of fascinating notes he’d gotten from fans…amazing to see how he interpreted them and what he found significant in them. The man is a GENIUS! They’re making “Choke” into a movie and I totally can’t wait! I think I may be a groupie. But judging by the flocks of people acting the same way, at least I have a lot of good company. Then I got in ANOTHER line for like TWO hours…the little independent book store had a line around the block when I got there and it was STILL around the block when I left hours later. He signed all my books with rather personal comments, referring to things I’d asked him, stuff I commented on. He’s GREAT! He hugged me while i had my photo taken with him. I think he might love me. And, you know, everyone else in line who wanted a photo. I haven’t read the new one that I just got tonight, but I’m going to go start it now. He has one in process called ‘Snuff’ which sounds terrific, and completely grotesque. Any other fans out there? Anyone completely envious of me for getting to go? If you’re not, you should be. ---
**Author:** ![hawksgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ed655f/32.png) [@hawksgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawksgirl)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2007, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-palahniuk-hugged-me/403793/2 "2007-05-12T02:10:36Z")
Lucky!!! _grumps at the luck of unknown others_ ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2007, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-palahniuk-hugged-me/403793/3 "2007-05-12T02:19:27Z")
[QUOTE=CeilingWhacks] They’re making “Choke” into a movie and I totally can’t wait! I think I may be a groupie. But judging by the flocks of people acting the same way, at least I have a lot of good company. [/QUOTE] I wish they’d make the movie of _Survivor_ and not _Choke._ I found the latter to be far less interesting. ---
**Author:** ![St\_Ides](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@St\_Ides](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St_Ides)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2007, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-palahniuk-hugged-me/403793/4 "2007-05-12T02:43:40Z")
[QUOTE=Argent Towers] I wish they’d make the movie of _Survivor_ and not _Choke._ I found the latter to be far less interesting. [/QUOTE] Really? I had exactly the opposite reaction. Choke is by far my favourite book of his. Survivor is by far my least favourite. Something in me doubts I’ll ever get to meet him though. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2007, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-palahniuk-hugged-me/403793/5 "2007-05-12T04:51:59Z")
If you’re lucky, next time he’ll piss in your soup! ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2007, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-palahniuk-hugged-me/403793/6 "2007-05-12T05:43:28Z")
**CeilingWhacks** , are you a guy or a gal? ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2007, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-palahniuk-hugged-me/403793/7 "2007-05-12T10:04:22Z")
😕 Ain’t Chuck Palahniuk gay? ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2007, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-palahniuk-hugged-me/403793/8 "2007-05-12T10:12:48Z")
From Wikipedia: > [@](#): > > In September 2003, Palahniuk was interviewed by Entertainment Weekly’s Karen Valby. During the interview, Palahniuk in confidence mentioned information pertaining to his partner. While it had been previously believed by many that he was married to a woman (some members of the press had claimed he had a wife), Palahniuk had in fact been living with his boyfriend. Some time later, Palahniuk believed that Valby was going to print this information in her article, without his consent. In response, he put an angry audio recording of himself on his web site, not only revealing that he is gay, but also making negative comments about Valby and a member of her family. However, Palahniuk’s fears turned out to be ungrounded, and Valby’s article did not reveal anything about his personal life outside of the fact that he is unmarried. The recording was later removed from the website, making some fans believe that Palahniuk is embarrassed by his homosexuality. According to Dennis Widmyer, the site’s webmaster, the recording was not removed because of the statements regarding his sexuality, but because of the statements about Valby. Palahniuk would later post a new recording to his site, asking his fans not to overreact to these events. He also apologized for his behavior, claiming that he wished he had not recorded the message. ---
**Author:** ![CeilingWhacks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8baadc/32.png) [@CeilingWhacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CeilingWhacks)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2007, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-palahniuk-hugged-me/403793/9 "2007-05-12T10:49:58Z")
[QUOTE=Walloon] **CeilingWhacks** , are you a guy or a gal? [/QUOTE] I’m a gal! Is that bad? And I believe a film version of Survivor is also in the works, but a bit farther behind. I think that was my favorite as well. Though, I really did get off on Invisible Monsters. Oh, and we got the inside scoop about what’s coming down the pike next: I mentioned it in the OP. A book called “Snuff.” Apparently, he used Annabelle Lee as something of a model for a thing about three guys waiting in the green room with numbers written on their arms, waiting their turn for one of those “world’s biggest gang bang” videos while they have a little “chat.” I think the publishing date is next summer some time. I didn’t know he was gay. Never really gave it any thought, for some reason. And, you know, I didn’t REALLY think he loved me, gay or not. I was just hoping a little creativity rubbed off. ---
**Author:** ![CeilingWhacks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8baadc/32.png) [@CeilingWhacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CeilingWhacks)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2007, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-palahniuk-hugged-me/403793/10 "2007-05-12T12:28:25Z")
Yeah, Im’ a dork. That should have been Annabelle CHONG. You know, not the Poe version, the PORN version. Also, there’s info about upcoming movies and scripts here: [http://www.chuckpalahniuk.net/movies/survivor/](http://www.chuckpalahniuk.net/movies/survivor/) (That’s a link to the Survivor discussion, but the others can be found in links at the top of the page.) Apparently, a movie version of Survivor WAS in the works, but after hijacked planes brought down the World Trade Center towers, films about suicidal cult members hijacking planes were…err…put on the back burner. Just another reason to hate terrorists. ---
**Author:** ![saramamalana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/74df32/32.png) [@saramamalana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saramamalana)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2007, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-palahniuk-hugged-me/403793/11 "2007-05-12T20:21:29Z")
I am the jealous. Also, a movie of _Choke_?! I’m so there. That’s one of the few books I’ve ever read that caused a visceral reaction. Man that’s gonna be rough to watch, I love it already, hee hee. ---
**Author:** ![Viridiana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ebca7d/32.png) [@Viridiana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Viridiana)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2007, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-palahniuk-hugged-me/403793/12 "2007-05-13T17:15:34Z")
Dammit! He was at San Francisco’s last week and I missed it. Sounds like it would have been fun. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![CeilingWhacks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8baadc/32.png) [@CeilingWhacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CeilingWhacks)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2007, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-palahniuk-hugged-me/403793/13 "2007-05-13T18:14:11Z")
[QUOTE=Viridiana] Dammit! He was at San Francisco’s last week and I missed it. Sounds like it would have been fun. :mad: [/QUOTE] It would have! I actually can’t believe what a blast it was. I go see authors fairly frequently…you know, being a dork and all. And I always enjoy it, but this was an actual EVENT. I’m still very excited that I got to go. I’ve been happily telling everyone about it and most people just look at me blankly and say, “Chuck WHO?” So sad! One of the things he said that I found interesting was the he didn’t have a theater or drama background, but that these readings required some of that type of education sometimes. Timing, knowing when to wait for people to laugh, how to say things so that people DON’T laugh, and so forth. I guess a lot of big authors have to learn that kind of thing…how to be interviewed, talk to the public…it must be difficult for someone who’s a writer, not a public speaker.