Sasquan
It's the last day of Sasquan, and I'm leaving relatively early on the last day. In this case, because it's a Wednesday-Sunday con and the all-night filk turned out to still be Saturday, I headed almost directly from the after-filk breakfast to the airport.
Here's a sort of limited review, in the form of comments on one aspect and a song about another:
Here's a sort of limited review, in the form of comments on one aspect and a song about another:
- It's great that recent Worldcons are starting to have a filk Guest of Honor. But here's a thought: If your filk GoH is a performer (as has always been the case for U.S. Worldcons and maybe always will be), how about giving them a concert set? A normal standalone one for grownups, I mean. Tom Smith was scheduled for a kid concert, an outdoor Artist Vs. Singer item, and as halftime entertainment for the Masquerade. The last is a nice idea since it gives the performer more exposure -- a large captive audience -- and the people attending the Masquerade something to watch during what I guess is a dead spot in the schedule during judging. But it's no substitute for a concert for people who actually came to see the performer. Some of us may not want to sit through an often-long costuming event in order to see the music event.
- Re my one panel (not counting bubble blowing): If a participant is bored by the idea of talking about songwriting, don't put them on a songwriting panel whose description is "our experts will tell you what works and what doesn't". If as someone on Programming you agree with the idea that panelists should perform sample songs, don't put two non-performers on your three-person panel, and use the word "show" instead of "tell". Part of the problem in this case might have been the pent-up demand on the part of both the GoH and certain audience members to have a filk concert. I expected to talk about the songwriting process, and had thought about using the two parodies I wrote of Tom Smith songs as examples, but I never got a chance.
- I don't know if this will make sense to people who didn't witness the effect I'm talking about, but here's my attempt to capture the atmosphere, literally, of First Night and the morning after. It would be an exaggeration to say it was like being on another planet; the air was breathable, except Friday night, and even then a wet handkerchief was enough to make it breathable.
See the summer sunshine filter through the forest fires,
The sun still struggling to shine.
It's this smoky summer that I find so very strange
This smoky sullen summertime.
The sun it hangs like egg yolk,
Dim and subdued:
A red-hot coal, or the golden goose's brood.
It makes parks turn pink.
It's a forest's surest sign.
The slightly surreal sunlight of the Spokane summertime
That surely is a forest fire's sign.
There's no stranger setting, no locale that feels so weird,
Fitting science fiction more.
In the whole of fandom, not a single other con
Provides this right outside your door!
The sun it hangs like…
When your Worldcon's not as otherworldly as you'd wish,
And the filk has not been fun,
Remember: There’s no need to take a trip aboard a rocket ship
To walk beneath a strange new sun!
It hangs like ...
(after "All About Berries" by Julia Ecklar)
(Edit: I thought of a better description of the Wednesday night appearance, "red-hot coal", than what I first wrote, "bloodshot eye".)