The 'Sleepwalk' Stereotype

Tonight I'm writing up the last review before my long-awaited, sorely-needed vacation. I'd be understating it if I told you I was totally burned-out. Not in what I do -- I'm thankful everyday to have two jobs I enjoy -- but in how much of it I've been doing.  When one's on break, the other slog ons. Well, I'm shutting them both down, temporarily (I hope).

So while I'm on an airplane somewhere over the Pacific later this week, you can read my interview with "Sleepwalk with Me" director, co-writer and star Mike Birbiglia, and my review of the film, which both come out Friday. (You can find them at my U-T page as I'll be blissfully unable to link them here).

I make it pretty darn clear in both articles that I'm a fan of Birbiglia, "This American Life" and Ira Glass, who produced the film and co-wrote it. But what I don't get to say is that I'm kind of embarrassed about it. Not that I'm a fan -- because I think Glass and his peeps are doing terrific work that's led to a revolution of sorts in spoken audio entertainment -- but because I'm apparently exactly the type of person who is.

I know this because I simply cannot escape "Sleepwalk with Me," Birbiglia, Glass or any combination of the three. They're everywhere: on my iPhone, on my radio, in the newsfeeds crawling up my screen all day.

Now, I know there are plenty of people out there who've never heard of this film, or couldn't begin to tell you how to pronounce Birbiglia (I prefer Kristen Schaal's attempt in the film, Pandapiglio), so it isn't that Harvey Weinstein just threw in a couple million bucks to get this movie some Academy eyeballs. This is low-budget, grassroots, public radio-style marketing we're talking about.

I'm inundated because I am the exact target audience for this film, and the marketing folks know it. (I even told this to Birbiglia during our phone conversation and he freaked me out by saying he remembered seeing my tweet about it the night before. It really never occurred to me that he might actually read said tweet). I'm in my 30s, white, over-educated, left-leaning, consider myself more urban than suburban (six years living in NYC gives me some street cred, no?), etc. I'd probably shop at Whole Foods and eat organic if I could afford it.

That embarrasses me a little. And here I thought I was so unique.