Bay Blogger Thursday
Scott Beale of Laughing Squid has been doing the crazy EssEff art and engineering thing for longer than a lot of people have even lived here in the city. Like other big-time bay bloggers, what started as an email list -- about underground art events and projects -- has turned into an internet empire. Laughing Squid, the web hosting service, is responsbile for handling all of these folks sites, among others.
Scott recently started the "Cephaloblog," which is a seriously stupendous resource for the wierd and wild going on around town. Need to know when to catch Power Tool Drag Racing on the Discovery Channel? How about the story behind San Francisco's hottest Polka Revue? And we can't wait to join Scott at South by Southwest Interactive and share notes over brisket and beer. After the jump, we pepper Scott with questions in a special lightning-round interview.
The name, Laughing Squid, where did it come from?
Yeah, that's the one I get asked all of the time. Maybe I should make up a good story.
I started Laughing Squid in November 1995 (yeah, we also share a 10 year anniversary with Yahoo, Apache, Amazon, Ebay, etc.) as a documentary film and video production company. I wanted to come up with a name that would be unique and memorable. I've always had a fascination with squid. They always seemed to be the underrated cephalopod compared to the octopus (of course that is all changing now, with all the squid press these days). I was flying back from the East Coast and my first documentary was almost finished, so I made it may goal that before I land, I had to come up with a name for my organization. Five hours later, Laughing Squid was born.
What's your favorite method of cephalopod preparation for human consumption?
Food prep! That's a good one. Ask my wife Lori, the only thing I cook requires that you punch fork holes in the top and throw it in the microwave. She really hasn't prepared any squid dishes at home, but whenever we have some kind of official Laughing Squid meeting or dinner, I always order fried calamari. I'm a certified cephlo-cannibal.
Giant maneating squid: myth or fact?
Oh it's true alright, I mean they have to take a break from sperm whale once in a while. Regardless, to them it all "tastes like chicken".
If you were Marvel's "SquidMan," would you want super-tentacles or super-ink?
Super-tentacles! I could get way more done, 10 times as fast.
If I were "SquidMan" I think I would look something like the squid illustration that Hugh D'Andrade created for our first Laughing Squid postcard.
Why should folks sign up for you as an ISP?
While technically we are an ISP, web host would probably be a better description.
People use us to host their websites because we are independent, reliable, secure and provide personal tech support. Plus we have the best customers you could possibly ask for.
Didn't you know blogs are soooo 2003? Why start now?
I knew that I really shouldn't take the plunge until I was ready to commit to posting on a regular basis. Also, I always assumed that blogs were really for writers (many original bloggers, like Justin Hall, were writers as well), but then I realized that I didn't necessary have to approach it as an online journal or write endless diatribes.
I actually started the process of setting up a blog in 2003 and 2004, first with Blogger then Movable Type. Finally when I discovered WordPress, I know that found the right tool for the job. WordPress 1.5 just came out and it is better than ever. Give it a try if you are thinking about taking a dive into the blog pool.
What's your favorite Bay Area public art event?
There are so many to choose from.
Historically, it would be the dedication of Brian Goggin's Defenestration project on March 9th, 1997. Defenestration is a abandoned 4 story building, located on the corner of Howard and 6th Streets, that has various pieces of furniture trying to escape from the windows and roof. It was only supposed to be up for a year, but it's still there, so go down and check it out.
These days it would be things like Survival Research Labs, The Life Size Game of Mouse Trap, Cyclecide's Bike Rodeo, The Power Tool Drag Races to name just a few.
What's your own favorite creative achievement?
That would be creating the documentary on Alonso Smith, an amazing, satiric social surrealist that had been been painting for over 50 years in the Bay Area. This documentary was the original reason for starting Laughing Squid. Alonso passed away just 6 months after we debuted it in San Francisco, so I was so glad that he was able to see it before he left us. Today this video continues to celebrate his legacy and contribution to the art world.
Finally, hit us with an "Only In San Francisco Story:"
That's a tough one, since I have been lucky to experience so many in my 13 years here. If I had to narrow it down to just one, it would be during the 1995 Santacon event. A hundred of us where dressed up as Santa and causing trouble in Union Square until the police requested that we leave the area. 30-40 of us boarded a 38 Geary Muni bus (you know the double-length accordion version) to make our way out to the Palace of Legion of Honor to crash the SF Chronicle party (we heard that Herb Caen would be there and we wanted him to mention us in his column). On the way there the bus, yes the entire Muni bus, was pulled over by the police and they we were told to get off the bus. As we exited, they asked us to lower our fake beards as the cops conducted an impromptu line-up with a security guard from The Emporium. It seems that one of the Santas had stolen a Christmas wreath or some such object from the store and they were determined to find out who was responsible. It was one of the most surreal moments in my life. Ten years later, the Santas are still going strong and Santarchy has spread all over the world.
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