Tequila often leads us all to do things that we often look back and wish we hadn’t. For Dave Gorman however, tequila led him to find his true calling in life, finding other Dave Gormans.
It all started auspiciously enough – Gorman and his roommate Danny Wallace drunkenly hopped a train from London to Edinburgh and then a connecting train to Fife in northern Scotland for a soccer match between East Fife and Brechin City. You see, the assistant manager of East Fife was a man named Dave Gorman. Gorman wanted to meet this man, take his photo, shake his hand and prove Wallace wrong as to the existence of other Dave Gormans.
That trip cost about $700 and was repeated a short time later to meet more Dave Gormans in the Edinburgh area. This time the trip was made, not under the influence of tequila, but deadly sober.
“That’s when you know it’s taking over a bit,” Gorman said of his first sober voyage. “In reality [Danny and I] both know there must be lots of Dave Gormans out there. But if he says to me, ‘you’re right there are,’ he’s admitting he’s wrong. He requires proof. It’s like we’re locked in a staring contest where neither of us will back down ever.”
Since those initial voyages to Scotland, Gorman (usually with Wallace in tow to act as the witness and photographer) has traveled nearly 50,000 miles meeting 101 fellow Dave Gormans. He has been to Norway, Ireland, Germany, Italy, France, Israel, the United States and throughout the United Kingdom on his journey finding Dave Gormans of all shapes and sizes.
There is a gay Dave Gorman, Jewish Dave Gormans, female Dave Gormans, a star named Dave Gorman and even a fictional Dave Gorman – actor Larry Pine, who played Dave Gorman in the film The Ice Storm. He has paid five people to change their name to Dave Gorman and as a result there is even a couple who both share the name Dave Gorman.
His story was told on Page 3 of the Sun, one of London’s trashiest tabloids, right next to a topless coed. He was also front-page news in the biggest newspaper in Denmark. Dave Gorman has never been to Denmark.
But Gorman’s Magical Mystery Tour has not been without its slight potholes. Early in the journey Gorman received a suspicious email from an alleged Davey Gorman who lived in Hawaii. However, after doing some background investigation it was discovered that this email came from none other than roommate Danny Wallace who simply wanted to get a free trip to Hawaii out of the deal. There is also the Dave Gorman who lives in Royal Lemington Spa, who is to this date the only Dave Gorman who refuses to meet Dave Gorman and as a result becomes the hated enemy of all the show’s patrons and its host. Gorman has even had to convince fans to not harass this lone dissenter who Gorman still hopes to one day meet.
Through it all, the comedian turned Dave Gorman-hunter has had quite a fruitful voyage. He held a party in London after hosting his special on the BBC with all 50 guests sharing the same name. He has met people whom he never would have talked with if it had not been for the coincidence of sharing a name. Lifelong friendships have been made between Dave Gormans as a result of Dave Gorman and his quest, something that leaves him feeling quite warm inside.
However, Gorman’s latest run at the Westbeth Theatre in New York has not proved to be a complete success. In order to remain within his 300-500 mpdg (miles per Dave Gorman) comfort zone, Gorman needed to find and meet 15 namesakes. He has only met seven leaving him short of his intended target and just outside “the Golden cone of Gorman-ness.”
But the quest is not over yet. Gorman’s run in New York has been extended into the new year. If you know any other Dave Gormans or would like to become one yourself, send an email to dave(at)davegorman.com and let him know how you can help.
