Beginning what would become a hilarious and informative show was a warning for those toward the right of the political spectrum: do not be offended by comments or jokes about republicans made during the performance.

The show was hosted by Dave Eggers and featured guests Spike Jonze, David O. Russell, and Patton Oswalt at the Dinkelspiel Auditorium at Stanford, April 27 at 8 p.m.

The host, Dave Eggers, a well-known writer, has authored popular novels such as A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, You Shall Know Our Velocity! and How We Are Hungry. In addition to writing novels, Eggers regularly writes on a variety of subjects ranging from art and music to politics for numerous magazines and periodicals such as The New Yorker, Punk Planet, Spin, and Zoetrope. Eggers also runs a writing lab for budding poets and authors in San Francisco named “826 Valencia”. There, he teaches high school students and runs daily writing workshops. Eggers explained in his performance that because 826 Valencia was located in a shopping district, it was necessary that some sort of product be sold. As a result, the writing lab operated behind one of the Bay Area’s few pirate merchandise shops, where the quality of planks and hooks is higher than anywhere else, according to Eggers.

Eggers’ dry and sarcastic sense of humor peeked through his speech at times, turning what could have been a boring lecture into a conversation with the audience. Sprinkling his talk with amusing vignettes and anecdotes, Eggers received appreciative chuckles from the audience, and the event culminated in enthusiastic applause from every corner. Eggers identified the topic as “gelling around the idea of ‘what are we gonna do now?’” in retrospect of the 2004 election.

During the show, two short documentaries were presented, both filmed and directed by Spike Jonze, an acclaimed director, actor, cinematographer, screenwriter, and producer. Jonze is most widely recognized as the director of Adaptation and of Being John Malkovich, which was nominated for three Academy Awards. Jonze was acknowledged in the film world after his direction of the Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage” music video, which received numerous awards and much praise from critics. Jonze has also worked with artists such as Weezer, Fatboy Slim, Bjork, Notorious B.I.G., and R.E.M.

The first of the two videos played was a 10-15 minute documentary on Al Gore, filmed shortly before the 2000 election. Eggers insisted that if the video, which portrayed a day in the life of Al Gore and his family, had aired during the Democratic National Convention as it was supposed to, there would have been different results in the 2000 presidential election.

The second video was another politically themed documentary, but on the occurrence of soldiers in Iraq raiding houses and stealing money or goods they found inside. The soldiers, who were arrested, wanted to give a full confession and Jonze was given the opportunity to create a short film about the ordeal.

David O. Russell, the director of I Heart Huckabees, also spoke at the performance, highlighting experiences from his career as a professional director and from his involvement with the war. This portion of the show was a question-answer type discussion between Eggers, Jonze, and Russell, with Eggers asking most of the questions. In an effort to keep conversation lively, Eggers asked many pertinent and reflective questions, though every so often he would interrupt the speaker in an effort to reduce digressions in the conversation.

Patton Oswalt, Entertainment Weekly’s “It” comedian in 2002 and one of Variety’s top 10 comedians in 1999, was last in the sequence of performers, but was given the whole stage to use by himself. Rather than talk to the audience, Oswalt gave a short stand-up comedy performance that left the audience in hysterics. His comparison of President Bush to Darth Vader and his hilarious narratives were the perfect end to the show. Though every other sentence Oswalt spoke contained profanities and he touched on sensitive subjects such as gay marriage, the audience’s resounding laughter conveyed their approval.

“Dave Eggers and Friends” was the perfect combination of seriousness and humor, and each of the speakers gave the performance something original. It was an excellent way to spend a Wednesday night and was an interesting way to get to know each of these well-known authors, directors, and comedians.