Carrie Brownstein was over at the Pasadena Presbyterian Church to talk about her memoir "Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl" with Amy Poehler. Little did she know that the Vroman's Bookstore-sponsored event would lead to something memorable not just for her and Poehler but for two people in the audience as well.
The event started out much like any other book reading. Well, maybe not completely, because Amy Poehler isn't exactly your run-of-the-mill host. When she was introducing Brownstein, Poehler described herself to be a longtime fan of Sleater-Kinney, recalling back when she worked at "Saturday Night Live" that she would joke with Fred Armisen about who their favorite musical guests and hosts would be. To Poehler, the answer had been Sleater-Kinney and Scott Peterson.
From there, the two talked about fame as an idea, including the early fan letters Brownstein sent to opera stars. As great examples of empowered women, they also touched on what it was like to be a woman working in Hollywood, which Brownstein said was frustrating because the "question is a conversation that is separated from experience."
When asked about the title of her book, Brownstein explained that in The Woods, one of Sleater-Kinney's albums, there was a song called "Modern Girl," and in that song, there was a line that went "hunger makes me a modern girl."
"There's a lot of hunger in this book in terms of want, need and desire," she added.
When it was the audience's turn to ask questions, one woman, after learning that Brownstein had recently become an ordained minister to marry two of her friends, asked her if she would her and her partner. Brownstein, of course, obliged, carrying out the impromptu wedding ceremony at the end of the event. Poehler took it upon herself to create makeshift bouquets from the flowers on the stage and take charge of piano music.
Aside from simply being officiated by Brownstein, the wedding was also her first, which would add to that to the significance of the ceremony for the couple. It was also the perfect ending to a discussion whose prevailing theme was love of oneself and acceptance.
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