LOGICAL FAMILY by Armistead Maupin
I've been a huge Armistead Maupin fan since devouring his addictive book series, Tales of the City. When my first graphic memoir Kiss & Tell was picked up by Harper Perennial, I was tickled that he and I shared the same publisher--in fact, it was a deciding factor when choosing who to go with. And then my editor (maybe with some help from a doting comic from me) convinced Mr. Maupin to give Kiss & Tell a blurb. Ho-ly shit, right?
Here's the comic I made for him, circa 2009 or so:
And here's the blurb, which I integrated into a bit of promotional material:
Since Kiss & Tell was published in 2011, I've met Armistead on several occasions, including right after I moved to LA, when Olympia Dukakis was bequeathed a Hollywood star. Armistead Maupin is one of the warmest, sweetest, most charming literary icons I've had the pleasure of meeting. He always puts me at ease with a big hug, and sometimes tales of his life.
Here's a photo that was taken at our first meeting at Grace Cathedral, right after he made me blush, ribbing me about bringing shame upon my family or some such thing:
One time, Armistead described sitting across a dinner table from Simpsons creator Matt Groening. Years later, I met Mr. Groening at the Los Angeles Zine Fest and got the same story from the other side. Embarrassingly, I didn't realize it was him at first. Mr. Groening was buying one of each of my comics (a very rare occurrence!), and spotted Armistead's blurb on the cover of my book and said, "Oh, I once sat across from him at dinner."
"Who IS this magical guy?" I wondered.
When I tried to give him a multiple-book discount, he declined my offer, insisting on paying full price. It wasn't until he left my table that the folks around me started murmuring excitedly. Did I know who that was?? No, I did not, but as soon as I realized, I immediately abandoned my table, ran over to Mr. Groening, and gave him a hug (with his verbal consent). The Simpsons had meant so much to me through some very dark times. I've memorized entire episodes.
(Is this photo showing up sideways for you too? I don't know how to fix it! But you get the idea.)
But I digress.
So my point is that I love Armistead Maupin, both the writer, the man, and his amazing stories.
The most recent time I saw him, at a live interview he did with Don Bachardy, I wore a T-shirt of ironed-on gay porn. During the Q&A portion of the evening, when I raised my hand, Armistead noticed it was me and said, "Oh hello, Mari!" He squinted, noticed my T-shirt, and asked me to stand up and show the audience. I've never gotten so much gay male appreciation!
After the talk and signing, Armistead came over to me and introduced me to Don: "This is my friend Mari," he said.
Normally, I'm quite conservative with the usage of the word "friend." Especially here in Los Angeles, it's a term that I feel is thrown around way too much. In fact, only days before, I ranted to Gary that the word should be reserved for folks who have been invited to my home, know my husband by name, and have bonded at length with at least one of our cats or dogs. But shaking Mr. Bachardy's hand, I was not about to argue! I could make this one exception.
So back to the book Logical Family. In our meetings, Armistead had generously shared random tidbits about his life with me: a friends-with-benefits situation he'd had with a certain old-school celebrity; that he'd once been the devoted employee of a certain conservative jackass; that he'd been a military man, and more. The dude has lived a hundred lives!
"Why haven't you written a memoir?" I asked, possibly more than once. His real stories are even more fantastical than his works of fiction. I don't remember his response, although I'm sure he smiled sweetly (he's a smiler!) at probably the zillionth person who suggested he write a memoir. So you can imagine my elation when I heard his announcement about Logical Family.
In my life, with very few exceptions, I tend to be disappointed when I build up expectations. Well, this is definitely one of those exceptions. I listened to this book in only a few sittings, and when I wasn't listening, I eagerly awaited getting back to it. Armistead Maupin is a beautiful storyteller. He speaks with so much humor and compassion, with so much love and eloquence, that I was often beaming or in tears. This story of an amazing life was everything I could've hoped for, and I was sad when it ended.
To emphasize my love for the audio book, Armistead is an excellent, charismatic reader. I know on a personal level the challenge of just getting through your own reading, let alone doing it well. If you get the chance, I highly recommend seeing him read in person (I'm certain he'll be touring this book soon, if not already). But in the meantime, you should listen to this audio book. It's good enough for me to give it its own blog post. :)
For more of my book recommendations, I wrote out a list, which you can find HERE. I've also recently loved Myriam Gurba's MEAN (which I discuss at length in episode 4 of my Ask Bi Grlz podcast, which will post on Halloween day), and I just started listening to Carmen Machado's Her Body and Other Stories, which is already fucking blowing me away.
Man, I love books!
Which are some of your favorites?