Bruce Campbell is the B-est

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----Bruce Campbell, star of the Evil Dead movie series and a dozen or more brilliant but quickly cancelled tv series AND self proclaimed B-movie superstar, gave a book reading at the Union Square Barnes & Nobles on Thursday, for his new book Make Love! the Bruce Campbell Way which I couldn't quite finish before the reading but am almost done with now.
For those of you not as familiar with his work as an unofficial membership in a fan club might require, he is the premiere icon for the ever-shrinking world of camp comedy. He delivers lines with a self assured, straight-face delivery that only makes the slapstick groin punch that often follows that much funnier as he crumbles to the ground. He grew up next door to Sam and Ted Raimi. Sam, of most recently, Spiderman 1, 2 & 3 directing fame and has appeared in most of his films and TV series, to some extent.
----Matt and I were in attendance. Oh. My. Lord. He is freakin' hilarious in person. I kept thinking "ok, he can be hilarious in print 'cause he'd have time to write and rework pieces for maximum comedy, but how the hell is he THIS hilarious in person??" He threw out crowd killer comedy with the same ease he had killing Deadites. Something about the comanding voice, the perfect timing and the B-movie-star with A-movie-star confidence (deserved or not) has endeared him a rather large fan base, some, of course, were the typical movie-t-shirt-wearing, obsessed fan variety.
----There actually was no official 'book reading', so he launched into answering questions. Most were run of the mill type questions, some were ridiculously lame, self-focussing questions from that frustrating sort of "look at me" type audience member, but some questions were spot on great.
----Someone asked what his role in Spiderman 3 would be - to which he said "Well.. let's review... as you all know... in the first movie.. my character, the ring announcer did what? [pause] yes.. that's right.. he named "Spider man".. eh? eh? right? ok. and in Spiderman 2..? "Snooty Usher"..? the snooty usher kept [someone yells out DEFEATED Spiderman!] YES! that's right..! I ... defeated .. Spiderman... very good [he smiles, I think, a little mad that he hadn't thought of that himself] .. yes, I defeated Spiderman. So of course, in Spiderman 3, I will be Spiderman. next question?"
----Other interesting info to surface was that he lives on a large farm in Oregon and grows lavender with his wife. When asked what he does with all that lavender, he said "you're not going to believe it but... we take it to Steven Segal's ranch in California and refine it. I kid you not. Steven Segal owns a ranch the size of Rhode Island in the middle of California, I guess from making... Under Seige 2 maybe.. and he has all sorts of botanicals and herbs and who knows whatnot else all around.. anyway, he's got these... vats and... bubblers and such... this is all very scientific, isn't it? So.. we take the lavender down there and refine it. Then we fight a little [he makes chop fighting motions with his arms]."
----I'm not doing his comedy justice, but needless to say, if he does a reading in your town, GO. Do NOT not go and tell yourself later "Ahhhrgh, I should have gone!". No. Instead? Go. Go see him. You will laugh. You will smile. You may get a little gassy, I dont know. Kinda depends on what you ate before hand. But go. Go see him.
----Also, rent all his movies and see his new movie, out in theaters now.
----And of course, visit his website http://www.bruce-campbell.com/ to stay up on your Bruce Campbell happenings and babblings.