InStyle September 2001
pg 406
Star Tech
You'd think that when celebrities' computers crash, they'd simply toss them. Turns out many of them dial up the aptly named Geek Squad, a well-kept-secret team of Mac and PC tech-support guys who actually make house calls. Riding around L.A. and Minnieapolis in "geekmobiles" (VW Beetles and an ice-cream truck to name just two) and sporting clip-on ties and faux police badges, the tonge-in cheek Geeks offer almost unheard of 24-7-365 service. Past missions have included locating missing artwork on Prince's computer, resuscitating Daryl Hannah's laptop (she claims they were the "cutest geeks around"), and providing concert tour support for the likes of Janet Jackson, U2 and the Rolling Stones. "The stars are usually more interested in the Geek Squad than I am in them," says chief inspector Robert Stephens. "Mick Jagger is a total computer nerd." (But that's all he'll say.) The Geeks promise not to reveal the contents of their customers' hard drives, which would prove valuable to the Squad's dream client: President Bush. "We already know he uses a Compaq."
Victoria Namkung
Prices start at $149; geeksquad.com