Last night I gate-crashed, blagged and bullied my way into Paul Carr’s book launch for Bringing nothing to the party – confessions of a social media whore.
Paul Carr - launch party
True to form, it was a cracker. All of the usual suspects were there: Paul Walsh, Oli Barrett, Rob Loch, Justin Champney… to name but a few – it was going to be messy.
Rob Loch, Emily Dubberley, Oli Barrett
Scattered about the place were copies of Paul’s book, I presumed these were for sale, but was assured that they were for reference only, I had to go buy the book somewhere else, possibly Amazon (Paul was a bit vague). I have to confess that I did actually bring one home (I owe you a tenner, Mr Publishing House).
Paul Carr
Thanks to a fatality in Surbiton (shhh) I ended up sitting on a train in Waterloo for a very long time tonight, and started reading. From the prologue on I was hooked, his writing is brilliantly superb, but more importantly he is just so damn funny. I was laughing out loud in bits, but also rather chuffed that – it being a crammed train – two people were reading it over my shoulder and chuckling too. If the book was signed, I would have accidentally dropped it to show off that I ‘knew’ Paul. (But it wasn’t because I nicked it).
Paul's book
So, to share the joy and for Paul’s entertainment, to get me out of his bad books for nicking this in the first place and blagging my way in to his party, I am offering someone an opportunity to have supper with him in Adam Street Club, he refers to it constantly in his book and a copy of Bringing nothing to the party – true confessions of a new media whore.
All you have to do is say why:
I HAVE to have supper with Paul Carr because….
You can post your answer here, or if you are a bit shy send it to my gmail: mulquem@gmail.com
I will close this at the end of August, (but if no one enters, I will extend it to the end of September, October and so on 
)
The winner will get supper with him sometime this year, in Adam Street; a copy of his book – as soon as we can work out how to legally buy them
Why am I doing this? Sharing the joy of course, and because it is Friday and because I can.
25 Comments
August 8, 2008 at 7:44 pm
…because having made his confessions he needs me to give him absolution.
August 8, 2008 at 8:13 pm
Jo, being a full on proper vicar an’ all, I think you are right.
August 8, 2008 at 8:18 pm
i would like to have lunch with paul carr because i’m hungry !
August 8, 2008 at 10:11 pm
I’ve never been offered as a prize before. Some evenings I can barely bring myself to have supper with myself.
August 9, 2008 at 12:03 am
ahh the fatality in Surbiton..i was there too – a nightmare in and a nightmare out of waterloo. apparently a woman killed herself by crossing the tracks
August 9, 2008 at 8:00 pm
because then I’ll know I’ve hit rock bottom.
August 11, 2008 at 7:17 pm
I would like to have lunch with Paul Carr, because I know the food will be good. Waterloo, Late Saturday : I only manageed to get close to where I was going and ended up having to get a taxi.
August 13, 2008 at 6:38 pm
[...] if you’d like a free dinner, and don’t mind sitting opposite me while you have it, then click here and tell Emma why on [...]
August 13, 2008 at 9:51 pm
It would be interesting to see how the “other half” live.
The people who think their own self-importance can only be bolstered by having all the other social media whores telling them just how significant they are.
It’s probably not a co-incidence that these events are attended by the usual suspects or the same coterie. Who are all busy patting each other on the back and telling each other how special they are.
It’s a bit like being a novelist. If you went to the right creative writing classes at UEA and sucked up to the right people then you’d almost be guaranteed a good review for your first book.
But I doubt that you’ll want anyone around the dinner table who would dare to suggest that the emperor has no clothes.
And rather than picking a “hip” venue. Why not let the winner choose the location?
I’d rather eat prawns in La Boqueria than canapes in Adam Street.
And that might be cheaper option anyway.
August 14, 2008 at 8:12 am
Fair enough! The venue is Adam street as it is mentioned so often in the book.
August 14, 2008 at 10:24 am
I dont think he is a twat.
August 14, 2008 at 10:47 am
Nice!
August 14, 2008 at 1:14 pm
Excellent, now Paul has bought into the idea of being an auction prize, all that’s required is a better theme.
FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY, PAUL CARR WILL DROP THE NEW MEDIA, AND JUST BE A WHORE
Bidding starts at a fiver. The package includes 1 night with Paul in a 2 star hotel in Central London, and all the alcohol you require to get through the ordeal.
The prize is open to anyone over the age of 18, regardless of sex. You can also enter as a group, although no group can include more than 2 post op transexuals. Bidding closes at 11.59pm Sunday.
August 14, 2008 at 1:23 pm
because he owes me several drinks and this might be the only chance i get to recover the debt.
August 14, 2008 at 1:26 pm
I’d like to have lunch with Paul Carr because I need to get out of the house. (also I’d like to see him use his extendable fork in a real context)
August 14, 2008 at 1:44 pm
because I have always fancied myself as a bit of a JOE GILLIS from SUNSET BOULEVARD – would certainly suit the mood I would have thought
August 14, 2008 at 1:51 pm
I know it’s uncool to try to tip the voting, but I’d like to vote for CdL to win. He’s obviously still sore from not being invited to my (or any) party and it sounds like he needs the break.
He’ll have to pick a persona and stick to it throughout dinner, though. He can’t play the part of bluff-plain spoken realist and still come out with Observer Food Monthly gob-wank like ‘I’d rather eat prawns in La Boqueria than canapes in Adam Street.’ At least he didn’t call them ‘langostino’, I guess.
Doll face, if the Emperor writes a book called ‘Bringing Nothing To The Party’, it’s a pretty safe bet the he knows what he’s wearing.
August 14, 2008 at 2:06 pm
No vote rigging allowed
August 14, 2008 at 3:14 pm
…because this would be a satisfactory way for paul to repay the £60 he owes me for throwing my beautiful trainers off rob’s balcony
August 14, 2008 at 6:11 pm
…because I think it would be quite a fun evening, actually. (Surprisingly not sarcastic for once)
August 14, 2008 at 8:41 pm
> I know it’s uncool to try to tip the voting, but I’d like to vote for CdL to win.
Laughs. I seem to have struck a chord somewhere.
> He’s obviously still sore from not being invited to my (or any) party
Not at all.
It was the MOO summer party (and a couple of events before that) that set me thinking that “social networking” in London isn’t working properly because it’s the same self-selecting “inner circle” (Notes that you side-stepped that point…)
> and still come out with Observer Food Monthly gob-wank like
Dear God no. When in Spain then shop like a Spaniard. At your local market.
OK, if that happens to be the Boqueria then you’ll have to pick your way through the tourists.
But if you want real food wank then go to Borough Market. Wall to wall tourists, silly prices, and a much lower proportion of locals to be found.
> At least he didn’t call them ‘langostino’,
Not wishing to do the food wank thing… but that’s just one type of prawn.
Now here’s a deal.
I’ll bring a kilo of the finest prawns I can find in London that day. You bring a case of cava.
August 14, 2008 at 9:37 pm
Damn, damn trying not to be swayed in the voting… Rob Loch, will you wait on the table?
August 16, 2008 at 5:26 pm
No I don’t think that would add to the experience. Does the winner get dinner with Paul or drunk Paul? Two very different experiences.
October 5, 2008 at 9:38 pm
So I guess this isn’t going to happen then (why am I not very surprised)
Just another example of the same old social networking poncing. Talk the talk, but not much more else.
Laughs hollowly at Mulqueeny flouncing out the Twitter door.
Anyoe want to open a book on how long it will be before she’s back?
October 5, 2008 at 9:46 pm
Er it was won by Rhi, as announced in my later post…
And the winner is…
8 09 2008
I promised to send someone off for supper at Adam Street with Paul Carr, and a copy of his book.
Well, Rhi is the winner, for not thinking he is a twat. We will work out the details off here.
And now I have to work through a severe case of blogger’s block after discarding all of my queued posts for… pointlessness!