Yesterday, something reminded me of the late Sonny Saslaw, and got me to thinking about a particular dinner in Chicago 15 years ago.
When I first met Sonny, he was a cantankerous Comdex executive who worked on the Asia region’s shows. He also was the cantankerous executive in charge of a weird section of Comdex/Fall in a remote section of the Sands where Linux companies exhibited.
My first interaction with him was in a company town hall meeting, where he was the cantankerous guy sitting next to me offering mumbled commentary throughout the presentations.
I like cantankerous people. I liked Sonny immediately.
He would pine away for his days in the garment business (“gahhhment business”), tell me about how he started the General Sales Agent program at the company (there were a few people who made that claim), occasionally take me for some lunchtime sushi, criticism and advice.
In 1999, the Linux Pavilion had become a “Linux Business Expo”, and Sonny was general manager. To convene the event, he took over some space and conference rooms at the Comdex Chicago/Windows World event I ran.
He kept carrying on about Linux this and Linux that and let’s have “Linus Torvalds” do a keynote. All I knew was that there were penguins somehow related to Linux, that there was a bulletin board called “Slashdot” I should be reading, featuring “Captain somebody-or-another”, that the mere mention of the word angered Microsoft and that Sonny wouldn’t shut up about inviting Linus Torvalds.
So Sonny reached out, via whatever labyrinthine set of relationships he had built within that community.
The next day:
Sonny: “Linus wants to bring his family.”
Me: “Whatever. He can bring whomever he wants.”
Sonny: “They want to spend a few days in Chicago, so I thought we could rent them a van to drive around, and make it a vacation.”
Me: “Come on, Sonny that’s ridiculous. By the way, does something officially become a “vacation” when there’s a van involved?”
Sonny: “It’s not that expensive and it will help get him here.”
Me: “Fine. If there’s someone who WANTS a van, who am I to say no.”
In the meantime, someone else inside of Comdex caught wind of the invitation and suggested Torvalds be scheduled immediately after Bill Gates’ big speech, but in a different room.
“Fine. If anyone wants to go find it, what do I care.” I can’t remember the exact numbers, but we found a room for about 500 – 600 people, figuring 500 people would show up. It would be equipped with a platform, sound and basically nothing else.
A few weeks later, Sonny comes back.
Him: “Linus can come, but it’s his kid’s first birthday. Let’s take his family to dinner and have a little birthday party. You should come along.”
Me: “you’re freaking kidding me. Now we’re renting a van and having a birthday party for a 1 year-old?” I mean, I don’t care, but come on.”
Pre-show press tour. I keep telling people about Bill Gate’s annual keynote. People keep asking me about Linus Torvalds. I finally change my pitch to tout a teraflop david-and-goliath-style grudge match.
April 18, 1999: The Torvalds family is delightful, humble and effusively grateful for their van. We take them to Vong (a Vietnamese restaurant in Chicago) and at the end of dinner, Sonny, with a rare smile and jarringly gentle persona appears with a cake, complete with lit candle. We sing happy birthday. They load up in the van to do whatever they are going to do. Sonny and I head back down to check on the show.
Show day, Gates does his opening keynote to a full crowd of a few thousand in the main auditorium. I race through McCormick place to the dungeon where we’ve relegated Torvalds.
Sonny is standing there beaming. I’m not tall, but he was a little shorter. He also had a few decades on me age-wise. He looks straight at me with excitement, jabs his finger at me and says “WAIT til you see THIS.” in an oddly PT Barnum-like tone.
We walk into the room. 750 people. Only because no more would fit. They stood, they sat in chairs. They sat on the floor. It was packed. People waiting for Linus Torvalds. He talked for an hour. They swooned. The session ran over time. The people wouldn’t leave. Sonny was vindicated.
I got in huge trouble with Bill Gates.
It was worth it.
Carry on with your RIP, Sonny, and thanks for everything.