We Love Ellen Forney

Yes we do. Ever since moving to Seattle in '93 and discovering "I Was Seven in '75" in, we're pretty sure, the Weekly, back when we read anything but the movie times in the Weekly.

So we thoroughly, heartily, and fully recommend attending her "Reading/Video/Performance/Signing" at Bailey/Coy books tonight at 7, followed by purchasing her new book, I Love Led Zeppelin. Yes, The Stranger recommends it too, but they've worked with Forney in the past and might be biased. Ellen Forney doesn't know us from a hole in the ground. We're not biased. We just know quality comic work when we see it.

Since comics are a visual medium, doing a regular reading isn't really possible, so when Forney's last book, Monkey Food, came out, she developed a "multi-media show" using a slide projector, boombox, props, and live narration, which she toured in nine U.S. cities, Canada, and Portugal. For I Love Led Zeppelin, the show is a little more high tech, with images and audio on DVD (directed by Ellen and produced by a couple of friend/techie artists) using a video projector and Forney's live narration and props. There will be video adaptations of four of her comics, and the performance will last about 30 minutes.

Comics that Forney will perform include "How to Be a Fabulous Fag Hag" (an adapted interview with Margaret Cho), "My Date with Camille Paglia" (a true story!), "Seattle's Erotic Landmarks" (should be included in any tour of Seattle), and "The Final Soundtrack" (about what music you would want playing while you die? in Forney's case, Led Zeppelin).

We haven't read the book -- note what we said before about Forney not knowing us, which means we don't get preview copies (hint hint) -- but we're sure we've read parts of it in local media, and we're also sure that what we haven't read, we'll love.

Can't make it tonight? You can still catch her at Elliott Bay next Wednesday night at 7:30.