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They werent all happy tears.
A lot of them were. Maybe most of them. There were happy tears, no question, tons. There were so many
things I was feeling that I had no idea how to process them and I had to sit down. There was absolute joy, and
when I rushed over to Jay Lake, one of my favorite people on this planet, and wrapped him in a giant hug, that was
probably the moment when the second wave of emotions hit, when I could feel the facts starting to rush in.
My Pops was dead.
He died five years ago, about a year after I started the Drink Tank, and I knew that he would have been
happier than I was at that moment, that his heaving sobs would have been bigger, that hed have been jumping
up and down and screaming and he would have rushed the stage and there would have been no one who wouldhave stopped him from getting there.
That was the moment when that hit.
The moment I knew it was real, that it wasnt a weird dream? I got that it was actually happening when
I stared into Tim Powers face and he said You won! You won! and I hugged him. There arent a lot of us who
will ever have the chance to have their favorite author in the front row when the most amazing moment of our
lives happen. There arent a lot of us who can say that they got to hug said author at that time. It was then that
knew, really knew, that I had won a Hugo.
In the moments before I knew it was real, I had jumped up, run a little bit back down the aisle away from
the stage. All I could think to do at that moment was to move and I chose away from the stage for some reason
At that point, I heard some familiar voices screaming. I remember walking back towards the stage thinking Ivegot to get up there and then seeing Patty Wells, the Chair of Renovation, and grabbing her face and giving her a
kiss because it was the only thing I could think of. I then moved on to her husband Mark and gave him one too. Id
never met the man, but this seemed like a good introduction. I stopped before I kissed the entire row (I skipped
over SilverBob) and then I ran into Tim Powers.
And then, like I said, it got real.
I have rewatched the video a few times. You can see me wrap my arms around myself before climb the
stage. I was in total blinders mode. I didnt even see James climb the stairs and jump off the stage. I was just feeling
everything and when I saw Jay I knew I had to hug the man, and I did and it was a great moment.
And then, I needed to take off my jacket. I am still not sure
why I threw it off, Ill never know exactly what I was thinking, but I
can imagine that the part of my brain that is usually used to run someprimitive aspect of digestion was holding down the fort as all the ra-
tional parts had shut down and said you love your Flintstones shirt
so THATS got to be on the outside! and I threw the Armani coat to
the ground. I rejected it like a baboon heart.
James grabbed me in a hug that wasnt quick, it was sudden
He said over and over You deserve it! You so deserve it! and
was crying and I was trying to stay standing and I was hoping that
wouldnt fall and I was thinking about the last name on the slides that
showed during the pre-show: Mike Glicksohn. Id never met the man
but had admired his work, and Taral Wayne had suggested that we put
together an issue dedicated to him and that led me to seeking out his
work and the words of his friends and after I did it, I didnt stop look-
ing into his life and found that he was a guy I almost certainly would
have liked and most likely would have loved, and that I most definitely
respected.
And I didnt know any of that until after he was dead.
I had tears in my eyes during the pre-show and during the
moment of silence we held, and when I finally got to the mic, I had to
stop.
I dont remember grabbing the Hugo. I just knew that it had
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somehow ended up on the podium, the plague facing towards me, and it had my name on it. And I could see
beyond it to the audience, almost entirely faceless, and it was incredible that I was in front of a thousand people
accepting an award that had been a dream of mine for years. I had always wanted one, but never expected to win
Guys like me dont win Hugos. Hugos go to people who know what theyre doing and dont just go about writ-
ing issue after issue. Regular folks dont win Hugos. Everyone Ive ever known who has one has been an amazing
specimen. Frank Wu. Mike Glyer. Geri Sullivan. Claire Brialey. Dave Langford. The PLOKTAns. J. Randrew Byers
Brad Foster. Talented, amazing humans one-and-all.
Ive written, and mostly memorized, speeches every year, including this one, and I had once recited the
one I hoped to give to a few friends, but this was more. This was the moment and I had every single possible thingthat I had thought of saying slip away into somewhere else. I think I said Oh my Fuck! here, but really, I dont re-
member. James made a joke: Chris Garcias regular service has been interrupted and will return momentarily.
All of the things I could possibly be thinking right now, there are only two names: John Paul Garcia, my
Dad, who didnt make it, and the other is the recently late Mike Glicksohn.
I made it through what Im told was an OK speech at my Dads memorial, my voice breaking the entire
time, but this moment was so many many times harder. There was all this joy and mixed with it was a touch of
pain from not being able to share this with the man who had brought me into the World of fandom and who had
brought me into the World. It was painfully apparent that this wouldnt go well, though I did manage to say And
my Lovely and Talented, Long-suffering girlfriend, Linda Wenzelburger.
And then I just completely broke.There is no other way to say it. I had nothing. No single way to deal with what I was feeling. The joy was
bubbling up, all the other emotions moving to the front, all of them. All the hours Id spent working on the zine
all the hours Id spent thinking about the zine, all of it was there at that moment, along with the overwhelming
sense of this is AMAZING and the slight hints of missing Dad and fear, utter and complete fear, that this moment
was going to be completely lost.
Im going to let James talk now. Was all I could manage and I lowered myself to the stage next to the
podium and I could tell that whatever part of my brain was doing all the processing didnt have to worry about
keeping me upright anymore, so it just said contract, get the tears out, put every emotion youve got out there
And if you watch the video, you can see that I pull the Hugo trophy in and wrap myself around it and Im
sobbing, and sobbing, and I, at that moment, come back a little. Thats when the hurt of not having Dad around wasgone, that it was all the joy I could ever possibly feel being felt all at once, and I managed to look up, and unwrap
myself from the Hugo, I give a little smile and then start back up to my feet as James was talking.
I finally got up and I knew that I would not be able to manage a real speech. I must have been thinking get
to your feet, come up with a plan and the only plan I had was say thanks to the important ones.
And I did.
Mo Starkey, the artist who has done
so much art and who is so important to
me and who got herself onto the ballot this
year.
Taral Wayne, a Fan Artist of the finestkind and a writer whose works have made
the Drink Tank over the last two years.
Genevieve Collonge, my Ex, and her
daughter, Evelyn, who I have struggled to
keep as a part of my life, and though at times
its been the biggest challenge Ive ever had
to rise up and meet, and I once wrote a piece
called Gen and Evelyn Make My Life Hell..
and its Worth It! and I had to at least say
their name. I mention my Mom, and I mentionPhoto from Stu Segal
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that Im going to call her, and I mention that she was going to come and then she didnt and then, finally thinking
at least somewhat coherently, I said Thank you, Fandom.
That one was hard. Fandoms home. Its where I live. Ive always been a Fandom is a Hobby, guy, but the
People of Fandom are my People. No question. I broke there again. If I had tried to go on in that vein, to say what
the folks at the con meant to me, what people had meant to me, what theyd allowed me to do, I would have
totally broken into a million pieces.
Im going over there to have a nervous breakdown. If you see me, you should hug me.
And I meant it.
At that moment, the only thing keeping me going was that James had his hand on my shoulder. I neededhuman contact. Grant Krueger, after we got off-stage, helped ease me down the ramp. Marc Shirmeister basically
carried me to the back of the auditorium. I drank a bunch of water. James and I hugged a bunch.
We won a Hugo, Chris. He said. We won a Hugo.
The worst part was that I didnt get to say thanks. I even wrote a piece for the WOOF APA that listed
49 people I had to thank. The one that bugs me the most that I missed was Bill Burns. Without eFanzines.com
thered be no Drink Tank, and I am forever grateful for the site hes started. Hes good people and if I ever win
another, his names gettin said.
There are the people who started me down the path towards fan writing and The Drink Tank. Jan Stinson
and Earl Kemp are the two most important names on that list. I wrote a piece for Peregrine Nations that was
the first real fan writing Id done after giving up on writing fiction and Earl got my first LoC. Theres also Ed Mes-
keys, whose zine Niekas was handed to me at the Seattle Westercon and that started me down the path back
to fanzines. Arnie and Joyce Katz have to be mentioned too. Theyve always been so good to me and it was Vegas
Photo from Stu Segal
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Fandom Weekly that got me thinking about doing a fanzine.
I should have mentioned Lloyd Penney. Hes always so good about writing LoCs and is a great guy. It was
nice to get a chance to hang with Lloyd and Yvonne at the con, too! Theres also John Purcell, a mensch if there
ever was one. Steven H Silver too, the guy who has been nominated a bunch of times and never managed to win
I dont think hell need to worry, hes a lock for at least one of the Fan Hugos next year in Chicago. Guy Lillian
whose zine Challenger is a masterpiece, should have been mentioned too.
Oh, and theres Frank Wu. It
would be impossible for the Drink
Tank to have done anything with-out Frank. He was the first one to
write for me and to provide art
and support. The man is the rock
on which The Drink Tank was built
Thank you Frank, and Brianna, for
everything youve done for me and
for The Drink Tank. I owe yall BIG
And then theres the fact
that I didnt say a word of thanks to
James Bacon. True, the guy was upthere with me, but without James
the Drink Tank is just me doin stuff
Thanks, brother!
There are so many people
who have contributed to The Drink
Tank over the years, Steve Green
Mark Valentine, Kevin Roche, Andy
Trembley, Claire Brialey, Mark
Plummer, John The Rock Coxon
John Hertz, Jay Lake, Cheryl Mor
gan, Dave Langford, Alastair Reyn-olds, Barbara & Trey, Greg Trend
M Lloyd, Brad Foster, Steve Stiles
Jay, SaBean, Judith, Kevin Standlee
Cynthia Corral, Jason Wiener, Jaun
Sanmiguel, David Moyce, Randy Smith, Beth Zuckerman, Eric Mayer, Mike Perschon, Ken & Jerry, Helen Mont-
gomery, Adrienne Foster, Dann Lopez, Kurt Erichsen, Kelly Green, Liz Batty, Bob Hole, Ted White, Jason Schachat
Espana Sheriff, Jean Martin and so many more. Weve been very lucky to have so many great people writing for
us over the years.
And, of course, there are people who havent written for us who are also very much a part of the feeling
of The Drink Tank. Doug Berry, Chris Barkley, Milt Stevens, Mette & Bryan, Jack Avery, Anders, the other Anders
Eric Zuckerman, Unwoman, Lisa Deutsch-Harrison, Heather Yager, John Scalzi, Greg Benford, John Picacio, Mary
Robinette-Kowal, Howard Hendrix, Diana Vick, Murray Moore, Bill Mills, The Bushyagers, Nic Farey, Tycho, Bobby
Toland, Father John Blaker, and on and on.
And of course, the guys who are gone. I dont think theres a better fan writer in history than Harry
Warner. Mike Glicksohn was the only guy who came close to being as good a LoCer (though Lloyd is certainly
right up there) and hes the one Ive always said was the best historian we had. I was lucky enough to get to meet
and chat with Jack Speer. I missed getting SaM to write some of his version of history for me. I would have loved
to have gotten to know Glicksohn, Bruce Pelz, Bobby Gear, rich brown, Charles Burbee, Walt Willis, Bill Rotsler
Terry Carr, Poul Anderson (who always called me Rich for some reason) and Atom. These are all people who died
and I never got to know very well.
Art from Frank Wual
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Then theres Forry. My idol in just about every way and I wish he could have been around because no
matter how rough things were up there, Id have made sure to mention his name if I was on stage. I will always
be grateful to Forry. Always. He changed my life.
So, those are some, though not nearly all, of the people Id have liked to have thanked.
Moving outward a little, the Hugos were a great set this year... for the most part. There were some awe-
some winners. The ones that pop out at me are Mary Robinette Kowal for her story For Want of a Nail, and Best
Long Form Editor Lou Anders. Claire Brialey won for Best Fan Writer, which is amazing. Shes been the best fan
writer in the world since the late 1990s and shes amazing. Im so glad she has a rocket! Ted Chiang, who is my
fellow Guest of Honor at Minicon next year, won for Best Novela over Al Reynolds whose Troika was a delight.I would have loved Al to have won it, but Chiangs story was great too.
The Best Pro Artist was a bit of a disappointment, especially with John Picacio running third. Johns more
than deserving. Brad W. Foster winning the Best Fan Artist was both slightly sad, in that Mo Starkey didnt win, and
it also made me happy because he beat Randall Munroe. Of course, it doesnt hurt that the stuff that Brads been
doing for the last few years has been amazing with the addition of color to so much of his work. That was the
best part. Mo ran third and a solid third, which was very nice. Best Fanzine was interesting because StarShipSofa
was the one with the most first place votes and yet, through redistributes, we got the rocket. That was awesome
File 770 also came 2nd! That was kooky! Several other awards went to the nominee that had the second most
first place votes. Best Fan Artist, Writer, Fanzine, Semipro Magazine and Pro Artist. Thats a bunch.
I also think that this year proved that the Hugo Voters Packets were influential. I think that Claire and Icertainly benefitted from the Packets. I think that there are a bunch of things that were influenced by the packets
and I think that the future of voting will be influenced by the packets and Im glad that the WorldCon has been-
doing it.
The WorldCon itself was really good. I wasnt a fan of the facilities, there was the Air-Conditioned Death
March that was required to get from the Convention Center to the Atlantis, and then about half-a-mile from the
Atlantis to the Peppermill. The food at the Hotels was expensive, but quite good for the most part. We found
Roscoes Oakland-style BBQ and it was just like Roscoes in Oakland. I enjoyed it. We also had Jimboys Tacos,
which were quite good.
WorldCon also had a Busi-
ness Meeting where we debated
the merits of adding the Best Fan-cast category to the Hugos. I spoke
in favor of it and it managed to pass
after some marvelous parliamen-
tary debate. There was question at
first if it would have a chance, but
as the meeting went by, it became
apparent that there was support
and thats when things started hap-
penin! It was kinda fun to be a part
of it, though it was also tedious as all
hell! It got a lot of support from the
younger crowd and the folks from
Chicago. It was a good thing and I
am glad it passed.
There was some very nice
programming, only a little of which
I managed to make it to. One thing
that I was a part of after winning the
Hugo was The Match Game. Id told
Kevin Standlee that if I won, it was Photo from Stu Segal
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upright. I got a couple of rounds of applause, including
one as I walked into the Exhibit Hall. That was awe-
some! I took photos with folks, let folks take photos
of the Hugo statue. One Scandinavian fan, I wanna say
Jukke Halme but Im not sure, used this awesome lens
to take some incredible photos of the base in the sun-
light. They were amazing!
What does this all mean for The Drink Tank?
Good question. Ive got no clue. The main, and
usually only. rule is that its got to be fun, and that stil
holds. John Hertz said to me that now that weve wonwe should use that as a reason to get better. I dont
see it happening, though. The stuff that I know John con-
siders getting better is the stuff thats no fun for me, so
dont expect too much change in that area. Well prob-
ably get more folks writing for us, and weve already
seen a bump in the number of book companies willing
to send us review copies, so theres that!
So there you have it, my WorldCon with the
Hugo win. Ive been watching the various places that
put up the video and the reactions range from Wow
that was amazing! to Im so uncomfortable and scaredright now. The former is far more frequent than the
latter, luckily. The good thing is that people seem to
understand that it was a moment when the absolute
joy of winning crashed up against just about everything
else that I could possibly feel. Am I embarrassed that I
broke so heavily? Maybe a little. Im passionate, like al
us Greeks, but it is weird to have thousands of people
watching your most vulnerable moment on the inter-
net. Last time I checked, the UStream video had about
50K views. Thats a lot of people to watch you crying.So, WorldCon was great, winning the Hugo was
over-whelming, getting to see my friends from around
the world was amazing, and largely, Im down with Ren-
ovation! It was a great time.
So, what else is in this issue? Well, theres a piece
from Taral Wayne, one of the few I managed to mention
in my speech. Theres that fine Mo Starkey cover. Theres
this 52 weeks entry dealing with 2001: A Space Odyssey
including a wonderful piece fromSteve Stiles and one
from Best Fan Artist winner Brad W. Foster!
doubtful that Id make it to the Match Game. I stuck around and I understand that there was some technical dif-
ficulty and that meant that when I got there, they had only done two questions, so I came in and played. I had a
blast, we were all on our game and got some great laughs. I had a cold adult beverage or two and that might have
helped. I couldnt help but play with the Hugo. I had a set of napkins that I used to fondle the Hugo, often making
dirty motions. Then, at a certain point, Kirsten Berry took the Rocket and put it between her boobs. That was
awesome! It was a great time.
The last 24 hours were both amazing and surreal. Everyone seemed to know me. I got a lot of hugs. A
LOT OF HUGS. I Needed them because I was so exhausted in every possible way that I had to hug folks to stay
Photo from Dave McCarty
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Did we win a Hugo?
By James Bacon
If I wrote to win an award, or edited fanzines to win awards, my return would be pretty dismal. Its not
really a good purpose to write for.
Now, awards are indeed awesome, and in the last 12 months I have won my first Nova and my first Hugo
but I wrote in 2003 because I had something to say, and I edit because I either want to hear what people have to
say on something or want to see them say what they think should be said.Yet, the award does do something. I have been HYPER since I got home from America. I have worked five
early shifts and the jet lag has been in my favour, work colleagues somewhat aware that I am not at all tired like
they are. I feel energised by many things, in fairness all aspects that I would have hoped to have gone well have
gone well, and the amount of tangible success, be it the success of the kids programme, the UK in 2014 parties
the staff party, my turn as a barman at the Boston party and the fantastic social time that I had, as well as the fact
that I may have seen more programme than I have ever done before has resulted in a great feeling.
Of course the awards are weird. I was terrible nervous inside as Chris had kept banging on that I would
win one. I didnt think I would, but I even wrote a few words, and given a strange commitment that I had made
I had prepared it to be bi-lingual. I was pretty sure that Claire should and could win the best writer Hugo, but
wanted her or Chris to win.
The award process begins not as I don my nice suit in the hotel, all excited not so much about thenomination, for which I am terribly proud, and twice so in this case, but because it is such a wonderful night of
celebration.
Regardless of what the voters decide, this is a massive event, run by fans, paid for in the tens of thousands
by fans, administrated to the highest order by fans
and of course in there amongst all the professionals
are a few that will be won by fans.
The Hugos for all the times that I have been
bitterly disappointed in the voter selection, are an
incredible award, and really, although it can be ar-
gued the Clarke is more selective, or better readselection of judges, and the sidewise is more refined
into exactly my sub-genre, and the Eisners have the
skill to recognise those who definitely deserve it
there is nothing like the Hugos.
A little pomp and circumstance is indeed
a pleasant thing, everyone enjoys dressing up, and
dressing in their own unique style, and the ladies
always look stunning and its recognition for some
that is so deserved.
Yet, as I wondered about a black tie or a
green cravat, my black cuff links or Irish tricolour
ensured that my braces were correct and my odd
bilingual speech was at the ready, as well as that of
Bryan Talbots, it was not where it starts.
Months before in a darkened room in Staf-
fordshire. I was informed of nomination. I could
barely think to be honest, as it was for best writer,
was in a sorta shock and I waited to see if as well as
best writer, which was indeed a big honour, if Drink
Tank or for that matter Journey Planet had gottenPhoto from Unwoman
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one. Well for one reason or another, I sat wondering and waiting. It was a long wait. Something was wrong.
I then got really upset. This is, of course, totally irrational. Why would I be upset you may ask, as I sat there
nominated. Well its a weird thing but I like people to enjoy things, its one of my drivers for con running and fan-
zine editing, and well, I have some people, friends, who in my head at that moment in time, were suddenly going
to be left behind.
Like a train leaving a station, my friends had missed it, and I wondered would it be better to also miss that
train and join them in whatever adventure that would then befall us, rather than being on the train heading to
some sort of honorary bliss, but in solitude and loneliness.
Other people have always made the best cons, and best contributors, and it was a weird wash of emotionthat over came me.
And then my phone beeped and email refreshed and suddenly Drink Tank was on the ticket, and so Chris
Garcia was with me, and in the knowledge, and of course as co-editors allowed to discuss the nomination, we
were soon, texting and speculating and our speculation proved right some weeks later, at Eastercon and were
pleased to see Mark and Claire, and Guy and Mike and Steve all on the ticket. An excellent bunch of people who
I have worked for as a low submitter.
Its an odd old thing. Worried that your mates arent nominated. Weird eh.
Jeez, can I say thank you now?
So I shall write about the whole speech thing in great detail, and I have already gotten Dave Cake and
Grant Kruger at the keyboards typing in their version of events. I have been told that the Ustream clip of Chris
has been watched over 30,000 times which is incredible, but then some issues of drink tank have been down-
loaded in the thousands, by the silent majority who just want to read what we say. Hello there. Do write in some
time, wont you. Thatd be nice. But not necessary at all.
BUT we never ever never ever ever expected to win.
Its as simple as that.
So when I did realise what was happening and get excited and express that excitement as only I could
and did that night, it was a sudden red light that flashed in my face, when I saw Chris throw down his coat on the
ground. It was not that he had taken it off, so much as the action, and expression and for whatever reason, I knew
he was already over that edge, and well, it was now my job to hold on for both of us.
I had no speech. I just said what came into my head. I thanked other editors and our contributors and
authors, as they are the ones that do inspire much of my fan writing, especially the fan writing about science fic-
tion.
So first off a big thank you to Chris.
You see, I am grateful for being involved in Drink Tank, he could have made me an occasional guest editor
or some such, but he didnt, and I know he feels I have returned that with efforts and commitment and ideas, but
even so, he let me play with his toy.
Bill Burns, for always getting Drink Tank up online. To Claire for encouraging and helping my writing and
giving out when she should and sharing coffee and cider when she should. Mark Plummer for equally being a
writer that inspires, Mike, Guy and Steve, cause, well you keep up the standard, and to John, John, Ian, Kat, DougChristina, Espana, Jean, Tom, Nick, Rob and all the others who drop in via my post box. You are great.
And all the awesome contributors, yep, we ask a lot of you, of a lot, professionals who should be earning
a wage, not writing or drawing for free, and people who just go out of their way to add to the fanzine.
Readers, Voters and Fans, you are all awesome and brilliant to us, but keep on reading and just send us
your opinion, let us know what you think. Even if its rubbish and we disagree, we want to know.
I am really very grateful.
Cheers
James
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And Then She Was Gone by J. Daniel SawyerReviewed by Christopher J Garcia
Its pretty obvious that I love Noir and that the detective story. Theres no kind of story that so beauti-
fully combines the world we live in with the world in which I want to love. Theres nothing that I covet more
than simple adventure and detective stories proved an adventure with a hyper-realist sort of setting that I find
irresistable. Among the best things about Noir are the scripts. Double Indemnity, The Maltese Falcon, Key Largo
and my all-time favorite, The Big Sleep. William Faulkner had a hand in many of the best scripts of the genre, and
actors such as Humphrey Bogard, Alan Ladd and Barbara Stanwyck all made the words gleam like a knife stickingout a stoolies back.
J. Daniel Sawyers novel And Then She Was Gone is a solid piece of plot thats got the voice of those classic
Noirs.
This is the story of Clarke Lantham, a PI who used to be a Police Dective. The guys obviously cut from
the same cloth as Marlowe or Hammer, but hes got the twenty-first century vibe to him. His latest client has
sent him to find her daughter, a teen who lives on the wrong side of just about everything. His search takes him
around the Bay Area and into some awesome settings. It may be a bit much, not Woody Allen 1960s too much,
but maybe Woody Allen 2005 bit much. A tad over-the-top, and I enjoyed it. Its a chase, in a way, and many of the
areas in which we travel feel the sort of post-suburban angst that Noir has been using over the last two decades
The Bay Areas quirks are quite apparent and they play well against the characters, most of whom seem either
vividly nuts or kinda scummy. In a couple of cases, the scummy is some of that classic dirtbag scummy you read
about in works by Eastlake and McDonald.
The seedier side of the Bay Area where Lantham searches provides the best of the piece. Theres a great
segment in a club in The City that allows Sawyers prose to sparkle. If I have one complaint, its the treatment of
hte City of Danville. Its a great town and it becomes a sort of gag for Sawyer. I mean seriouly, its a great town!
Why so harsh? The role of the Bay Area in the story is an interesting one and Sawyer plays with teh geography
in a way that almost makes it like a gae of RISK played by the characters against the reader.
There are times when the dialogue lost me a bit, I had trouble keeping characters speaking straight. That
wasnt a huge trouble throughout, but it popped up a few times as
the novel went along. There are a few constructions that I stum-
bled over, but that might just be a part of the voice of Lanthamand the adherence to the traditional vocabulkary of the PI. Still
the sense of place comes through so beautifully that I didnt mind
a few struggles to get to the marrow.
There are also a few typography problems here and there
These things happen, and only one of them really caused me to
fumble along as I was reading.
The plot is a bit over-the-top, what with the constant
shark-like movement of our hero and the series of beatings he
takes along the way, and at times it seems that there is less-than-
necessary spotting of the quarry followed by more-than-obvious
clues dropped in our faces, but these all balance out to keep you
guessing at exactly what and where things are going.
The voice of Clarke Lantham is the voice of those Faulkner
scripts and Stanwyck reparte. Its gloriously snappy and full of the
kind of setting-setting wordplay that you expect from an author
who obviously knows his Hammett, Spilane and Eastlake. Its like
one of those Hard Case Crime novels that are on the modern
lighter side, like the Quarry Novels by Max Allen Collins, but with
a stronger sense of the traditional PI tale. I understand that this is
a part of a series and Im ready to dive in the rest of them!
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on.
In any case, I was suffused with a warm glow of childlike happiness. Being a fan yourself, you probably
know perfectly well why, but what follows takes no chance of leaving anything to the imagination.
The first thing I thought of doing, after pulling the shirt over my head, was to call on a reclusive fringe fan
who lives down the hall from me. _______ _ (for Thomas, alas) _____. We had been fencing with each othe
for years, in a half-joking, half-serious way. Id joke; hed take me seriously. Or hes be serious and Id think he was
joking. Some odd situations arose, hardly the oddest of which resulted in a threatened lawsuit involving Harlan
Ellison that prohibited me forever from printing my neighbors name. Hence _______ _ (for Thomas) _____.
Tchok, tchok, tchok, I drum on his door. Is ____ there, Mrs. _____? (_______ still lived with his
mother. I didnt feel superior about that, because I did too.)_______! she calls up the stairs, then adds, Hell be down in a second, Wayne.
(Wayne? Mothers are so awkward to deal with! Even my own had come around quicker.)
After a moment, down comes _______, arrayed in the regal majesty of bathrobe and flip-flops. How do
you like it? I ask, and throw out my chest to smooth imaginary wrinkles.
I dont. Then His Majesty ascends the royal staircase back to his throne.
It was just the encouragement I was looking for.
The action shifted to an informal Chips & Coffee meeting a few days later, where I appeared again attired
in IguanaCon grey and blue. Here there were friends, so the effect was somewhat muted. The shirt annoyed no
one, but at least it attracted attention.
I divulged to the circle of rapt Chips & Coffeers I would next take my t-shirt to an OSFiC meeting. Cer
tain uppity con fans would notice, and I would revel as it corroded their inner souls with jealousy. The next logi
cal step would be for me to attend one of the local, marginally fannish cons like... oh, say Anonycon or Maplecon
and damage more egos there. In fact, there was no end to the number of fringe and fakefans I could practice my
fansmanship on, both gratifying my own ego and extracting no little unsubtle revenge at the same time.
Did I say no end? Alas, all good things come to an end. There is one place I must never wear my Iguana
Con t-shirt, and thats at IguanaCon itself! Somebody might take me for one of the Committee if I were to wea
anything official-looking. That would never do. I might be expected to earn my right to impress people with my
importance, and that way I would be no farther ahead than if I were actukally were important.
Taral Wayne
This is an article on the fannish abuse of egoboo. The
egoboo in question was the arrival of a t-shirt from a grateful
IguanaCon Committee that sported a retouched reproduction
of a certain logo, by a certain Toronto artist for whom I have an
understandable fondness. Id never done an illustrated t-shirt
before. Id never had a reason to. No art I had seen other peo-
ple wear had any particular relevance to whatever peculiar sort
of person I am. Also, being an artist myself, it would have been
more appropriate for me to advertise my own work rather thansomeone elses. But, the Iggy t-shirt was one of those if-I-had-
the-time projects that I never actually had the time for until
then. When the shirt came a lumpy, floppy package it was an
excuse to never have to find the time!
The art was not quite as it had looked in the Progress
Reports. In fact, a local artist had touched it up for black-and-
white reproduction. The rich grey tones and shadings had been
reduced to crude stippling. Dark blue ink on grey, enlargement
of the art and the giant potato that was apparently used to do
the printing also added nothing to the appearance of the art. Ifelt rather like someone elses twiltone fanzine once I tried it
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I have a thing for films that explore. There arent that many of them, really. There are a lot of films that take
a look at a topic and dig into it, there are films that try to uncover secrets or break new ground, but there are few
that actually explore, that try and discover something new. 2001 is a film that explores. It explores the reaction
of man to change and the ways in which new intelligences can only deal in death and pain. Its an incredible piece
of cinema, and perhaps there is no film pre-Star Wars that took the art of filmmaking and so brilliantly applied i
to a SciFi mode.
Lets start with Kubrick. I talked a lot about him with Strangelove, and here hes riding a wave of films at
that point that are among the greatest movies of all-time. His previous film was Strangelove and he spent five
years working on. He co-wrote the script with Arthur C. Clarke based on his story The Sentinel. This was Kubrick
being uber-Kubrick, involved in many aspects where youd rarely see a director working. He was deeply involved
with the cinematography and effects, as well as with editing and even sound design. This was a project where
Kubrick was the truest form of Auteur.
That said, this was a movie that told a story that was very complex, layered, and more than a little bit
muddled. The story is about a monolith. Thats something of a simplification, but its pretty much the case. The
Monolith is the reason for the evolution of human consciousness, it seems. Were first shown this when a Mon-
key-man-type creature gains the ability to use tools after touching the monolith. We then see it again when a
lunar team has uncovered it and sends a team. The end brings it back. Thats for later.
The first hour of the film, after we go through the Monkey portion, is almost like Kubrick showing us wha
the future could and should be. Its not a flashy future and were not shown a big science-y world, but instead aretaken to a Space Station with a Hilton and a Howard Johnsons. Theres a lot of talk, some gossiping, and a lot of
sitting around. In fact, we see a transport spaceship that is empty save for our doctor, who is traveling and asleep
on the trip with the video screen in the seatback. Thats an interesting point, Kubrick and co. foresaw the modern
plane seat! The fact that theres one guy and a stewardess is a sign that this is not an extraordinary flight. Its just a
regular commuter flight thats not very full. Kubrick brings us to the world of ordinary space flight, and shows us
simple things like video calls and neat kinds of chairs. Its all very interesting and the vision of the Not-Too-Distan
Future is enticing.
Where things get really interesting is where we see the ship Discovery on the way to Jupiter to figure
out wheat happened to the team that encountered the Monolith. Here, we are introduced to Dave, our hero, in
a way, and HAL, the computer that is so famous now.
52 Weeks to Science Fiction Film Literacy - 2001: A Space Odyssey
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the key to the entire meaning of the film.
Or at least the last part.
You see, heres my thought: its not one movie.
Its three movies.
The first movie is everything that happens upuntil we get to the first space flight. Its the story of
the first major evolutionary flash that raises man up
from simply being a scavenger and gatherer to being
a tool-user and hunter. Its a very short film, and one
that ends with a match cut that turns a bone into
a shuttle. Its a brilliant cut, and it shows something
that I believe is far more impressive. It wasnt a slow
dissolve, it was a snap-cut. It wasnt a Monkey-man
finding a bone and using it once, then going away and
trying again later, it was a sudden evolutionary leap.
He hit some bones, then hit a tapir then hit another
Monkey-Man. It was a flash, just like the cut between
the first and second movies.
The second movie starts on that ship that was
born from bone. The mission to the Moon, the ex-
ploration and then the film of the Jupiter mission and
HALs malfunction. This is a great film, and even with
nothing else around, its still great. Its poetic, its intel-
ligent, its brutal and its quiet. Theres music, talking,
sounds, but so much of it is sound design and mise-en-
HAL is probably the most important computer in the history of film. While there are been madder com-
puters (the one from Demon Seed comes to mind) and fancier (EMORAC from Desk Set) there are none that
are more human or more fully realized. HAL as a character has inspired entire books on its own. There are so
many things that HAL represents. The first thing is that HAL malfunctions and feels that he has to take charge
of the situation after that happens. He doesnt want to be shut down (and in 2010, the sequel, he asks Will
dream? when they tell him that theyre unplugging him) so he kills the three scientists who are in hibernation
The real ending as far as a lot of viewers see it is when Dave goes on a walk-about and re-enters to unplug HAL
Its a touching scene when Dave undoes HALs memory and HAL first pleads for Dave not to do it and then the
singing of Daisy is positively heart-breaking.And Daisy is an important thing. Arthur C. Clarke was fully aware of the work of people like Marvin Min-
sky and Max Matthews. Matthews was an important figure in computer history. Max, along with Lajareen Hiller
was the Father of Computer Music. Matthews figured out a way to sample his violin playing into the computer
and synthesize the sounds and replay them. He was also involved in voice synthesis. There is a record called He
Saw The Cat which documents the work that Matthews and folks were doing at Bell Labs. Matthews recorded
Daisy (or Daisy Belle or Bicycle Built-For-Two) in 1958 or so, and the most famous version of it was recorded
in 1960, which Clarke was certainly aware of. Kubrick visited Bell Labs in the lead-up to the production of 2001
though its thought that it was a Clarke addition to use Daisy in that significant scene.
After that, it gets pretty darn triply. This is called the Starchild Sequence and is one of the most impressive
in Science Fiction film of the period. Its a bit ponderous, and eventually we see Dave become the StarChild, whichis the next step in the evolution of mankinds intellect. In a way, it could be seen that HAL is the next step after us
and then the StarChild is the step after that step. Makes sense. Thats the theme that I pick up on hardest - conti-
nuity trumped by explosion. Those monkey-men would have kept hoppin around, living in annoyed harmony with
the tapir if the Monolith hadnt showed up and given them the ability to use tools.Man would have kept relying
on thinking machines like HAL to do their thinking if the StarChild had not appeared. Of course, were not sure
what the StarChild means, really, we dont see that, but we understand that this is a hinge, a turning point. Thats
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scene. Theres so much space, things are so sparse, and everything is surrounded by empty space. Its one of the
reasons why I think that 2001 might be the most honest of all science fiction films. It gets so much right. Theres
not a ton of unnecessary sound. That is most visible in the middle movie.
The final film is what happens when Dave meets Monolith. Its philosophical to the extreme, almost im-
penetrable to those who havent truly studied it. Its impressive, innovative filmmaking for the 1960s, with effects
that were incredible for the time.
There is so much to talk about. The screens we see throughout the film are all rear-projection, film be-
ing projected onto frosted glass. Its so simple, and it makes everything look so awesome. Some of it might have
been television, but Im not convinced. The unusual camerawork, including famous tracking shots like the joggingaround the ring that is the Discovery, serves to disquiet the viewer. The shots, with cameras tilted at different
angles to give the illusion of different gravity situations. It works so very well.
The weird thing is that film should not work at all. There is a different structure that you have to sort o
scratch at the film to find. Its not a single film, like I said, and that shouldnt work in a film which is serving as an
exploration of theory more than a traditional narrative.
But the work is so strong that it over-powers structure and story and even meaning and draws you in
2001 is a film that brings you closer with the incredible production values. Kubrick might be the least sense of
wonder director I can think of, yet this is a film that is fueled by sense of wonder. Why else would you leave so
much fabric on the table? This is a film that allows you to suck it all in by giving you just enough at a time and not
overwhelming you. That is powerful filmmaking!There is so much more that I could talk about, but if there is one where I hope yallll go out watch it and
then debate my take on the film, this is the one!