I just finished watching (re-watching) "924 Gilman St: Let's Talk About Tact and Timing..." a film documentary by Jack Curran, and while I wasn't moved to write an overly critical review of any sort, I did have some thoughts and observations to share.

The first thing, and I really want to make note of this before forgetting, is that Ian Mackaye has one of the most spot on observations about Gilman, which comes rather late in the film actually, and is directed to the filmmaker himself. He basically points out that Gilman is the kind of space and idea that causes someone like Jack Curran to travel across the country interviewing people about it. In otherwords, Gilman has given so much that you actually want to pay tribute and give back to it, whether it's making a film about it, or showing up every weekend to volunteer. Now, I don't know 100% whether this was something that Jack himself grabbed a hold of and said, "yeah brother, you nailed it", but I can tell you that a lot of our current volunteers, who happen to be older than most of those featured in the film, would definitely echo that sentiment.

Ian Mackaye also makes one of the most inaccurate statements about the club, which comes fairly early in the film. He describes Gilman as a "free space", and he talks about this idea that since it's not profit driven, and it's free of corporate influence, etc., that it doesn't matter how big the crowds are, and if - for instance - two people were to show up to the club to see something really mindblowing or different, then that could happen at a space like Gilman. This description of the club is totally off base, but after hearing it reiterated throughout this film, you would probably not guess that Gilman's rent is closing in on $5000 a month. In addition to Gilman's rent, the club pays out several thousands of dollars a year for liability insurance, business license fees, etc. Gilman is not an official non-profit corporation, and has only recently (2008) been able to finally accept monetary donations through an umbrella organization called Indy
Arts (a link can be found on the Gilman website).

In 2007, when I became head booker at the club, the checking account was empty, and the club was being sustained by a savings account set up in the 1990s by John Hart, to be used for "emergency scenarios". John took a couple of thousand dollars from the savings and put it into the checking account to start us off in 2007, and we've basically been building on that since, thankfully. A quick look at the yearly financials from 2000-2006 clearly illustates that if you lose thousands a dollars a year for several years in a row, then you will eventually reach the point of not having enough money to pay your bills, and this is why the two persons at a show theory is incorrect. Of course, as stated in the extras by Will Sedition, people on the outside looking in at Gilman mostly fail to see the reality of how the club is run, and the same could be said for our own community unfortunately.

Back in December of 2006, Jesse Townley organized a round table discussion that (I think) was supposed to address Gilman's past, present, and future. It was as boring as it sounds, but not without some interesting moments. The one I remember the most was also one of the least liked by those in attendance, but it was I believe (in retrospect) almost visionary. The speaker was Kamala, who is also featured in this film, and she commented on Gilman's inability to keep older, experienced volunteers in the mix, thus wasting a valuable resource. She also seemed to suggest that Gilman's trend of appeasing, first and foremost, their 12-18 year old members had had the effect of pushing older punks and former volunteers away from the project. Maybe I'm adding too much, but basically Kamala suggested that the club be more forward thinking by finally taking the steps neccesary to becoming an actual collective. To help illustrate her message, consider that at one point in the film, Gilman's former head coordinator Dave Scattered talks about all the various jobs and responsibilities he has at the club, then mentions that it's like being the manager of a store, "only I don't get paid because we are a collective". This is not consistent with the way other successful collectives function, and either are the bi-monthly Gilman membership meetings. In spite of all those hours and responsibilities that Dave Scattered had back when this documentary was filmed, someone could have literally walked in from off the street and been considered Dave's equal after attending only one meeting, and never even putting in a single hour of work at the club. It should be noted that Dave Scattered is no longer active at Gilman, and either are numerous other volunteers featured in this film, which was shot a mere four years ago.

"924 Gilman St: Let's Talk About Tact and Timing..." reinforces at times, unintentionally I think, the infantilization of the club, which has been a real thorn in our sides the last couple of years when dealing with the city, neighbors, and of course the police. Whether it's the fact that a lot of the films' footage and band performances were shot during the annual punk prom show, which is an event aimed at high school and junior high school aged patrons, or the curious quotes throughout the film by people like Sweetooth (cool dude actually), who hopes that a ten year old who attends the club might possibly take over for him when he is no longer working in the store. Well, that ten year old would be about fourteen now, and if you didn't know, Sweetooth is long gone, and there is a 28 year old head of the Gilman store these days. A store which has turned a profit the last couple of years. I'm not saying that we shouldn't have faith in the kids that come to shows, and especially those that volunteer because they are very important to the success of the club, but perhaps it's time embody the term "all ages" fully, rather than limiting it, and "our club".

That written, I do want to express how grateful I am to all of those East Bay talking heads interviewed in the film (and those not, like Tim Yo and Aaron Cometbus), and I'm talking mainly about Kamala, Jesse M, Adrienne Spitboy, and Jake Filth to name but a few because I appreciate what they contributed to the project, and it was a lot. Like Jake Filth states early on in the film, they were kids, still in high school, and yet the influence of that generation was so far reaching and momentous that it not only helped to define and direct Gilman for a decade after the fact, but it is clearly the focal influence on the Gilman being represented in this film. It's a Gilman in the past tense, but it's a club and a time that is worthy of being documented, by various filmmakers hopefully, so that we can delve further, asking the uncomfortable questions, and doing a better job of documenting more of the diversity, especially in terms of extreme music. Chris Dodge, for example, would have been a good reference point for something like that, and still could be.

Finally, I salute Jack for making this film. It was no small feat, and I do consider it an accomplishment.

- Jay Unidos