On Monday night, writers and editors of the popular pop culture site The AV Club came from New York and Chicago to descend on Union Hall in Brooklyn, where they celebrated the release of their new book "Inventory" with a full house of adoring geeks who treat film, TV, and music critics like rock stars. In readings from "Inventory," the new book of pop culture lists, AV Club members Keith Phipps, Josh Modell, Kyle Ryan, Tasha Robinson, Nathan Rabin, Andy Battaglia, and Amelie Gillette told us what songs should never be covered again, alternate film endings we should be glad we haven't seen, unconfirmed celebrity rumors (in PowerPoint form), bonding with Bronson Pinchot, and more live excitement on stage.
We spoke with AV Club editors Keith Phipps and Josh Modell this week about "Inventory," making lists, and why theater isn't considered "pop culture":
Blog Stage: The place was packed Monday night! I underestimated how popular you guys are.
Keith: I did too. (laughs) I had no idea that we’d have that crowd. That was awesome.
Have you had that kind of response in other cities?
Keith: I think this was the biggest crowd we’ve had, and certainly the
heartiest response I think we’ve had too. I actually was polling
everyone, and a lot of people were not from Brooklyn. People came in
from Queens and New Jersey, which was awesome.
During this book tour, you've been forced to make the
transition from writers, who tend to hide behind the scenes, to being
the center of attention on stage. Can you describe that experience?
Keith: It’s been really weird. I wasn’t expecting it at all, and I
guess one thing I’ve learned is that any fear you have of public
speaking kind of gets negated by the need to perform once you're on
stage. Not that we didn’t have our nervous moments or whatever, but
when it's sink or swim, you better swim.
But in terms of the reception,
it’s just been really cool. I think we’re faithful to our readers, and
in some ways our readers are faithful to us so, it’s really cool to
meet those people.