Steve Gillmor’s GestureLab

I’m going to resume the conversation that used to be called The Gillmor Gang in the next few weeks. The Bad Sinatra Live session we did at Gnomedex was an experiment to see whether the old dynamics were still there and still valuable to those who have regretted my decision to shut the old show down. I’m waiting on the footage shot there to see if it can work as a Bad Sinatra, either in combination with other footage or standalone. But in any case there were enough interesting moments to answer my questions.

It’s not clear whether I can count on the participation of everybody in the same way or on the same day for that matter. Arrington and Calacanis seem busy with their conference and business models, Udell remains uninterested in the soap opera, Doc is moving his family to Harvard Square, and in general things seem to be entering a more professional phase. But I remain convinced that the quality of the dialogue among all of us is not being served by remaining on the sidelines, and I’m ready to fix that problem.

To be clear, this will not be a resumption of The Gillmor Gang; the reasons the show was stopped remain in force. But fundamentally The Gang was a representation of a conversation I’ve been a part of for years and one that continues as we speak. I like the reaction to Bad Sinatra — the same people who loved the Gang like the new show, and the rest, well, they can just keep moving. The issues that permeated the Gang also remain, but the economics of the time seem to have erased a lot of the dynamic tension that used to resonate between Vizard and Farber, between Hugh and Doc, between Arrington and Nick Carr, between Jason and… Jason. That was one big reason the Gang went dark; everybody stopped laughing about Office being dead because it became so obvious even Scoble had to admit it. I kid because somebody has to do it.

In Seattle, I invited David Ossman of The Firesign Theatre to join us for Bad Sinatra Live, and he gave the right answer: “Why not!” For both of us, there was strong resonance of the time in 1972 when we filmed the group in a live performance at KPFK in Los Angeles, the convention of the National Surrealist Light People’s Party, you know, the one where we nominated George Papoon running on his campaign platform: Not Insane! It was no coincidence that John Lennon wore the campaign button that year as he fought off John Mitchell and the Watergate crowd; this time we’re faced with a front-loaded campaign where the shouting will be over on the first Tuesday in February. Where The Beatles were the thought leaders then, today it is Jobs and Google and the iPhone/on demand/Facebook nexus that’s in charge.

Only a few recognized Ossman in Seattle, including one guy who was at the filming of the Martian Space Party 35 years before. But those who did recognized that this is a political campaign we’re in, and there’s no time to lose in getting the themes in place. The candidates: Winer, Canter, Scoble, Calacanis, Fitzpatrick — each addressed the convention, and irregardless of the drama, each locked in a certain number of delegates. Remember: someone will win this election day (2.5.08), in at least two parties. And I bet we’ll intuitively know who the winner in November will be that day as well.

At the end of the Bad Sinatra Live session, I signed off with the some familiar words: “See you again next time on another edition of The Gillmor Gang…” The folks in the room were paying attention; there was a quick intake of breath and then a laugh. They were right: it wasn’t a mistake, it was a joke.

Friday, August 24th, 2007 at 5:25 pm.
Filed under Uncategorized.
Subscribe to RSS 2.0.
Leave a comment or trackback.