Will by your self.

I've recently attended an evening with Will Self at Waterstone's impressive (size and interior architectural design wise at least) Deansgate store.  I've secretly harboured a desire to attend a book signing for many years but never quite got round to it.  Perhaps it was fear...what if Armistead Maupin singled me out and asked where I'd purchased my nifty slacks from?  Or if Ian Rankin asked me how I would deal with feral street kids?  Or, god forbid, Des Lynam superciliously looked down on my attempts at growing a suave tache?

Fortunately a friend asked me along as a sidekick, so I bounced off a text from a satellite orb stating 'count me in'.

I've always liked a perusal in this large Waterstones on Deansgate, the seemingly endless rooms and floors and rainforest worth of reading material (some good some not so good, but then that's down to personal taste).  The floors creak in parts just like proper book shops should.  Despite the emergence of wi-fi flat tops and book headed but cyber hearted members of the public ruminating over ebooks, the physical book remains stronger than ever.  It simply cannot be replaced by anything from silicon valley, Sau Paulo or Steve Jobs at is most bonkers.  You lose a virtual 'iPaperback' on the 42 bus after a one cherry beer too many you've lost a substantial amount of money.  Drop it in the bath and not only will you destroy the machine instantly (and the latest Murakami prose) you'll also undoubtedly kill your legs off.

Nope...the books here to stay for some time yet, unless of course we have a tree drought or in fact starve our lungs of oxygen during our 'tw*ting' of the planet.

Will came in like a middleweight boxer minutes before an important bout (a good approach to most things in life).  Perhaps slightly apprehensive, nervous almost of giving public speeches (even though Will is a media savvy guy).  He soon launched into a a good 30 minutes reading of his latest book entitled 'Butt'.  His accents crossed continents with the ease of Judith Chalmers rifling through a tourist pamphlet.  Wonderful to listen to (and look at – not at all like the stick thin, ominous chap he comes across as on the telly screens) he's a natual orator.

Following the reading he hosted a 'Q & A' for some time, fielding questions about his work, his views and George Bush (interesting tale about the man...can't say it would make you love Mr Bush Jr any more).

He seemed to have grips on the Mancunian history and geography (he's been up here a few times and appears to genuinely like the city) and is extremely generous in his answers – all round top bloke.

I never got a question in...perhaps it was because it was my first 'book signing/reading' and I wanted to test the water (I didn't even bring a book for him to sign at the end (my friend brought along around 25 novels).

Next time however I'll have a couple in my bag for the man.