Spalding Gray RIP
I can't count the times I sat through some performance artist's one-man show and thought, "God, why can't this guy be as good as Spalding Gray?" Gray, whose body was found today in the East River, remains one of my favorite performers from the 1980s. Anyone who thinks one-man shows are glorified yapfests should see "Monster In a Box." Pieces about writer's block can be self-indulgent, but I was hooked within ten minutes.

I remember this fantastic article he wrote about him and Laurie Anderson posing for pictures at the bowling alley in NYC's Port Authority, only they couldn't figure out how to look as if they were bowling. His self-deprecating humor will be missed. He deserves better than the ironic dek currently on the SF
Chronicle's website: "Star of 'Swimming to
Cambodia' is pulled from the East River in N.Y."