Fanzine Fandom Was Thoroughly Sercon When Fanzines Began Appearing Around 1930

Fanzine Fandom was thoroughly sercon when fanzines began appearing around 1930. “That sounds like Corflu Glitter,” you may be thinking, but I mean in the sense of being “serious constructive.” The earliest fanzines’ content focused on two areas:

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Science Fiction and the frontiers of science. The SF fans gradually pushed out the science buffs until fanzines were almost entirely about Science Fiction and fantasy, including lots of author profiles, reviews Memoirs of a Troubled Insurgent and the latest information about what stories were scheduled to appear When I was little more than a neofan, I in the prozines in the months to come. read The Enchanted Duplicator and Ah, Sweet Idiocy! on the same night. Reading Fandom was more like an Interest Group than what we now call a the touchstones of Trufannishness and “Fandom” during its formative period. Interest Groups are associa- Insurgentism was fire and ice. First the tions of people who are drawn together as a result of a common inter- soaring idealism of Willis and Shaw and est. Without that shared interest, there is generally little or no connec- then the thrilling candor of Laney set in tion among members of an Interest Group. motion my internal debate between these two schools of fannish thought. Through local clubs, correspondence and fanzines, the people who I’m not good at doctrine and dogma. had united as an Interest Group began to learn more about each other. I’m not enthusiastic about toeing the Social interaction in clubs, augmented by paper contact, started to Party Line, any party line. So it won’t build the multi-layered subculture we enjoy today. The transformation surprise you that, like Fandom itself, I’ve proceeded rapidly, but it didn’t happen overnight. vacillated between Insurgentism and Tru- fannishness for almost 50 years. (I even Bob Tucker broke through the barrier that separates an Interest Quit Fandom, but saw the error of my Group from a Fandom. He wrote about fans, both under his own name ways and returned.) and as the puckish Hoy Ping Pong. My personal belief is that Walt Willis Jack Speer deserves generous credit, too. He helped Tucker put on had something with his “Sercon Insurgen- The Great Staple War, pulled the first fan hoax and co-invented the tism,” even if it didn’t become popular. My interpretation of the concept, perhaps mailing comment. a little different than WAW’s, is that I’m Bob Tucker is the Grandfather of Fannishness. What’s more, his a better fan when I don’t veer too much to fanwriting contains the seeds of both Trufannishness and Insurgen- either extreme. I feel that just as Fandom tism. seems better when the two philosophies Charles Burbee and Francis Towner Laney espoused a more cohe- strike a balance, the same is true for me as an individual. sive brand of Insurgentism in the mid 1940’s. Lee Hoffman, Walt I’m too sweet to be a blood-and- Willis and other actifans of the early 1950’s created the philosophy of thunder Insurgent and too judgmental to Trufannishness. be a beatific disciple of Trufannishness. Burbee and Laney championed truth over glossy phoniness. They If our subculture isn’t a Meritocracy, it wrote about themselves with candor and honesty, and extended that should be, but I also believe that we are brothers and, in that sense, equal. frankness to include the rest of Fandom. I love working with fannish myths and Burbee and Laney weren’t the only Insurgents. Elmer Perdue and legends, but I also put a high value on other LA Insurgents kept the pot boiling through most of the 1940’s. accurate, truthful reporting. Fans outside Los Angeles also proclaimed their Insurgentism. Art I get a great deal of enjoyment from Rapp led Wolverine Insurgents and a group of Toronto fans formed cooperative projects, such as putting on Corflu or co-editing Wild Heirs , Home the Derelict Insurgents. Kookin’ and Neon , but I also love pro- Even those who don’t agree with the tenets of Insurgentism must jects where I can do exactly as I want, admit that the movement had at least one beneficial effect: It drew like my fan novel The Fractured Circle William Rotsler into Fandom. and fanstuff . Rotsler wasn’t an SF reader, but he loved hanging out with Bur- I believe in telling the truth, but some- times being Right isn’t as important to me bee and the other LA Insurgents. He gave Insurgentism a prolific and as not delivering gratuitous wounds to my talented cartoonist at a time when good cartoonists were still in very friends. short supply in Fandom. I don’t feel the need to resolve any of Ah, Sweet Idiocy! , Laney’s searing memoir, crystallized disgust those seeming contradictions: I only with fans’ self-delusion and lack of standards into the question: “Why know they make Fandom more fun for me and, in turn, more pleasant for my fan don’t you quit Fandom?” friends. Burbee made his points with humorous articles and faan fiction I wonder if Trufandom would benefit that used acid-tinged humor. Laney could be trenchantly funny, but from a dose of Insurgentism, too. often preferred to rely on his mastery of the polemical essay. 2 The late 1950’s saw the emergence of another notable pair of Insur- gents, Ted White and Terry Carr. Tastes vary, but many would say that the students surpassed the teachers. Ted White has written some hilarious pieces, but like FTL, is a con- summate essayist. Ted’s fanwriting has more breadth than Laney’s, I think, and he has produced more over a much longer fan career. Ted also “sold” Fandom on an important Insurgent concept: “Fandom is a Meritocracy.” Even in this most Trufannish era, our sub- The hunt for a host for Corflu 31 in culture still holds to this principle. 2014 continues. Corflu XXX is Portland and the 2015 Corflu is expected to re- Terry Carr wrote a lot of pretty terrific faan fiction, but only a small turn to the UK. Nobody has 2014.. percentage of his stories targeted specific fans. Terry also wrote many It would be nice, though maybe not serious articles. essential, to get a site out of the Pacific Comparing Burbee/Laney and Carr/White shows that the philosophy Time Zone. That region has had the last continued to evolve during the intervening period. four US Corflus. If you think you might like to host Terry is a kindlier and gentler Insurgent than Burb. Sweet Old Bur- Corflu, want more information about bee banged out some savage faan fiction, such as his stories about Al what it entails or just want to air your Ashley. Charles Burbee was my friend, and even a bit of a father figure opinions, please avail yourself of fan- for me for a very long time, so I never personally experienced the cru- stuff ’s letter column. As always, what- eler side of his Insurgentism, but it must have been hell for the objects ever you send will be uncensored, un- abridged and uninterrupted. of his derision. Some Corflu-related conversation Continued on page 4 won’t hurt — and it may help. (AK)

Trufannishness is the dominant theme in our subculture, but there’s something glamorous and romantic about being an Insurgent. Paradoxi- cally, it’s an image that strongly appeals to our trufannish instincts. The star-studded ranks of Insurgentism include some of Fandom’s most colorful characters and most proficient writers, artists and editors. Insurgents live Fandom in the fast lane. Insurgents inhabit a glittering world of flashing wits and flashy femmefans. The glitter of Insurgentism sometimes induces fans without a natural bent towards the philosophy to Fake It.

• If you think attacking the N3F makes you an Insurgent… you are a poser! The NFFF is always good grist for a humorous article, but it’s so near extinction that it’s like hooting at a wounded animal.

• If you think hating gays makes you an Insurgent, you are a poser. You’re also a bigot.

• If you think getting blitz beyond your ability makes you an Insur- gent, you are a poser! You also have a problem that may require professional help.

• If you think acting rude, graceless and chronically angry makes you an Insurgent, you are a poser! You might want to try getting a life and not taking it out on everyone else.

There are other pseudo-Insurgent poses, but I know you get the idea.

3 Ted White is much more sophisticated and worldly than Laney. This gives Ted a much greater tolerance and acceptance of individual differ- CORFLU ences. Insurgent fans of more recent vintage have followed Ted and Terry’s XXX lead by blending their Insurgentism with Trufannishness. Steve Stiles is an outstanding cartoonist, perhaps the greatest of his era. He has shown flashes of the Insurgent spirit, but he is a sweet-natured May 3-5, 2013 guy who is more at home with Trufannish ideals. Portland, Oregon. Rich brown was the most consistent Insurgent, but even he absorbed a lot of the Trufannish philosophy Red Lion Hotel Currently, Robert Lichtman, Joyce Katz, Andy Hooper and I are In- Portland - Convention Center surgentism’s Reserve Corps. We only go actively insurgent when pro- - www.redlion.com/ voked. (No, we don’t have costumes; you can identify us by the wild look conventioncenter in our eyes.) Several very good fans display an encouraging streak of Insurgentism, Attending Memberships: including Eric Mayer, Taral Wayne, JoHn Hardin, Jim Mowatt and Kat $65 US Templeton. £40 UK Fandom has swung back and forth between Insurgentism and Trufan- Supporting Memberships: nishness since the early 1960’s. A long Trufannish period of peace and $15 US tranquility accumulates low-level annoyances and resentments that even- £10 UK. tually incite more candid fanwriting. Open quarrels increase when Insurgentism grows too dominant. When Payment Options feuds become too frequent, or Fandom explodes in one of its mega-feuds, Join via PayPal: fans rebel against using up their fanning time on negative crap. Recovery [email protected] . from a major feud, like the Boondoggle or Topic A, generally signals a Join By Mail: turn towards Trufannishness. (checks payable to Lynn Walt Willis proposed a fan philosophy called “Sercon Insurgentism.” Steffan) He wanted to preserve Insurgentism’s allegiance to the Truth and support of critical standards without the ruthless combativeness. Mailing Address: It might’ve worked and it was a noble try, but “Sercon Insurgentism” Lynn Steffan didn’t stick. In a sense, WAW was anticipating a consensus that he hoped 2015 NE 50th Avenue, Fandom would reach. As a philosophy, Sercon Insurgentism may have Portland, OR 97213. felt too middle-of-the-road for a lot of fans. Our subculture’s 50-year trend is toward Trufannishness over Insur- UK Agent: Pat Charnock gentism. The post-Topic A era has emphasized the virtues of Trufannish- (checks payable to Pat ness: the unconditional loving brotherhood of all fans, cooperation for the Charnock) greater good, establishment of enduring institutions, avoidance of conten- Mailing Address tion and a light-hearted attitude about fan doings. Pat Charnock These days, Trufandom is in an extremely Trufannish period. Con- 45 Kimberley Gardens, temporary Insurgents, like Liberals in mainstream politics, are a pallid London N4 1LD UK. remnant of the once-powerful philosophy. And though the thought of our subculture without its Trufannish Contact us at: ethos is unpleasant, so is the idea of a Fandom that has abandoned the [email protected] principles of Insurgentism. We need both. -- Arnie Now, It’s Your Turn Insurgentism was once a vital fan philosophy, but it’s at a low ebb, now. Will it Visit our website: go the way of Scientism or is there a role for Insurgentism in modern Trufan- www.corflu.org dom? Do you have Insurgent Tendencies?

4 I got a letter from a close fan friend a few weeks ago. Getting an email isn’t, in itself, unusual for me. I get a couple of hundred every day. This email really stood out in my inbox queue among the endless list of offers of cut-rate Viagra, notifications of my British Lottery wins and alerts from companies that need my mom’s maiden name to fix an account I don’t have. Yes, this was a very special email. My friend had taken the time to write to tell me something to help me. “Must be something damn important,” I said, even though no one else was in my fen den. (I threw in the “damn” to show I’m in an Insurgent frame of mind.) After I read the brief email, I saw that this note was very special, indeed. My friend, my buddy, my kimosabe had written expressly to inform me that I was as soft as last week’s soggy toast. It’s a little better to be soft and soggy than hard and stale, but neither charac- terization appealed to me. I’d be honored to be he Toast of Fandom, but not if I’m going to end up laying around for a week. (This doesn’t say much for my friend’s standards of housekeeping, leaving half-eaten food around that long.) He was stern. It read like a bright student reprimanding his faltering teacher. I felt lower than a weekend fan in a Jar-Jar Bing hall costume. I had disappointed my es- teemed friend and the luminous roll call of Insurgents past and present. In my Flaming Insurgent Youth, I might’ve answered with ferocious frank- ness. No one’s perfect, so no Insurgent will ever run out my ammunition. I think that, deep down, my friend wanted to rouse me from Trufannish torpor. I didn’t do anything of the kind. I emailed him that I didn’t think he had to worry about me going soft. I was touched, deeply touched. “What a friend!” I exclaimed. “I would lay down his life for mine.” I weighed the satisfaction of vindicating my Insurgent credentials by tearing him a new one against wounding someone I like and respect. I know this friend is a sensitive artiste who would be needlessly hurt if I acted so callously. Some day, I may go soft. Some day, I may kiss the butts of arrogant fuggheads. Some day, I may not stand up for my principle or with friends. Someday, maybe, but not this day. Not t his issue. Not this fanzine.

5 Fandom began to emerge from the letter column of Yugo Guernsey’s Amazing Stores. The distinction of being the first science fiction fan prop- erly belongs to Jack Yerman. A ranger at Grand Canyon National Park, Yerman had many a winter night to pass in solitary loneliness. One par- ticularly solitary and loneliness spring evening, Yerman no- ticed that the covers of some of the magazines left over in the previous winter’s kindling pile had intriguing drawings of bosomy women on their covers. The lonely and solitary Yerman pulled all the magazines with the lurid covers out of the kindling pile.

6 Devoted gazing at the covers, plus his vivid imagination, made Yerman’s next two weeks much happier. It was only after the effect of the risqué paintings that Jack Yerman wondered what lay beneath those enticing covers. Yerman found that there were no more flamboyant depictions of highly developed femininity, just a few small, unsatisfying sketches. In desperation, Jack Yerman tried reading the stories and depart- ments that took up the space between the sketches. Even though there was little sexual content in the text portion of the magazines, Yerman was surprised to discover that he liked reading them. Before long, Yerman began bombarding the magazines with pun- filled letters. He became known to fellow denizens of the letter column as the “12-year-old with the tongue-twisting typewriter.” Then Yerman sent in a letter that corrected what he called “this silly misapprehension.” Upon learning that Yerman was not a bright 12-year-old but a 27-year-old Park Ranger, another letterhack, Jack “Shaky” Speer, coined the first of his many enduring nicknames, “Forrester Jack Yerman.” Fed by the tiny flame of letter column celebrity, Yerman’s ego ex- panded exponentially. Soon, writing gosh-wow letters wasn’t enough for Forrester Jack Yerman. That’s when a single act earned him an un- dying place in the annals of Fandom. Jack Yerman wrote directly to Jack Darrow, also a prominent pro- zine letterhack. Even more remarkably, Jack Darrow wrote back! It seemed like a rash move for someone who’d already shown his wis- dom by using a pseudonym in his dealings with the Science Fiction community. Yerman and Darrow decided to enlarge the correspondence net- work by adding Jack Williams, author of The Hominids and a noted lecher at the University of Mexico. At one point, it looked like Science Fiction enthusiasts might be- come known as “Jacks,” because so many of them had that given name in common. One fan stood in the path of this dubious design: Arthur Godfrey “Friar” Tucker. The world-traveling Tucker, whose interna- tional tours brought ping pong to every corner of the globe, did not want all SF lovers to be known as “Jacks,” for obvious reasons. The cunning Tucker knew that simple, direct opposition, no matter how forceful, would just strengthen the resolve on the Jack Faction. So Friar Tucker published a special fanzine, D’LiveJournal , in which he proposed a compromise solution. Since “Jack” was unaccept- able, Tucker wrote, a good alternative would be: “Jackass.” “It gives the Jack Faction more than half of what they want,” Friar Ticker summed up in D’LiveJournal ,” and it’s certainly descriptive!” Tucker’s humor made the whole thing seem silly. On the heels of D’LiveJournal came the stunning revelation that “Alias Jack Darrow” was really some lawyer named “Clarence.” This proved a lethal one- two punch that knocked out the whole idea. (When an over- enthusiastic neofan praised Friar Tucker for “fanning the flames of 7 Jack Yerman’s Fan Career peace,” everyone started writing about “fanning this” and “fanning that.” Jack Yerman survived the New- Soon, by extension, the people doing all that fanning began to be called arkCon food fight with minor stains “fans.” and contusions. He remained an ac- The fun-loving Friar tossed the disappointed Jack Faction an olive tive fan for decades. branch by naming his first-born “Forrest” in honor of Shaky Speer’s nick- Yerman was widely considered the Number One Fan Face. Even his ex- name for Jack Yerman. (Forrest Tucker, of course, eventually won world- girlfriend Frances Laney said that wide fame as the lead in the SF comedy series Starship Troop F .) Yerman wasn’t just the Number One Raymond A. Palmer published Cosmoology , the first Science Fiction Fan Face, but actually the Number fanzine, in 1930. With the same maniacal intensity he would later bring to One and Number Two Fan Faces.” claptrap and fraud, Palmer stunned fans with the 243-page first issue, en- Yerman moved to Los Angeles when he received a lucrative job tirely devoted to Cosmo Topper, the protagonist of Topper, a novel by E.E. offer as an imaging technician from Smith. The book, also known as The Jovian Goats , had a sequel a few a Hollywood gynecologist. years later. Palmer had moved on to flogging defective shavers by the time Jack Yerman’s first meeting with E.E. Smith chronicled the further adventures of the lovable Paul and Cas in the Los Angeles Science Fiction Skelton Fen of Jupiter . (It was even more popular than Topper and Society, the fan group he led for a generation, happened by accident. would’ve won a “Best Novel” Guernsey if they’d been giving them at the One night, while preparing to in- time.) dulge in his hobby of burning copies The first major fan feud erupted at Newarkcon, one of the first SF con- of A Portrait of a Lady by Jonathan ventions ever held in the US. Things turned ugly at the banquet when Stan Richmond on street corners, Yerman Markowitz and Dudley A. Wallbanger began to quarrel over whether broke up a fight between two trans- vestite prostitutes on the same cor- mashed potatoes or rice was the best accompaniment for roast beef. ner. It turned out they were LASFS Tempers escalated and, before anyone quite knew what was happening, members and had been arguing the fans had started throwing mashed potatoes and rice in every direction. relative merits of the Flash Gordon Jack Yerman, uncommitted to either choice, tried to act as peacemaker. and Buck Coulson chapter-plays. Seizing the microphone, he spoke loud, long and, to his mind, eloquently Yerman informed them that he was the world’s greatest expert on about the sacred brotherhood of all fans and the need for reasonable com- scientifilms and summarily settled promise. the question to the combatants’ satis- Yerman addressed the con in the international language of tomorrow, faction. In appreciation, they took Esperanto. Since it was still today, however, no one understood a word he Yerman for his first meal at Cantor’s said. Confused and frustrated by the incomprehensible oratory, fans of both to meet the rest of the fan club. His most famous famzine was factions pelted Yerman. Vomit , which started as the letter Disgruntled fans fled the banquet and rushed home to their hectograph column “Voice of the Magi-nation in pans. Purple passionate prose from members of both the Mashed Potato Toto” in the LASFS’ clubzine Shan- and Rice factions hit the mails within days and the First Staples War gri-L’imagination . Not only facile rocked Fandom. with his innumerable puns, Yerman displayed great powers of persuasion The First Staples War continued until one brave fan proposed that pota- by getting his girlfriend, known in toes and rice by replaced, or at least augmented, by servings of baked Esperanto as FreToLay, to do most beans. This bold concept arrived that day at the Council of Trenton, and of the publishing drudgery. Fandom returned to arguing about politics, religion and whether E.E. Smith Yerman compiled a world-record or Hamilton Camp wrote better space opera. -- Arnie number of co-authorship credits and cameo roles in Sci-Fi “B” movies. This probably accounts for his long So goes “Another Man of Destiny,” Chapter Two of It All Started with and profitable stint as the TV spokesman for Ralston-Purina’s Yugo Guernsey. Chapter Three, “Pulp Mags of Destiny, will be coming Gravy Train dog food. your way Real Soon Now. Yerman parlayed his Sci-Fi exper- Don’t Miss It If You Can! tise and pun-ishing style into the I’m indebted to Richard Armour, author of It All Started with Colum- hugely popular magazine Famous bus , for the basic concept of a cockeyed history. It’s all meant in fun, of Muenster , devoted to cheesy monster movies. course.

8 The Loccer Room House Rules “Loccer room” aspires to be a fair, open and unfettered discussion forum. Here in brief are the rules. The “loccer room” is an “equal op- portunity” forum . I print all substan- tial locs; the fans in “WAHF” have sent simple acknowledgements or communi- cations not intended for publication. Locs appear in approximately the same order as received . It would be unusual for any loc to be printed out of Dick Lupoff order, though the possibility exists. Delighted to receive Fanstuff #29 and would love to settle down for a Letters are never interrupted by pleasant read and to provide yez with a new instalment of Them Daze and/or a editorial comments. My comments are juicy letter of comment. off to the side, in the narrow columns. But... When a writer addresses a topic the Ah, you knew there was a "But..." lurking somewhere around here, didn't full text is always printed . It’s like you? posting to an e-list, except it’s easier to There I was in the midst of revising and restructuring a new non-fic book read and won’t bury your contributions that's due on editor's desk by February 15, when I got a letter from an editor in at the end of a seemingly endless thread. No ambushes . No one will ‘respond’ England who's interested in buying a two-decker from me if I wouldn't mind to your loc in the same issue, except me. revising the last chapter of Volume 1 so's to make the transition to Volume 2 Apologies for disagreeing with me smooooother (thank you, Brother Tucker!) and I've only read about 75 pages are unnecessary . I don’t care what you of a huge (760-page) book that I promised to review for Locus and while it's write as long as you write intelligently. actually a very good book it's going to take a lot of reading... Fact is, I don’t even have a firm opinion ...and ...and ...and ... on many subjects raised in fanstuff . So, Arnie, puh-lease excuse me from Them Daze and/or loccing this week. Maybe next week. To Dick Lupoff Or the week after. Or...well, let's put it this way: The Press of Affairs Real Soon Now! And the Fan Press Of course you are excused from ac- Tom Johnson tive duty (temporarily) due to that Fanstuff #29 was another enjoyable read, especially the Predictions. I've mountain of work confronting you. I always been a nut for reading predictions. Thankfully, I learned early on not to think you’ve raised the bar for future take any of them seriously. But they are fun. alibi letters. I think that any of us can look at the current trends and see what is coming I can see two possible results. Either up in 2013. It's when we start looking at the longer forecasts, like 2023, that those who ought to send me an excuse we tend to hit the sour notes. A quick example: in 1973 I would have predicted letter will decide it’s easier to just write the letter of comment or else they will in 1993 we would see more local SF Clubs meeting in every town. Unfortu- despair of equaling the charm and inter- nately, by 1993 we were seeing less to none in many areas. Today they are al- est of your letter so will simply Remain most non-existent. Anything can happen in a ten or twenty-year period that Silent. none of us expect. Then, you know what happens? The only thing I can predict for a certainty for 2023 is I won't be here. Will Crushing guilt grows as each lurker subculture fanzines be here? That's up in the air. buckles under the weight of shame. There's a real chance we won't have an economy by then, but if we do, And when each of the silentos reaches fifty-year old boys will probably be wearing Spider Man and Iron Man cos- the critical limit of their endurance, ab- tumes to work, and women will be Miss Marvel or something, and comic errant behavior will manifest. Fandom books will rule the world – electronic comic books, not print. All print books will be rocked by waves of suicides, murders, divorces, arson, kleptomania will most likely be a thing of the past. Unless some nerd puts up a printing and gafia. press in the garage and distributes a comic book to all his neighbors. Let’s all hope that fanstuff ’s beloved And when will the world end? That's always a good one, isn't it? A lurkers will decide to write those letter preacher I know said all those other preachers were nuts, he knows when the of comments instead of endanger them- world is going to end. Yep, it will end in 2033. So you see, it will all be over in selves and those they love.

9 To Tom Johnson twenty years. Gee, I won't be here then. Guess someone else will have to prove The Siren Song of Predictions him wrong. Predictions have always been a part Hey, keep those of my career. The strangest instance, though, wasn’t in a book, magazine or predictions coming. website. I delivered the predictions at a secret meeting of… Bruce Gillespie The Egg Hoard. (coo-coo-ca-choo) I should have A phone confirmation followed the realised it gets really arrival of a terse written invitation by a cold in Vegas occa- couple of days. At the airport, a first sionally. When I vis- class ticket to Seattle, WA, awaited me. ited you in March In Seattle, a liveried chauffeur met 2005, you had just me at the gate and conducted me to his had your first splurge super-stretch limo. The driver led me to a uniformed doorman who ushered me of rain in years. I into a private elevator that deposited me wonder if you've had on a floor with only one door. much since? A man handed me a pen and a non- disclosure form and asked me to sign it Eric Mayer without the slightest taint of apology. I hope whatever it The meeting room was all plush car- was messed up your pet and subdued lighting. Two-dozen publishing schedule well-dressed men and women sat wasn't too dreadful. Which is to say, I noticed the mention that fanstuff 30 around the outer edge of four huge ma- would be out on January 6th, whereas Fanstuff 29 is dated January 9. I hagony tables arranged in a hollow square. only mention this because it proves that it is difficult to predict the date of The chairman introduced me, I one's next issue let alone what fandom will be like ten years from now. spouted predictions about the food in- However, I enjoyed reading your predictions and hopefully the Fanstuff dustry and answered questions. pdf file will still be sitting on eFanzines in 2023 so we can all download it and Everyone looked up from their notes check your powers of prognostication. as the chairman thanked me, handed me You may be right about more zines and APAs going electronic, and some a check and a souvenir omlette pan and APAs degenerating into...er...changing into...discussion lists. Lists sent me back the way I’d come. The have certainly supplanted the old loccol oriented zines. I can also see how limo took me to the airport and I got Internet radio might become popular. As for the web sites with blogging con- back to Brooklyn Heights and Joyce tributors...I love the idea. In fact, I thought that's more or less what Trufen was later the same day. going to be when I ran across it (and subsequently got back into fandom.) But the idea didn't seem to appeal. It would be nice if Trufandom grew younger but that I don't see. I expect To Bruce Gillespie in ten years Trufandom will be almost exactly as it is today, but a bit smaller Everyone Talks about the Weather I won’t claim that Vegas is in danger and older. Chris Garcia might even be ten years older! of becoming The City in the Jungle, but Not to be yelling Doom! Doom! but discussions of fandom's future make we’ve had more rain in the last six me uncomfortable. They remind me I'm aging. I've always tried to remain months than about the previous six aware of how the older generation appeared to me when I was much years. We’re also navigating a cold snap younger, how silly those old people who were stuck in the world of their own that has sent temperatures into the 20s youth struck me. And how foolish they indeed turned out to be. Rock n' Roll at night. was nothing but noise, for example. A passing fad. No damn good compared to Vegas homes, especially older ones, the big bands! How did that turn out? aren’t built for the weather. For exam- The world is endlessly changing but too many people seem oblivious to ple, many heating systems stop working the fact. I've attempted to embrace change...well...okay...here's where I get un- on the coldest nights, because the in- stallers didn’t use weather stripping as comfortable, because like most of us I prefer what I'm used to. My likes and they would in colder region. dislikes don't naturally shift as the world changes, so to be honest, rather than Maybe Don Miller, the Vegrants embracing change I guess mostly I simply try to accept it. weather wizard, will favor us with a I accept that people who grew up with the Internet can't be bothered by meteorological explanation for the static, slow moving artifacts called fanzines. Why communicate in slow mo- changes. tion? I can see that. I accept that podcasts make more sense in many ways to-

10 day than collections of silent pages. I accept that everything on the Internet is free for the taking (no giving back expected) and yet at the same time it's fine To Eric Mayer Mysteries of Fannish Life to push your projects and even try to monetize them via sites like Kick Starter. That’s how it goes, with predictions Well, at least I accept that's the way many younger people think but I can't get and fanzine schedules. Sometimes, they my own brain to manage. pan out and sometimes Joyce and I lis- And accept it though I might, or must, I don't like it. I'm not comfortable ten to music and old time radio, eat with those things. I realize it's not because the new ways are inherently wrong pizza and wrestle until 4 or 5 AM. -- as a stereotypical cranky geezer would have it-- yet they are wrong for me. After publishing weekly for over 118 Of course, in the end, fandom is going to be what younger fans want it to be. months, I decided to move to a different My opinion won't change that, nor should it. Younger generations will be beat. I wanted Joyce to have more to her spending more time in the world they are creating than I will. evenings than work on my fanzine and, One prediction I can make is that I have probably pubbed my last ish. besides, this is, in some ways and to a certain extent, a hobby. Dave Locke and I talked a lot about electronic fanzines which we both not I also realized that small setbacks can only preferred but were both limited to for financial reasons. He finally de- translate into big delays. I do sometimes cided to give up Time & Again mostly, he told me, because although he could write through the single-digit AM hours justify putting his own effort into a zine that there was little indication anybody to make up lost time, but I prefer to read, it embarrassed him to ask others to contribute without being able to guar- keep it an option, not a requirement. antee them some sort of audience. To me that seems particularly true since Another decision: No more complaining there remains a sizable, communicative readership for print zines which wel- about delays. Though I’m deeply come top rate contributors. touched by all the concern, I don’t want I still enjoy throwing a fanzine together but let's face it, on my own I have you to fret needlessly. I’ll tell if some- nothing much to offer trufen. I can't write about the science fiction I don't read thing serious happens. Meanwhile, life at the Launch Pad is going quite well. or the conventions I don't attend, or all the faanish experiences I've never had. And when are you going to visit, Seventeen issues worth of mundane ramblings in the past two years have Eric? Our long-term houseguests have probably long since exhausted Trufandom's patience! Were I to keep pubbing I finally moved, so we have a spare room would increasingly need contributors and don't feel like deep-sixing other peo- for you. ples' hard work. Thanks for stirring me to comment again and I shall await your next issue. More to Eric Mayer Robert Lichtman Fandom’s Future Demographics In your Criswell-esque predictions of Fandom 2023 you write, “More is- Among the things I love about predic- sues of genzines will be published in Trufandom in 2022 than in 2012, despite tions, is that no one is provably right or the proliferation of websites, e-lists and other ‘new media’ alternatives to fan- wrong at the time the predictions are zines. The main reason is that four out of five genzines will be electronic by made. Hundreds of variables will occur the end of 2022.” Perhaps my perceptions are muddled by the fact that many in the next decade that will make the genzines are already electronic but also have a print edition, but if I had to most unlikely predictions come true and make a ballpark guess I’d say that’s the case. the sure-fire ones miss by a mile. Why would FAPA be called “The Apa of Record” in 2023? And I would- Las Vegas reminds me of that fact almost every day. I turn on the radio n’t count on my still being Secretary-Treasurer. I’ll be eighty years old then and hear about the ever more techno- and may well, as politicians put it when they announce their departure from logically advanced and luxuriously opu- office, bug out “to spend more time with my family.” lent sports books in Glitter City. That “SAPS and SFPA will switch to electronic distribution.” I think it’s more tells me that you can make a ton of likely that SAPS will have folded by then. As it is, there are only thirteen money off others’ mistaken predictions. members at the present time. Over half of them are over eighty (including the I predicted that Trufandom will be a OE). They’re the main draw of the group, and as they succumb to the ultimate little larger and a little younger in 2023 gafia there are few coming on board to replace them. than it is now. I predict both, because I Thanks to Bruce Gillespie for an interesting and informative article about feel that both trends are already in play. Roger Weddall. I only met Roger once, when he was on his DUFF trip, but Our Pioneer fans are dying, mostly in their late 70’s to their 90’s — and being Thyme we’d been in contact before that as I responded to his issues of . That’s replaced by newcomers on the 35-50 a great photo of him accompanying the article! bracket. I based the size prediction on If anything, Chapter 1 of It All Started with Yugo Guernsey is more whim- the fact that my emailing list is steadily sical than most of your faan fiction. Not knowing the work of your inspiration, growing. The trend can stop or reverse. Richard Armour, I’m reading it on its own terms. On the other hand, I have I’m just an optimist, I guess.

11 Still More to Eric Mayer read a couple of the novels of Laverne Baker: her first and perhaps most famous, Facing the Fannish Future Tweedlee Dee , and the later and more serious Jim Dandy Got Married . Speculating about Fandom’s fu- In a sidebar to me in the letter column you ask, “I’m curious as to how you ture has its uncomfortable side. I do view the case of Edgar Martin, which occurred before I got on the FAPA waiting it anyway, because I want that future list. Harry Warner saw it as a censorship case, but quite a few other members ap- to be the best one possible. I want parently did not.” Edgar Allan Martin had been a member of FAPA twice before Fandom to remain a haven for crea- his short-lived membership in 1961: from November 1938 through April 1943 tive, alienated people. (dropped for nonpayment of dues), and from August 1952 through May 1958 (this Observation and experience say time for nonpayment of dues and no activity). After a long climb up the waiting that things turn out better when you act to shape the future than if you list, he was readmitted with the May 1961 mailing and was required to produce allow the future to work on you. his first year’s 8-page minac in or before the November 1961 mailing. He had a 9-page fanzine in the November mailing which Secretary-Treasurer John Trimble disallowed credit for. In his report in the February 1962 Fantasy Amateur , Trimble listed the rea- Still Still More to Eric Mayer sons for dropping Martin as “dues, activity” (so apparently Martin didn’t pay his Time and Changes Agreed, change is constant. Tru- renewal dues in time). The FAPA vice-president, Bill Evans, expanded on this in fandom perpetuates itself by keep- an “Addenda to Veep’s Report”: “Apparently Ed Martin has circulated copies of ing its essence while adapting to a letter which the secretary wrote him denying credit for material in the last mail- changes in conditions. ing, and thus cancelling his membership. Added to this are certain comments Other creative formats may sup- which demand that official notice be taken. In the official letter, the secretary plant fanzines. Yet what counts is disallowed credit for material as not satisfying Section 5.54 (represent to a sub- not the medium, but the message. stantial extent the work of the member) or 3.1 (reprints do not count). He also Anything is possible, but I think pointed out the two methods of retaining membership: Sect. 3.3 (22 petitions) or there will be people who want a 3.5 (12 petitions). In addition, although not stated, the constitution provides that congenial environment. If Fandom the vice-president decides in questions of interpretation of the constitution— continues to provide that sheltering subculture, it has a good chance to which is certainly involved here. Until I received this item from Martin, I had attract people like us in the future. heard nothing from him; I can only assume he did not feel certain enough of his position to attempt to obtain either 22 or 12 signers, or to ask me for a ruling. I am not certain how I would have ruled had the question arisen. I am inserting this To Robert Lichtman addendum to my report merely to indicate that Martin did not exhaust the reme- How Many Genzines in 2022? dies available to him.” My rationale is that digital pub- The story continues in the May 1962 Fantasy Amateur . Veep Evans wrote at lishing will seem even more natural length, but rather than type it all I’m going to summarize: Some members asked, and normal to the typical faned 10 “Has the S-T the right to make such an arbitrary decision?” Evans ruled that the years from now than it does today. SecTreas does have that right: “The constitution provides that he ‘keeps track of I see this as a transitional period members’ standing in regard to renewal credentials.’ Thus, he has the duty of for Trufandom. Fewer and fewer fans will have mimeo memories, making decisions as to the validity of such credentials, as defined in other parts of while more and more will not recall the constitution.” Further, “was the decision right?” Evans notes that “there has anything before digital. been no statement contra as to this point from the person affected—Martin. It thus appears that Martin has assented, at least by default, to the correctness of the decision.” He notes that Section 9.1 provides for “special rules” that can be voted More to Robert Lichtman on to cover any situation. And concludes, “Martin, by not appealing, has forfeited The APA of Record? any claim to membership.” My mention of FAPA as the apa Harry Warner Jr. didn’t initially see Martin’s being dropped as “a censorship of record harks back to something I case” (as you put it). In the Horizons for the May 1962 mailing he wrote, previously wrote in fanstuff . I be- “Something definitive and specific should appear in the FA on the Ed Martin lieve that putting a printed fanzine situation. I think he was FAPA’s most useless member, but I want to know if he through an apa enhances its surviv- was dropped because he rehashed old anecdotes. If the grounds were actual pla- ability, because many fans collect apa mailings. giarism, chapter and verse should be cited; if not, there is nothing to do but rein- If I’m right, FAPA will be the last state him or to ignore the constitution altogether from now on.” or the large, general fan apas, so But one year later, in the May 1963 Horizons , he revisited the matter and faneds will use its mailings to in- voiced his concerns and fears: “I wish every FAPA member would try to under- crease their fanzines’ survivability. stand that the precedent has been set for expulsion from FAPA members on one

12 sole basis: unpopularity. Martin did nothing wrong. If he isn’t reinstated, we Still More to Robert Lichtman have no assurance that another member won’t be kicked out some day on The Future of SAPS trumped-up charges that his check for dues arrived after the deadline or that his You got me, Sage. I looked into last-minute fulfillment of activity requirements failed to work because he did not he depths of my crystal ball, saw a send enough copies of his eight-pager.” future similar to what you suggest And in the August 1964 Horizons he published the first of many years of “The and blinked. Worst of Martin,” to punish FAPA for its transgressions. By then the unceremo- Somehow, I couldn’t bring myself nious dumping of Walter Breen from FAPA membership was One Thing Too to predict the end of an apa that Many (Walter was reinstated by a petition signed by over half the membership), holds so many sweet memories for me. and Harry had to Do Something. At least I didn’t predict that SAPS What did I think? As someone who was, at that point, closing in on FAPA would meet a tall, dark stranger and membership—I’d ascended into the top ten on the long waiting list—and who did- have two children. n’t see the mailings, only the Fantasy Amateur and whatever individual zines were sent to me by members, I had no problem with Martin being dumped (and agree retroactively with Harry, based on seeing years of “The Worst of Martin,” Yet More to Robert Lichtman that he must have been “FAPA’s most useless member.” The Gist of Martin Well, that was a bracing dive into obscure fan history! Anyone still awake? Thanks for the recao of the Edgar I have no problem with the term “Official Editor” to denote the person who’s Martin incident. That’s a very nice responsible for receiving all the publications for a given apa mailing, compiling piece of fanhistorical writing. them into identical bundles, and sending them out to the membership. Some of the ‘40s apas had novel alternative terms for this function. The Vanguard apa had an Official Manager, while the short-lived Spectator Club (not to be confused with SAPS) had a Custodian. Interestingly (or maybe not), in both cases the individual shouldering these duties was “Doc” Lowndes. FOR Sorry to hear about Raven’s second stroke. If it’s convenient or even possible to do so, please convey my best wishes. She was one of my favorite unsung Ve- grants from back in the day.

To Jim Mowatt Jim Mowatt Media Creators As Arnie Katz was musing upon fanac and new media in our future I also was Vs. Media Consumers inspired to do a little musing and was struck by the conflict between the media The line between creators and creator and the media consumer on the internet. consumers is exactly where I draw The media creator is often proud of his work and wants it to be placed before the line between fans and science as many people as possible that they may appreciate his magnificence. The media fiction enthusiasts. consumer is constantly trying to narrow down the amount of content coming be- I believe that a science fiction fore him as the sheer volume is overwhelming and needs to be managed. There lover becomes a fan when they go must be time to appreciate the things he does see and time to possibly engage with beyond watching, reading and them in some way. The consumer leaves open avenues for things to be recom- hearing science fiction content and create content for Fandom. mended to him as it is always exciting to occasionally encounter entirely new ex- Many people call themselves periences from different sources. These avenues are often recommendations from fans when they are really science friends through social networks. The media producer sees those avenues still open fiction lovers. The Mundane dic- and storms into the gap attempting to force it open so he can pour his content in tionary definition accords with this and make it available to all. These pressures will continue into the future. As con- view, but the definition of “fan” tent consumers we will close more and more doors that we can manage what we within Fandom does not. Age has see and then complain that we don’t see anything new. As content creators we will brought me enough wisdom to pre- assail these gateways more and more and then complain that people aren’t letting vent me from debating the point us through. A difficult balancing act indeed. with non-fans (because their opin- ion on this subject doesn't count). Sadly, there are folks in Trufan- We Also Heard From (WAHF): Taral Wayne, Leah Zeldes, Jim Mowatt dom who have drifted across that line to become Fandom consumers. They may find it stimulating to refurbish their credentials on the creative side.

13 Bill of Fare

Cover Essay A Brief History Of Insurgentism TAFF Election Begins Arnie/1 Jim Mowatt and Theresa Derwin are the candidates in the 2013 Trans-Atlantic Fan Fund vote. The winner will represent British Fandom at LoneStarCon 3, the next SF World Convention. I’ll send ballots to the fanstuff list in the next few days. Fen Den Memoirs of a Taral Wayne Pubs TED Edition Taral Wayne has produced an impressive online edition of The Enchanted Duplica- Troubled Insurgent tor by Walt Willis and Bob Shaw. Arnie/2 Published in 1954, TED is a humorous allegory of the search for Trufandom. Ta- ral’s new edition is designed for ease of online reading and includes the artwork from Are You an previous editions. Download it for free at efanzines.com.

Insurgent Poser? Andy Hooper Starts Fanzine! Arnie/3 Andy Hooper ( [email protected] ) has distributed the first issue of a new hard- copy-only fanzine called Flag. Andy plans to publish the Fandom-oriented fanzine on Talking Out Loud a monthly schedule. The first issue has many points of interest, including a very reasonable and percep- They Call Me tive examination of the recent fanhistory auricles David B. Williams and I have done Mister Softee in fanstuff . I’d hope that Andy’s presentation will spark more discussion of the topic Arnie/5 – and perhaps even encourage a few more fans to comment to fanstuff .

‘Virtual’ ConCom Mulls 2014 Corflu Bid It All Started According to a post by Nic Farey on the Southern Fandom Classic e-list a group of With Yugo Guernsey fans are considering asking to host Corflu in 2014. Chapter Two: Nic Farey wrote: “I'm co-chairing a distributed group which will bid for the 2014 Corflu, and Another Man we're currently going through the site selection process (4 cities are being con- Of Destiny sidered). We have "boots on the ground", as it were, in two of them, but we'd Arnie/6 like to get local input (ie the kind of things hotels never tell you) from Rich- mond and Atlanta. “If anyone would like to help out, I'd appreciate a contact offlist (fareynic at loccer room gmail), and thanks in advance (also thanks not in advance again to Curt, who YOU & me/9 soaks up that 'boo but is lousy at deadlines).” This sounds promising. Both of the mentioned cities would probably make good sites. Since Nic doesn’t communicate with us in the wake of the failure of his 15- fanews month campaign to sabotage Corflu 29, I hope the other fans involved in this will let Arnie/14 fanstuff know the details as they are decided so I can share them with you.

Next Copy Deadline Good News! Flu Sots Work 2/8/13 Just days after Joyce got a flu shot, she came down with the flu. She’s feeling well enough to resume proofreading, so look for fanstuff #31 on 2/10 or 2/11. Meanwhile —Keep Fanning — Arnie

fanstuff #30, February 1, 2013, is a frequent fanzine from Arnie Katz ([email protected]) . It’s available at efanzines.com, thanks to kindly Mr. Burns. Published: 2/1/13 Reporters this issue: Jacq Monahan, Taral Wayne, Andy Hooper and me Member: fwa Supporter: AFAL 14