Interview: Steve Garfield

Steve Garfield contacted me and indicated that he'd both been a member of the Boston Computer Society (BCS) in the 1980's, and that he'd used a lot of Macintosh computers. Since I've been working hard to capture people who used computers other than PC compatibles, it seemed like a really great fit. It turned out I was right. We conducted the interview at Steve's house in the Jamaica Plain area of Boston, a nice old one off the main road. The framing of the shot is somewhat distant, but I thought it was a nice combination of the BBS user and his older Macintosh computer, side by side. Steve never stopped loving the thing, so for him it was like taking a nice trip down memory lane without the slightest bit of bitterness or regret. Steve seemed a naturally upbeat person, both in mail and in person, and so I was especially glad he was so conveniently located to my home; it made for a nice day out. Steve's enthusiasm about the subject comes off pretty handily during the clips I've garnered from the interview, including a really incredible one about the realization of being online in a multi-user environment. In a nice story about bumping onto someone online, he really captures the feeling many people might have with adjusting to meeting a real person across the computer. Most people would have forgotten this in ensuing years, but not Steve. Like I said, he simply moved on to other computers, and it wasn't a case of him having any unhappy experiences with his Mac; and for the small number of (then) Macintosh users I could have found, I think he's a great representative. Also, he had a pristine specimen of the Macintosh travelling case, which we filmed him using, as well as his discussions about the machine and the process of being a Macintosh user. It was good stuff. Steve and I talked a number of times since about editing and film work, since he does a lot of it for himself. About a year after filming, he gave me the information to get to the Boston Final Cut Pr