Montreal CONFIRMED! June 22nd

As many of you know (well, at least 127 of you) I'm coming to Montreal next week for a reading and signing of Just A Geek.

This is really exciting for me, because the entire event was put together by people in Montreal who started a demand with Eventful, pushed it to critical mass with the Browncoat (Serenity and Firefly) fan community up there, and eventually organized it with a combination of both.

I honestly didn't know where to go in Montreal. I looked into some indie bookshops, but I didn't have many to choose from, and I was, frankly, intimidated about cold-calling the big chain stores up there. I'm committed to keeping this entire experience as audience-driven as possible, though, so when the owner of a store called The Magical Blend offered to host me, I gratefully accepted.

This is a little unexpected, I know, because you wouldn't normally go to a magic (as in Wicca and occult, not Svengali decks and balls-through-cups) shop to see me, but it turns out that this particular shop is at the center of the big charity screening of Serenity on June 22nd, and it makes a lot of sense to go there, since critical mass for my appearance was reached though the efforts of that fan community. Though I'm not connected to Firefly in any way (other than being a pretty huge fan of the show, of course) my reading and appearance will be a pre-screening event for anyone who chooses to come out.

On a personal note, I'm no stranger to magic and occult shops. When I was a kid, I was fascinated by the occult, and spent lots of time reading books from stores like The Psychic Eye in the Valley, or from the two-shelf occult section of the average bookstore in the mall. Mostly, I read about things you'd see on In Search Of . . . or Ripley's Believe it or Not! like Druids, dream interpretation, and Cryptozoology, and I loved to buy candles and incense and things that I couldn't find anywhere else.

Whenever I picked up a book at an occult shop, it felt like an act of rebellion (though ultimately meaningless) against the arch-conservative Lutheran school where I went to elementary school, and learned that my favorite uncle was going to hay-yull because he was a Buddhist, even though he was kind and honest, and one of the most loving people I knew.

Heh. This memory, completely forgotten until I typed that last paragraph, just flashed through my mind:

On a family trip one year, we stopped at a strip mall so my mom could go into a drugstore for sunscreen or something, and I saw a bookstore next door. I had just finished The Shining, or The Dead Zone or something like that, and I wanted to pick up a new book. I got permission from my dad to go in (I must have been between 13 and 14) and I looked for the occult section. When I couldn't find it, I asked an employee where it was.

"What do you want with occult books?" He said.

"Oh, uh, I just like to read about that stuff. It's like In Search Of . . . , you know?" Though I was very young, something told me that I was capital-B Busted, and I should try to get out of there quickly.

"Here," the employee, a college-aged guy with curly blond hair, said, "you should read something that can help you." He put a Book of Mormon into my hand.

That's when I realized that I had wandered into a Mormon bookstore, and asked where the occult section was. It took all my strength not to laugh out loud at how stupid I was.

"Oh," I said. "No thank you. I think I hear my mom calling me." I handed it back, and got out of there as fast as I could.

Anyway, that doesn't have much to do with this appearance, but I never pass up an opportunity to wander off on some tangent and tell a story. If you come to see me in Montreal or Boston, you'll probably get to experience that first-hand.

Here are the details for my reading and signing in Montreal, for your cutting-and-pasting enjoyment:

Who: Wil Wheaton, author, actor, cad, knave, raconteur.
What: Reading from Just A Geek.
Where: The Magical Blend - 1928 St. Catherine's Street West Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3H-1M4
When: Thursday June 22, 2006  - 1:00pm
For More Info Call: (514) 938-1458

I hope you can make it out. I'll be honestly surprised if all 127 people who fueled the demand show up, but it's going to be very interesting and exciting to see who comes out.

Comments

[Kurya]

I know I will be there. Although I am one of the organizers :P. Look forward to meeting you!

[Cherikooka]

Oh My GOD. That mormon thing made me laugh. I lived in Salt Lake City for a year and I'm a twisted blend of many religions, including Wiccan, so I got a lot of books handed to me with looks of sympathy. That was a horrible year.
I wish I was coming out to see you!!! You need to come to Colorado!
-Cheri

[Kelly]

Wil - you're killing me here! The Demand for Dragoncon in Atlanta is way over 200 and no word from you yet about it! Is there ANY chance you'd go?

[Wil]

Dragon*Con is really complicated, Kelly. It's a difficult schedule juggle for me, and before I can try to make the schedule work, I honestly have to figure out a way to make it worth my time financially to come all the way to Atlanta. Montreal and Boston were easy, because I was already going to be in those cities.

I am honored that there's such interest in having me there, but I just don't know if I can make it work.

[Rose]

Hey Wil, I wish I lived closer to Canada, but I'm down in Virginia. Now DragonCon would be doable for me as I have family and friends there in Georgia. I hope you can work it into your schedule.

Will you be coming to the Virginia area anytime soon?

[MattW]

Oh man! I wish I was in Montreal... unfortunately I'm on the wrong side of the Atlantic, but a reading from Wil, Firefly stuff and an occult bookstore? You know something's good when your Pagan and sci-fi hearts are beating in harmony. Oh yes.

[Omaru]

As a brit I urge you all to go, listen to Wil and watch Serenity because it's a great movie, even if you haven't seen Firefly.
P.S: Wil theres a Serenity paperback one shot out there that bridges the gap between the series and the movie. Definitely worth picking up if you haven't already.

[sdultimate]

Montreal event details are now available at Eventful.

For DragonCon, it sounds like pure numbers aren't going to be enough to get Wil to go. How much would people be willing to pay to make it worth is while?

[napoleondynamitefan]

I don't know if I should say this or not, but . . . lol, I am Mormon. *everybody stares at her*

[Matthew Cox]

do you remember if that school was Missouri Synod Lutheran or Wisconsin Synod Lutheran? Just curious...

[starshine_diva]

OMG!!!

YESSSSSS!!!!

See you there! :)

Note to self: Bring books + Sharpie.

[canadapatricia]

Wil:

I wish I were in Montreal so I could go too! Anytime you're in Vancouver we would love to have you do a reading at one of our bookstores.

I laughed at the Mormon/Occult bookstore story. That reminds me of the time I gave a christmas gift to a friend of mine who is a Jehovah's Witness (they don't celebrate x-mas ....I was so unaware!). I got a lovely note thanking me for the gift, and a kind note about my faux pas!

cheers,
Patricia from Canada

[Anglicub]

Curious about the Missouri Synod vs. Wisconsin Synod question too -- I'm a WELS elementary school survivor myself. "Ah feel your pain."

[Laura]

Ah! Mélange Magique! I used to go there all the time when I was in high school. It's a lovely little shop with a cozy lounge area for readings. I saw another author speak there once and it was very comfortable. How terribly exciting.

[Wil]

I don't know what particular flavor of Synod the school was (this is the first time I've even heard the word) but I recall that they were all about fear, intolerance, and going to hay-yull for the slightest infraction. I'm sure that narrows it down, right?

naoleondynamitefan: You shouldn't feel uncomfortable or anything like that to be Mormon, any more than I should feel uncomfortable to be whatever it is that I am. Your faith is between you and your [G|g]od(dess)(es)(s), right? All are welcome here.

[Pope Zaphod]

A few years back in Ithaca, NY I was organizing one of the early Pagan Pride Days. I walked into the Logos Bookstore and asked them to put up a flier about the upcoming event. For whatever reason I never noticed that Logos was a Christian bookstore. They not only didn't put up the flier, but one of the employees alerted a Christian email list about PPD and told them all to pray for rain. My housemate said, "Well, Pagans consider rain a blessing from the Goddess, so it's very nice of them to wish us blessings!"

[ChantelleJoy]

Well, that's awesome about Montreal & Boston. It's wierd that you're skipping right by Toronto, but hopefully one day...

[wolfger]

the arch-conservative Lutheran school where I went to elementary school, and learned that my favorite uncle was going to hay-yull because he was a Buddhist, even though he was kind and honest, and one of the most loving people I knew.

Well, I didn't go to a private school, and my favorite uncle was atheist, but this comment still strikes a strong chord with me. Hearing people say how you need to believe in Christ to go to heaven really turned me off on the religion. I mean, here I was, 10 years old or so, believing that good people go to heaven and bad people go to hell, and suddenly I learn that good people go to hell if they aren't Christian??? What the hell (pardon the pun) is up with that? I decided shortly thereafter that I wanted nothing to do with such a fucked up belief system. If my uncle was going to hell, then that was a good enough place for me.

[JennyRebecca]

Be sure to take a side trip to Old Quebec City if you can! Wonderful place to visit - as is Montreal (and Vieux-Montreal) itself.

[saintlov]

Wil
Wish I could be there, but Niagara Falls is a bit far from Montreal. If you're ever in the Niagara Area (we do have the occasional poker tournament at the Casino here!!) I am so there!
I loved the comment about the Mormon bookstore! I've made many the faux pas like that!!
Have fun in Montreal, I have visited, and it is a beautiful, vibrant city.

[MrsVeteran]

Mormon bookstores always have an occult section.

It's in the back.

With the pornos.

And Danielle Steele novels.

And you must be at least 21.

Preferably 37.

Little-known fact.

[Trigeek]

Right on! As one of the mighty 127 I'm really looking forward to your reading.

1:00 in the afternoon....hmmmm... *cough* *cough*, I think I'm getting a bit of a cold, or at least will have one in a week. Or maybe I should go with the explosive diarrhoea since I've already had my tonsils out twice and all 8 of my wisdom teeth. Yep, E.D. it is (um, maybe I shouldn't abbreviate that one).

[napoleondynamitefan]

Hey Wil and everybody else - Thanks for understanding.

btw - Your story didn't offend me at all. My face turned beet red, but it was amusing, nonetheless. rofl

Man, I wished I lived close to Montreal. Anywa, I hope you have fun! : )

[Joe]

I share this in common with you. I also visited the Psychic Eye Shops in Sherman Oaks and Tarzana during my curious years.

The weirdos that hung out at those shops, just added to the surreal experience. I spent a pretty penny on both pendants and literature, to further satisfy my imagination.

I was looking for the existence of fantasy, in the read world, and that led me to meet some very unusual people.

Back in the late 80's, there was a chat bbs called Baud Town. This bbs would periodically hold user meets, and after partaking in one of these events, I quickly learned that the majority of the users were Wiccans.

What an interesting time that was....

[Becky..Absent Minded Housewife]

Being from Utah all I have to say is...

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

My God that's funny.

Wil, can I interest you in some powerful reading material? How about a video? Nah? Well shit...

When I lived in San Diego I attended a Wiccan circle with one of my good friends. Afterwards they served potluck with green jello (that's an amazingly mormon thing to do.) I was asked where I was from and after I replied I was asked "Didn't they tell you we were evil?" I laughed, said they were serving green jello and therefore they were forgiven.

If they'd had served funeral potatoes I would have felt right at home.