SOURCE: "Somebody to Talk About," in The New York Times Magazine, 8 March 1987, pp. 40, 92-4.

In the following article, Simpson contends that "most of all," Swimming to Cambodia "is about what it's like to be Spalding Gray. " She also discusses with Gray the making of the film version of the piece.

As the movie opens, a middle-aged man in an unimpressive coat walks through New York traffic, hands jammed in his pockets. He enters a street-level door below a small sign that says "The Performing Garage." Inside, at one end of a large room, an old wooden table holds a pitcher and glass of water. The man, now in a plaid shirt, minus the coat, sits down, places a Ronald McDonald spiral notebook on the table, takes a sip of water, faces the camera and begins to speak:

"Saturday, June 18, 1983, Hua Hin, Gulf of Siam, Thailand. It was the...