In which SEK is, for once, rendered speechless
By SEK was — as you well know — once a respected academic who hobnobbed with the people at the very top of his discipline. So he is accustomed to meeting people whose work he has invested days and months of his life into. But none of them were on the television and apparently that makes a big difference, as SEK learned at the Dallas Comic Con this weekend.
SEK was wandering around in a futile attempt to keep up with one of the Con’s organizers, Devin Pike, when he “accidentally” ended up in the “backstage” area where the talent hangs out when they’re not signing or taking photographs. And before you ask — if you give SEK media credentials he will “accidentally” end up a lot of places he’s probably not supposed to be. That is the nature of SEK and even if he didn’t do it deliberately the universe would oblige. Or possibly insist.
So SEK was “backstage” and he walks smack into the preternaturally charming John Barrowman.
SEK: (audibly gasps) …!
BARROWMAN: (reading SEK’s name tag) And you are…media!
SEK: (trying to remember what words are and if they mean) …!
BARROWMAN: And where do you media, Scott?
SEK: The Onion.
BARROWMAN: I love The Onion! You should hire me, I’m hilarious!
SEK: (losing his words again) …!
BARROWMAN: Great to meet you, Scott, gotta go!
And then he danced out of SEK’s life forever. SEK takes comfort in the fact that, at least, he got two words out in the face of Captain Jack’s relentless charm offensive. In SEK’s defense he did fare better here than the first time he met Gay Talese. That was an unmitigated disaster.
Also, for those of you who amused by such things — here was how to find SEK at the Con. He is nothing if not consistent.