SXSW Doug Block's Home Page ~ Fringeware Party

While all these events were going on, Doug Block's screening of , an independent film about people with personal sites was shown at The Alamo with a party afterwards at WholeFoods.com. I stopped by and caught up with the San Francisco contingent--Molly Steenson, Janelle Brown, Adam Powell of Greenrocket.com (and a professional musician), Jeff Veen (Hotwired) and Halcyon Styn (cockybastard.com). They were saying how was a very moving account of times past and left many people with a powerful feeling of high school from two years ago. At the end of the screening all the Hotwired people cheered and Adam ran into the media darling of this film, Justin Hall and Carl Steadman, who he recognized as having definitely changed. Carl is marketing himself now, whereas he used to be grounded and secure, now he's a rock star who's frustrated by Justin's truly engaging personality.

We all formed a posse and in separate vehicles made a procession to Paco's big party of the night at the Fringeware store. I had fabulously witty repartee with Beatrice Springborn, Jeff Veen and Peter Merholz, who has the second best business card I've ever seen, after mine.

[[MARCH 26, 1999:
THE AUSTIN SCENE REVISTED. Okay. Sometimes my reporting gets a bit fuzzy around the edges. But could you blame me when you're out amidst all these people imbibing and having fun? Sometimes this reporter wants to kick back a few too! Well, my account of Adam Powell's conversation about the Home Page movie and Carl Steadman got a bit tangled and here is a clarification. Adam, who admits he too had a few cocktails, completely denies all ill vibes against Carl, "who is something of a living legend and a genuinely affable fellow…Carl is everyone's hero... " So there. We're all in agreement. We all love Carl and wish him well. Maybe he'll even grace one of the Cocktails With Courtney parties? And, if you want to read a poetic account of SXSW, here's Adam's story: http://www.fillet.com/99/03/index1.html ]]