DNC Day 2 - Big Splash, Darryl Hannah on the Daily Show!
12:05 PM Aug 26, 2008
The Electric Vehicle Rolling Showcase was quieter today with the start of the actual DNC. We had a few takers for rides in the EVs, but started looking for opportunities away from that venue since the action seemed to be elsewhere.
The city seemed to have swelled considerably in the 24 hours since we arrived, and 16th Street in downtown Denver, a pedestrian oriented street several blocks long, was completely filled with roving groups of activists and protestors with a good number of delegates sprinkled among them. I was planning on taking the camera into that morass to get some great interviews, especially from the anti-gay group who were protesting Obama. I can only imagine their views on electric vehicles.
Before we could make that happen, however, we got a call from Obama delegate, and the organizer of the Electric Vehicle Rolling Showcase, Nate Vanderschaaf, asking us if we were available to pick up Daryl Hannah and assist her with a shoot for the Daily Show. Hell yes! Our only question was who would be the correspondent. Colette, Cayenne and I piled into one of the AC Propulsion eBoxes with Owen Emory behind the wheel and plied our way through the thick traffic silently and without polluting the Denver airshed.
When we got to the venue, the so called "Big Tent" where all the bloggers from Google, Daily Kos, Digg, etc. were ensconced, I went searching for the Daily Show producer. It was hot and noisy as hell. Only credentialed media and bloggers got inside, so I made the call from my cell to tell them we were there, and we waited. It wasn't long before I spotted a familiar face, Wyatt Cenac, one of the newest members of the Daily Show correspondent staff. I introduced myself and let him know that if he needed another perspective from that of Daryl, I was available. Fat chance, they wanted Blondie.
I did catch Daryl reviewing her notes and offered some pointers on the eBox since she was more of a bio-diesel proponent and, to my knowledge, not well versed on EVs. I'm glad it did since Wyatt asked several questions on the specifics of the car. There were a couple of answers that were, shall we say, less than correct, so I cringed, knowing what might be done in the Daily Show editing suite.
Once we got set up next to the car, I started shooting stills while Colette shot video.
Here's Colette fearlessly standing her ground next to the Daily Show crew. She got some great stuff, so maybe some of it will be in "Revenge of the Electric Car."
The noise level was intense with the traffic and a construction site across the street. Also, there was a building directly across from us that was clearly a Homeland Security headquarters since a couple of times while we were there, a series of big SUVs, labeled Homeland Security and with lights flashing, stopped traffic in both directions while they opened a huge metal gate and drove in. And more than once, a heavy duty military type armored vehicle came by with a half dozen riot gear-equipped police standing on running boards that almost fully encircled the vehicle. Boy, do I feel safe in this town!
Thank goodness the McCain supporters were there to supply some much needed humor.
Colette stood in that hot sun for a loooong time!
Owen, Colette, Wyatt (our new best friend) and me. Wyatt's producer (with the phone) was trying to drag him away, but we insisted on getting some pics. I asked Wyatt when the piece would air and he said either Tuesday or Wednesday, so watch for it.
Later, Owen and I took Daryl and her manager for a 30 minute drive in the eBox and only went about 3/4 of a mile, the traffic was that bad. I arranged for an interview tomorrow since we couldn't do a proper one in the car. Her manager mentioned they were going to the Bill Maher party that night and I tried real hard to get invited along with them, but that clearly wasn't going to happen, so I settled for a name of Maher's booking agent since I want desperately to get Chelsea Sexton on his show. He did give me that.
And lastly, this sculpture is located at the venue where we have the EVs. I got back there just as the sun was setting and had to grab this shot. For scale, a full grown man could walk under that raised foot without hitting his head.
Cayenne was walking to meet us for dinner tonight when she ran into a tear gas episode near the Brown Palace, the hotel where the Clintons and other dignitaries stay. I don't have any info on what happened, but will find out tomorrow.
Till then,
Paul
Update:
(8/26/08 10:32 AM)
I just got interviewed by Marc Germain for an on line radio program he recently started.
We just got confirmed that the Daryl Hannah interview will be around 12:45 at the Civic Center Park, which is where our EV venue is, so that makes that easy.