Lloyd's Locs Box - Fanzine letters of comment - October 25th, 2008
[Recent Entries][Archive][Friends][User Info]
|
09:41 am
[Link] |
Loc on The Drink Tank 184 (Chris Garcia, ed.)
Dear Chris:
Still keepin' up with keepin' up, and still writing. I've got a printout of The Drink Tank 184 here, and opinionated me always has something to say.
Love the cover...of infinite Chrises. Oooo, scary, kids!
Giving my fanzine collection to the Eaton collections is a possibility... it would be expensive to ship about 25 boxes down to UCRiverside. I need to find out if there is a university in Canada that might also want such a collection, but with the usual lack of decent funding, I would doubt that any Canadian university would want my stuff.
Putting zines in a collection is a fine idea for preservation, but I will be the devil's advocate here, and say that if zines are in a large collection, future fans may not even know the zines existed. (I know of a couple of private collections where zines are purchased, and are never seen again.) It's great that the Eaton Collection has the zines ready for the general public to read and research, but most fans do not live anywhere near the collection. I hope that there will be continued mass distribution of fanzines, and that one issue will go to the Eaton, so that those of us who are collectors can also keep the zines we have. Fans are packrats, and we do like to keep what we've got.
Larry Niven's remarks have a lot of support from elsewhere, but I still remember my own response was WTF?. Your fun protest was a good idea, but did he ever find out that you were protesting his attitudes?
I hope I am there at your future Corflu...I can't help but think my travelling days will soon be done. The trip to Montréal was fun, but more and more we're not much into travelling. Guess we're homebodies more than ever.
Word on the Street was a great time. Ran into Robert J. Sawyer at the SFWA table there, plus found some old friends roaming the park, and sitting in some of the booths.
Still waiting for Critical Wave! Any new fanzines are good. I still need time to work on my own, though.
Not much of a loc this time... I blame it on severe sleep deprivation. Gotta blame it on something, that sounds convenient. This will get to you eventually, I'm moving around a lot, and I'm using my Palm and keyboard again. Take it easy, and see you next time. I'll check eFanzines, might be there already.
Yours, Lloyd Penney.
|
|
09:53 am
[Link] |
Loc on Alexiad 41 (Joseph T. Major, ed.)
Dear Joseph and Lisa:
Thank you for Alexiad WN 41. It is actually early in the morning as I type this, but when it will actually get to you, I am not sure. Such is typing this up on the road. Time to respond with something intelligent.
Given its location on the continent, you wouldn't think that a hurricane would ever hit Toronto, but it has . Hurricane Hazel hit Toronto in October 1954, and caused a lot of damage and death as it crossed the continent and drove right up the Humber River in the west end of the city. It's 54 years this month, but who knows if it may happen again? This city learned the hard way that the unlikely may yet happen. I have a dynamo flashlight and radio, and when we've had storms here, and the power goes out, they've been vital to getting around and finding out what's happening.
There has been discussion here and there about how unfannish or non-fannish blogs and other social networking sites are...well, computers aren't inherently fannish, but we use them to do the things we like to do. LiveJournal acts as an online diary; I use it as an archive. I do have a Facebook page, and while it can be a terrible time-waster, it has been handy in finding old friends, those I first enjoyed fandom with, and even those I went to high school with. It has not found any other members of my family, though. A smart consumer of these products used them to their own ends only, and does not change his own habits to suit the product. If either LJ or Facebook fails to fulfill a need of mine, it's gone. Life is busy enough as it is.
I've been enjoying Denvention trip reports over the last couple of months. In some ways, I wish I'd been able to go, but only a lottery win would have gotten us there. By the time you receive this loc, we will have gone to Montréal's annual convention, Con*cept, to see what the Palais de Congres is like. It is mostly likely that Montréal will be our last Worldcon, although Yvonne likes the idea of going to Reno, and I like Seattle.
A Worldcon always has so much to go and see, and I always miss too many events. Yet, there's that feeling of belonging that seems so comfortable and affirming.
David Gilmour is mentioned as the author of The Film Club. He was a film reviewer and broadcaster at the CBC for many years, and over the past decade or so, has concentrated on writing novels. Jesse is his son, so I guess that makes David the father figure. He used to be very visible locally on television.
Usually, the candy bar variations are not available here, so I don't pay much attention to something I won't be able to sample. However, here is Fry's Turkish Delight. This is a bar I've had before, and I used to get it sent to me from my grandparents. An older version of Turksih delight is a confection cut into cubes and dusted with icing sugar to keep it from sticking everywhere. However, I do like the chocolate-covered version.
I have gotten Kristina Kopnisky's newest Consonant Enigma, and she admits that it is a little fluffy, especially after a move from California to Oregon.
Employment so far...Tri-Ad/SGS is still keeping me, and I've been here about seven weeks now. I seem to be picking it up, and I am still hoping they decide to keep me. I won't know until early December. Americans have had to deal with an impending election for about two years now, but in Canada, our current federal election has a campaign period of 37 days, and as always, this election solved and changed nothing.
I may try to find that fan-ed's dinner next year. I saw Cathy Palmer-Lister at Con*cept, usually at the registration desk.
Why do I want to understand evil? I want to understand why these things were done, and what the motives were of those who committed those acts. Once there is some understanding, we have conquered our enemies by knowing why they did what they did. Perhaps they may have felt justified in what they did; let's find out why. I can't understand why anyone wouldn't want to know all the reasons for 9/11.
Scratch my head, and fold it up. This week, I have odd hours and a convention to go to. All I can say is that this loc will get to you eventually. Take care, always looking forward to the next issue.
Yours, Lloyd Penney.
|
|
10:04 am
[Link] |
Loc on eI 39 (Earl Kemp, ed.)
Dear Earl:
Well, the address above probably isn't correct, and the date probably isn't, either. Right now, as I type, I am on a train halfway between Toronto and Montréal, on our way to Con*cept, Montréal's annual con, and the train is so relaxing. Who knows where I'll be when I finish this? Anyway, here are comments on the missing eI 39. Not sure how that one got past me.
Hey, Steve Stiles, I have absolutely nothing against naked purple flyin' women, and wouldn't mind one flyin' past right now. Not sure how much in the way of various pharmaceuticals I'd have to ingest, though...
Earl, the in memory of section is just getting too big. If only these great people would stop dying, we wouldn't have to spend so much time mourning, and remembering fondly. If only we each knew our personal Best Before date.
My loc on eI 37...that photo you took of me and Yvonne just proves that the longer you stay married, the more you begin to look like one another, the shirts not entering the equation. With the recent successes of the Chinese space programme, I can see that Chinese SF may have it own Golden Age soon. Dreams about space, an oncoming industrial age... If we're around long enough, Chinese SF may be big. And, I still haven't got my copy of ""The Drop", and because I was dealing with students, I am told that I shouldn't hold my breath.
Luros...lurid...coincidence? I think not. Some of those covers do look familiar, although I never did get a look inside. Excellent profile on Milton Luros, and how publishing has always been about what people want. The only popcult reference I can remember to the nudist magazines were that Hawkeye Pierce received them occasionally in Korea in M*A*S*H.
I am back from Montreal...the train ride both ways had Cranky Baby on one side, and Noisy Family on the other, which made it difficult to write or sleep or even relax on the train. Different Cranky Babies, but by coincidence, it was same Noisy Family.
I didn't have many friends when I was a kid, so it took me a long time to learn about comic books. I rarely had more than a dollar in my pocket back then, so I only had a few comic books in my possession, and I stopped buying them because of the frustration my mother would regularly cause... I would read them several times, and put them in a box to become part of a collection, and of course, Mom would come along, figure that because I wasn't continuously re-reading them, I must be done with them, and she thoughtfully threw them out, even after pleading with her to no throw them out, because I was saving them. After failing to understand why I'd want to keep them, I stopped buying them, and purchased one or two paperback books, usually comic collections or Ripley's Believe It Or Not!, and I would enjoy them and hide them away. Eventually, Mom figured that I might like to keep those, asked to read them, and continuously broke the spine until she'd hand it back to me with pages falling out. Today, I own books, and they are mine. I am not loaning them out to anyone.
In the article about Sam Roth, H.L. Mencken is quoted as saying that some of Roth's books would never be published in America. True back then, ans surprisingly true today, in spite of the so-called sexual revolution. Is American society still so puritan that so many publications European society might take for granted still might get you arrested in the USA? As a Canadian, I'm caught in between American and European attitudes, and we're a little less strict here. Also, if Roth was a bit of a masochist, it showed in regularly being assaulted and searched. I suppose that even negative publicity is still publicity.
Once I discovered fan publishing, I had thought of pro publishing to make a living and be in the heart of a publishing industry. There just didn't seem to be any way to do it, and I learned quickly that this idea was an old one, and that it would be quite difficult to obtain quality work. What did I know? This was in the early 80s.
My comments to you on eI 40 re Iris Owens applies even more, especially after reading eI39. There are several young women who mean a lot to me, and spending some time with them is very special. It may be love, it may be infatuation, or just a special level of friendship, I am not sure. The one I love most of all, Yvonne, knows and understands how I feel about these other women, and perhaps why, and I am blessed.
Thank you once again, Earl, for these personal jaunts. I apologize for missing those issues that somehow got past me, but at least I can belatedly catch up with comments and reflections. I will make a special note for myself when the .pdf of eI41 comes up. Looking forward to it.
Yours, Lloyd Penney.
|
|
10:11 am
[Link] |
Loc on Ethel the Aardvark 138 (Sam Rooney, ed.)
Dear MSFCers:
Hello, all! Many thanks for another issue of Ethel, many thanks to Sam Rooney, and there's always something to say about the contents. For instance...
It is hard to believe that Ian Gunn has been gone for 10 years. I've been in communication on and off with KRin Pender-Gunn for most of that time, and I know she feels a little cut off from Melbourne fandom...I hope you'll all embrace her on November 28, and I'd give anything to come and join you all that evening. I've always enjoyed receiving Ethel, but when Gunny edited the zine, it was always full of silly illustrations and fun.
Professor Tolkien may have been a typically repressed Victorian gentleman, possibly with a loveless marriage. I have a number of Tolkien reference books on the shelf at home, some of which are mentioned here, and Tolkien struggled with jealousy and envy, and only started to conquer his own personal failings once The Hobbit saw print. Middle-Earth is very much Tolkien's perfect world, and the most perfect people in it are very Old English, with the attitude that the non-English surround the land of calm civilization, and while some are vaguely civilized, others further out pose a threat. When you see the notes and research and creation of languages, you know that The Hobbit was a prelude to his lifework, The Lord of the Rings, a combination of his dreams and desires, his nationalism and his interest in languages.
The X-Files never caught my attention enough to watch it regularly, but I have seen a few episodes. The characters are fleshed out enough to make you care, and perhaps this latest movie is more another chapter of Mulder and Scully more than anything else. I wonder if another X-Files movie might polish off the whole series with a flourish; I'd hate to see it end with a whimper rather than a bang.
Bill Shatner's biography...yup, he's Canadian, as was Jimmy Doohan on the original Trek. He enjoyed the Captain Kirk thing for so long, and I think he realized that his ego had gotten out of control, what with being one of the best known television characters in the world. Not bad for a Jewish kid who got his start as a Shakespearean actor at the Stratford Festival in Ontario. He's been self-deprecating ever since, in just about anything he does. One of the universities in Montreal, McGill, gave its students the opportunity to name its new students' union building, and to the consternation of the university provosts, they voted to name it the William Shatner Building. He'll probably never quite understand why he's so famous, so he's just along for the ride.
My letter...the job with the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada was short-lived, but now I work for Southern Graphic Systems in Etobicoke, and I hope that by next issue, I will be a permanent employee.
Just this past weekend, Yvonne and I attended Con*cept, the annual SF convention in Montreal, and we had a quick tour of the Palais de Congres, where next year's Worldcon will be. It will fill the Palais de Congres just fine, and it is a beautiful building, literally at the intersection of the International Quarter, Old Montreal, downtown and Chinatown. The Montreal fans in charge have a wide selection of international experienced fans on the committee, so I think this will be a fine convention, and it's only 10 months off!
Off it goes around the world, and I hope it lands in your inbox. Take care, all, and see you next Ethel.
Yours, Lloyd Penney.
|
|
10:19 am
[Link] |
Loc on The Original Universe 7 (Jeff Boman, ed.)
Dear Jeff from Djellalabad:
Many thanks for The Original Universe 7, handed to me directly at Con*cept 2008. It's the best way to get (and distribute) your zine. This year's Con*cept was a very good time, and Cathy Palmer-Lister was run off her feet, but I think everything worked. I have the time, so time for a loc.
I already deal with the Royal Bank of Canada, but I wouldn't mind getting my hands on one of those ASUS Eee minicomputers. The Palm Tungsten E2 and keyboard I often use are very handy, but because these are two separate units, it can be a little rickety. A single unit like the Eee would be fun. Does it have a slot for an SD card or USB drive?
I know that Tamu Townsend was so worried for Emru, and I am releived to hear that he got a good donor and a marrow transplant. Was Tamu at Con*cept?
Ah, the Comicon was held at Place Bonaventure. We could see that from our room's window at Con*cept. Place Bonventure and the Hilton were also accessible from the Central Station. Yvonne and I took the train up from Toronto for Con*cept, and it was a great ride.
I haven't seen either movie you review, but I will agree that Pixar makes great animated movies. I can't wait for Wall-E to come out on DVD.
There are tiny little comicons in Toronto whose advertising seems to consist of a classified ad in the Toronto Star, but anything bigger is SFX Fan eXpo and Paradise Comicon, and that's all.
The programming at Con*cept sure got trimmed down, didn't it? I don't know how many panels you were eventually on, but I was on two, both on the Sunday. This was Lee Knight's first attempt at doing programming for a convention, and I think she did pretty good. It was a big change for her after many years of being in charge of con suite and green room at Ad Astra. We did go on the tour, rescheduled for Saturday at 6pm, and while there's lots of room for a big convention, it will need signage. The second and fifth floors are big and perhaps a little non-descript. The fanzine lounge will be in the open concourse area on the second floor.
I think I'm about done now. Con*cept was our last convention for the year, and we are making some tough decisions about where we go next year, given that the Canadian dollar is dropping like a rock against the US dollar. On the other hand, that will make going to Montreal a lot more affordable for American fans, as long as they care to get a passport.
Take it easy, good to see you last weekend, and see you in the funny zines.
Yours, Lloyd Penney.
|
|
10:30 am
[Link] |
Loc on NASFA Shuttle Vol. 28 No. 10 (Mike Kennedy, ed.)
Dear NASFAns:
Time finally allows, so I suspect I will have some comments on the October Shuttle.
You're right, Con*cept in Montreal (where I was last weekend) was on at the same time as Con†Stellation. We had a fine time in Montreal, and got to see where Worldcon will be next year; great convention centre with all the room we'll need. I'd very much like to read about your own convention.
There isn't the same kind of tradition in my part of Canada re NASCAR (in spite of the fact there is a NASCAR store in a huge mall north of here), but we do have our share of races, and they have been endangered by outside forces. The Indy Challenge circuit of races dropped the Toronto Indy because of a change in sponsorship, and it took one of the Andretti brothers to purchase it and bring it back to the circuit. And, just a few days ago, Montreal lost its own big race, the Grand Prix de Montreal in the Formula 1 circuit, and the mayor of Montreal was in London recently to try and get the race back into the circuit.
Greetings to PieEyed...more adventures in Middle-Earth, a fine place to come and visit, IMHO. You must be surprising many in that land who expect that a dragon of any kind is dangerous and probably lethal. They are not expected to be helpful or even friendly, as you have been. Stereotypes deserve to be broken, and good for you for breaking them.
My loc...the world financial crisis has not only meant that stock markets are crashing, but also that currencies are changing value rapidly. The US and Canadian dollars were near par, but now, it costs about $1.30 Canadian to buy a US buck. We were used to that in the 90s, and now it's back to the way it was. If the dollar don't return to par, this will make the Montreal Worldcon much more affordable for many people, except possibly for Canadian fans.
Time to wrap it up. It's another busy weekend, and two days just isn't enough any more. Probably have to sacrifice something unimportant, like sleep... Take care, all, and see you next issue.
Yours, Lloyd Penney.
|
|
10:37 am
[Link] |
Loc on The Drink Tank 185 & 186 (Chris Garcia, ed.)
Dear Chris:
Damn, you are making sure I can’t keep up! I was making a few notes on 185, and 186 shows up! Hope the birthday celebrations were muy loco, and you had the best time ever. All I have for a present are some words on issue 185 and 186 of The Drink Tank.
185…well, the cover serves you right, ya big ape… John, I’d think that if you dressed up to go the FAAn Awards, they wouldn’t let you in! Arkadelphicon would be in 2021, if my math’s good. Have you noticed there aren’t any fannish psychologists? Wonder why, hm?
I have heard of Robson Arms, and I think it was on CTV, but no one will ever accuse me of watching it. Furries have been an easy target by just about anyone involved in the entertainment industry, once they got some publicity. But, if the general media ever finds out about the plushies…well, I expect to see that on a CSI or Law and Order at some point. Every year, the general public needs someone new to laugh at. I’ll happily take one of those shirts, Taral…about the only Worldcon I didn’t get any souvenir shirts from was Torcon, and I ditched my bid shirts, too.
CorFlu 28, hm? Let’s see…aha, so we did make it, hm? The US dollar must have sank like a rock again. Right now, the Canadian dollar has sank 30 cents in value in less than a year, so it once again costs me C$1.25 to buy every US buck. We had been thinking of going to Florida next year, but we are having serious second thoughts. Guess I expected a Garcia CorFlu would disappoint some of the Old Guard, hm? Oh, well, I’ll take a kick-ass party anyday. Tea at the break? I’ll take a cuppa orange pekoe, cream and two sugars, please.
186… There’s Stickman on the front cover, crying, and asking, “Who keeps leaving all these dead bodies all over the place?”
Musta been a party, and I’ll bet your head still hurts. We’re doing some more with our steampunk costumes this week…I need to get a white dress shirt with cufflink cuffs, and I need to hit some hobby shops for train stuff.
I am not sure there’s ever been a NASFiC in the northern US or Canada. Warren, if there was ever a tentative bid to host a NASFiC in Toronto, I never knew of it, and certainly had nothing to do with it. After Torcon, I doubt there will be the incentive to bid for any World convention, be it Science Fiction, Horror, Fantasy, Mystery or what have you.
Alanis Morrisette has always been a person of interest to me. Under just her first name, she was a teen idol here. She took an old Quebecois song, put English lyrics to it, called it “From LA to New York”, rocked it up, and made her name. And of course, she disappeared, but emerged years later with a nasal voice and an attitude, and made it even bigger. She has mellowed, and to be honest, nearly disappeared again.
More Dream Corflu…if this is what’s going to be happening, it looks like I should start saving now. You realize that if you have Art Widner going to this convention, he’s going to be over 100 years old? If you do the play instead of Andy Hooper, we just won’t get through it, we’ll be laughing too hard. Good food and good times and good friends…if Scotty can get the transporter up and running by that time, I’ll be there.
Last weekend, we were in Montréal at Con*cept, had a fine time, and saw the area where the fanzine lounge will be at the Palais de Congres. It will not be in its own room, but in an open area as part of the exhibit space. Not the best, but it is what I can get. We will soon need ideas for the lounge, and what we can get from Anticipation. I’ve got the same signs we used for the 1994 lounge in Winnipeg, so they will see the light of day for the first time since ’96, I think. I’ll be casting about for fresh ideas.
Take care, good sir, a hug to the lovely Linda, and see you next time.
Yours, Lloyd Penney.
|
|
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
lloydpenney's journal