It's no secret that many tech companies have been laying off workers in the recent economic environment. One laid-off Amazon.com worker is using his anger to get famous.
Seattle-based actor and playwright Mike Daisey has held a number of jobs to support his art; for two years, he worked for Amazon.com. Now that his Non-Disclosure Agreement has expired, he has turned his tales of life in the dot-com industry into the phenomenally successful one-man show 21 Dog Years.
Since Daisey worked at Amazon for two years, I'm not sure why the show isn't called 14 Dog Years, but even math errors can't stop it from being a big success, both with the dot-com refugees of the Pacific Northwest and with Lycos users searching for the show.
Searches for Daisey began appearing in mid-March and have been rising ever since, although at a slower pace over the last two weeks. Last week Daisey received as many searches as wrestler (and Mummy Returns costar) The Rock.
Daisey describes the show as "an exploration into the cult of personality that formed at Amazon around Jeff Bezos, and the entire dotcom phenomenon -- how did we all believe in this endless wealth, and what happened to the people who have lived through it?" Personally, I think the show is highlighted by his description of an absurd job interview, where they ask him "What kind of low-hanging fruit would you gather?" and "Describe the feminine aspect of God using only verbs."
The show has had its run in Seattle extended through May 12. Then Daisey plans on taking the show to San Francisco and New York, if not to more cities. He's also working on a book version of the show to be released in 2002.
You can read about Daisey and his work at his website. He also makes the whole show available for viewing online, as well as selling t-shirts that read, "I lost my job in the new economy and all I got was screwed."
TOMORROW: The new Lycos 50, or life after taxes.
