ARE YOU a hoarder or collector? Do you wonder about the stories behind an old photograph, scrap of paper, or discarded letter that you might have come across?
If the answer is yes, then an event which takes place at the Róisín Dubh next week, will be well worth your while checking out, as the man behind the Found magazine in the US, is bringing his stage show/readings/music show to Galway.
Davy Rothbart is an author, filmmaker, and the founder and editor of Found magazine, based in Los Angeles. Found collects discarded notes, letters, flyers, photos, lists, and drawings found in the street and sent in by readers.
The magazine spawned a best-selling book, Found: The Best Lost, Tossed, and Forgotten Items from Around the World in 2004. A second collection was published in 2006. The magazine is published annually and co-edited by Rothbart’s friend Jason Bitner.
Rothbart - accompanied by his brother, the musician Peter Rothbart - often tours the US and abroad to share his finds and invite others to share their finds with him. His next stop takes him to the Róisín Dubh on Saturday October 11 at 8pm in the upstairs bar.
This tour is to celebrate the release of the latest Found book, published by European company Octopus. So what can we expect to see from Davy on the night?
“At these shows, I get up on stage with a stack of my favourite Found notes and letters and give them an energetic reading,” Rothbart says. “My brother Peter plays songs he’s written based on Found notes. The finds are absolutely magical, and the audience always seems to laugh a ton and leave feeling exhilarated and inspired to go out and start finding stuff!”
Joining them on this tour will be Brett Loudermilk, a 19-year-old sword-swallowing prodigy, and a “fiercely entertaining” underground DJ from Los Angeles named Andrew Cohn.
The Found magazine and tour has won high praise from all sides. The New York Times said the Found show is “hilarious and heartbreaking” and “one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences that changes the way you look at the world.”
The Boston Globe has called the show “a powerful fix for thinking voyeurs” while The LA Times calls Davy and Peter Rothbart “utterly engaging performers”. Actress Drew Barrymore simply declared: “I love Found!”
Tickets are available from the Róisín Dubh and Zhivago. See also www.foundmagazine.com
