From: Robert Grant <r1g@gasco.com>
Subject: SOC: William Gibson as guru?
Organization: NorthWest Natural Gas Company, Portland Oregon.

In article <2789up$1aj@news.u.washington.edu>, gbnewby@UXH.CSO.UIUC.EDU (Gregory
 B. Newby) writes:
|> Virtual Light is a solid piece of science fiction, but did not leave
|> me feeling I had been exposed to anything really new.  From his role
|> as the leader of the Cyberpunk movement Gibson seems now to be an
|> observer -- he has utilized the tools of the genre as well as anyone,
|> made a few small additions, and done so with a good story well told.
|> Cyberpunk will continue to grow and evolve, but Virtual Light will not
|> be a major force in that process.  With the body of excellent science
|> fiction available at your bookstore, you might consider getting
|> Gibson's latest at the library or waiting for the paperback.

I went to a book-signing/talk by William Gibson at Powell's Bookstore
here in Portland, Or., and found it very interesting to listen to
Gibson discuss his work and his 'role' within the cyberpunk movement.
As far as I could gather Gibson is not particularly interested in the
technology of tomorrow, it appeared that he feels that new technology
merely provides him with an opportunity to explore human
behaviour/psyche as it grapples with the consequences etc of using
this technology - he stated that anyone who reads his books for the
techno-fest is not understanding what he is really trying to say (not
that I pretend to understand what his novels are saying, this is just
what he said (or actually what I understood him to say)!! :-))

As for his role as cyberpunk 'leader' he didn't not have anything
positive to say about that - I think he feels that the role was thrust
upon him rather than something he sought out, and therefore he does
not feel any obligation to the 'movement' to sustain that role - if
people like what he's doing fine, if not, fine - was the gist I got
out of it.

Gibson is a fascinating person to listen to, not at all what you would
imagine from being exposed to his books alone - he strikes me as a
very sensitive and insightful man. If Gibson is to be looked upon as a
kind of cyberpunk guru then, perhaps, we should try to look at
everything that he has to say (good and bad) and not just focus on the
techno-blood lust of VR and cyberspace..?

Robert.
r1g@gasco.com

BTW, the book signing thing was for Virtual Light.