Beers and Weirs

OMG OMG OMG! I met Martin Starr! Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Yesterday was the Freaks and Geeks reunion panel and Q&A, brought to me by the good work of Mr. Gleemonex as an xmas present. You GUYS! It was so much fun. They had Mr. Kowchevsky, Mr. Rosso, Bill Haverchuck, Kim Kelly, Neal Schweiber and Sam and Lindsay Weir – aka Steve Bannos, Dave “Gruber” Allen, Martin Starr, Busy Philipps, Samm Levine, John Francis Daley and Linda Cardellini – and creator Paul Feig. They had a bunch of great stories to tell, and Patton Oswalt kept it rolling as the moderator; nobody in the audience asked any really stupid-ass questions, though there were a couple of boneheaded ones -- one dumbass asked what they were all doing now (when it got to Martin Starr, he goes, “What are YOU fuckin doin?” ha!), and another asked what the other actors were doing now (e.g. James Franco, Rogen, etc.). General rule for asking actors questions: Don’t ask what you can find out jolly goddamned well on IMDB. Also: Don’t ask what anyone else is up to, e.g. Seth Rogen … we all know what Mister Comedy Superstar is up to, mkay? Stick to the rich banquet before you, you grabby insensitive fuck. I even got to ask a question – I said the show was too good to be on NBC, it was doomed from the start because it was so awesome, but if they could magically transport to today, did they think they’d have a better shot, what with channels like FX and AMC (who by the way owed F&G a debt for blazing that trail)? And Paul Feig took it & ran with it – short answer, yes. Yay! Aaaaaanyhoo … the whole thing was like a good conversation among friends, and you could tell they were all really enjoying being there.

So! After! Paul Feig, who is a real sweetheart, was kneeling onstage signing things; I got him to sign my yearbook and also my copy of Superstud, and told him how much I loved him and the show. Nobody else was around, so we left, but Mr. Gleemonex drove me on one more lap around the block – and by the back access door, who should be standing outside smokin but Mr. Rosso and BILL HAVERCHUCK!!!! I bailed out of the car almost before it came to a stop, and ran over to them. First I go, “Martin Starr will you sign my yearbook?” and he laughed and said sure, signing his photo on the second page, while I blithered on about how much I loved him and how great Haverchuck was and blah blah blah I am a hopeless fool. He was SO NICE, and seemed pleased (if surprised) by my yammering, and thanked me for coming (and I was like, no, thank YOU!). It was awesome! And then the people Gruber was talking to left, and I go, “Mr. Rosso will you sign my yearbook?” and HE laughed and said sure, and signed Mr. Rosso’s page, doing a little drawring of himself and everything. I yammered at him, and said I’d been a fan since Tenacious D’s Jesus Ranch bit, which cracked him right up, and shook hands and then he went back down the alley and into the club.

Ohhhh, you guys. It was so perfect. Y’all all shoulda been there.