Attended Cory Doctorow MEETS DJ Spooky: A CBLDF Benefit Mashup

What can I say about the two creators who met last night to talk about things WAY over my head? It was mind-blowing. Both Cory Doctorow and Sir DJ Spooky were two of the most-learned men I’ve ever listened to, throwing around references on just about everything from the German music scene circa 1920 to governmental initiatives that I didn't even know existed. I was quite-literally blown away by their collective creative output and their top-notch computer-savvy knowledge.

Attending with good friend and co-creator of the small press comic DIVISION 18, Matt Bergin was my co-pilot for this strange trip. We were in awe of the accomplishments of these two seemingly young men: Doctorow being the former European director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and DJ Spooky able to negotiate with the Greek government to be allowed to play a remixed version of a controversial film at the Parthenon - amply modified with speakers to his liking of course.

How do they do it?

All of this was worth it of course, as ticket sales went to support the CBLDF (Comic Book Legal Defense Fund) which is an organization very much worth it. It was very cool of these two esteemed gentlemen to come together for this event, supporting the CBLDF, and talking directly to their fans.

Also, the very slick DJ Spooky treated the crowd to sample cds of his mixes which were handed out and encouraged to be shared. I’ve already loaned them to my friend Nancy who wanted to check them out. It’s all about sharing people…a theme of the evening.


Also, on the way out I picked up Cory Doctorow’s novel Little Brother, which I’d been meaning to read for a while now. I was planning on getting him to sign it, which would have been totally cool, but he seemed quite swamped by the crowd and it may have been a long while before he got to me. Not a problem, I enjoyed listening to him talk about computer freedoms and I can’t wait to read the book in its pure unsigned state.

A good time was had by all and I was sad to have missed the after party where the aforementioned DJ did his business.

If there is one song that amplifies all the lessons I learned at this event, it's Corey Hart from the 1980s hit, Never Surrender:

Just a little more time is all we're asking for

Cause just a little more time could open closing doors

Just a little uncertainty can bring you down

And nobody wants to know you now

And nobody wants to show you how

So if you're lost and on your own

You can never surrender...