For as long as they can remember, Twilighters worldwide have been counting down the days to the release of the final book in the best-selling vampire saga. Now, MTV News has an exclusive announcement that will give fans one more reason to start lining up.
To celebrate the release of "Breaking Dawn," author Stephenie Meyer will attend four story-and-song-fueled special events, accompanied by Blue October singer/songwriter Justin Furstenfeld. Insisting the mini-tour idea is "cooler than anything I could have imagined," Meyer has made plans for the following dates:
· 8/1 - New York City @ Nokia Theatre at Times Square
· 8/5 - Chicago @ Harris Theater
· 8/7 - Los Angeles @ Royce Hall
· 8/12 - Seattle @ Benaroya Hall
Tickets for the "Breaking Dawn" concert series are $20 each and go on sale June 21 at 10 a.m. ET; information on where to buy them will be posted soon on StephenieMeyer and on TheTwilightSaga. After the concerts, fans can get autographs from Meyer. New York attendees will receive a limited edition "Breaking Dawn" bookplate, while fans at the other shows can bring their favorite Meyer novel for signing.
To help us make the big announcement as part of this week's Twilight Tuesday, an excited Furstenfeld was eager to talk about his most famous fan, the songs that inspired the author and whether he'll be appearing on the soundtrack to the "Twilight" movie. (Go to the MTV Movies Blog for more of Furstenfeld's thoughts on the soundtrack.)
MTV: How did you and Stephenie cook up these big plans?
Justin Furstenfeld: It's actually quite an honor. We got a call from Stephenie Meyer's publisher and manager, and I was told that some of my songs were quoted [as an influence] for her books. I had always been a fan of hers, and I was like, "What?" And next thing we knew, we'd come up with this question-and-answer, creative-writing concert series thing that's going on.
MTV: For people who aren't aware, take us through a few of Stephenie's playlist references to you.
Furstenfeld: When she wrote her book "New Moon," she quoted me for songs that had inspired her, she said, and she put us on her playlist. She has this thing called a playlist for all her readers. ...That song was "Hate Me." ... Also, the inspiration for some of "Eclipse" was a song called "Overweight," which was from our last album. And another song that helped inspire part of that book was a song called "Congratulations."
MTV: How, exactly, will these four events be going down?
Furstenfeld: Oh, it's a really classy kind of thing going on here. It's not just a regular rock-and-roll show. It'll be some question-and-answer stuff about creative writing, how I write my poetry and how she writes her books. And I'll play a few songs, and we'll have a good time.
MTV: Are you aware of the — how can I put this? — enthusiastic tendencies of "Twilight" fans?
Furstenfeld: I've just started understanding how ridiculous it is. ... It's almost like when I was a kid and I used to read Stephen King a lot; I was just like a cult follower. Anything he put out, I read in two days. She's like the Stephen King of today, but less gruesome. [Laughs.]
MTV: Blue October has a lot of die-hard fans too. Which fanbase do you expect to be dominating these shows?
Furstenfeld: Stephenie Meyer's fans can hold their own. I'm just looking forward to meeting a lot of new people. If some of our fans show up, that's even better, because they'll be introduced to Stephenie Meyer's fanbase. It's going to be crazy.
MTV: Tell us about the first time you and Stephenie ever met.
Furstenfeld: We're actually meeting this next week to listen to some music. We've never met face to face. We've just been complimenting each other via managers and via cell phones.
MTV: Everyone is dying to know what music will be in December's "Twilight" movie. Is this why you're previewing tunes for Stephenie? A mini-audition?
Furstenfeld: It's up in the air. I can't comment on that. We're going to see what happens when we meet and talk. I sure would love to score some of her movies, or have a song or two in it.
MTV: You've made no secret of your own personal struggles with substance abuse. Do you see similarities with the way the "Twilight" characters need to suppress their urges, resist their addictions, etc.?
Furstenfeld: Yes, and through her books and through some of my stuff, we touch upon issues that some people don't understand. It becomes an addiction and an obsession, and a disease, and you have to get to a place where you find that happy comfortable spot, and you try and live one day at a time.
MTV: I would think that, artist to artist, you're both eager to compare notes.
Furstenfeld: I can't wait to have that conversation with her. I want her to see this side of me, that music is therapy for me.
MTV: When you finally meet, who is more likely to ask for the first autograph?
Furstenfeld: I'm going to ask her for an autograph! What do you think? How many books has she sold?
Every Tuesday is "Twilight Tuesday" here at MTV News! Check back here each and every week for the hottest scoop on the film adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's beloved vampire series, and we'll still bring you breaking "Twilight" news throughout the rest of the week. And make sure you check out the MTV Movies Blog for our ongoing "Twilight" discussions each and every day.
Check out everything we've got on "Twilight."
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