1 dependence of macro and micro trends. The current trend in skirt length, whatever it happens to be, is modified by an array of other trends, including everything from the macro trend toward women wearing less and less to the rising popularity of physical conditioning for women. The chances are slim that skirts will get briefer and briefer until they dis- appear. Other factors will blunt the trend well before nudity becomes common- place. Well, you may be wondering, where does this leave us? An especially smart and erudite friend of mine – you’d know his name immediately if I mentioned Andy Hooper – I Hope This Isn’t a Trend chided me for not writing articles “about things” for fan- I’m starting work on the second issue about a week closer stuff. I didn’t point out that fanstuff is about the people, to my target release date. 1f I lose a week of prep time each institutions, history, experiences and interactions of Fan- issue, it won’t be long before the deadline will arrive be- dom. fore I’ve even started/. Now, this section of “Filibuster” is probably more like When I embarked on this project, I promised myself that what my friend had in mind. It isn’t really about anything wouldn’t happen, so this issue had better not lead to an- in particular, nor does it lead to some thunderous conclu- other week’s delay for #3 or I may surrender to panic. sion. Or I may *not*. And yet… It depends on which choice strikes me as having he Let’s recap. greater humor potential. That’s the fanzine game for you. It opens with a self-effacing reference to eve-of-deadline Well, that’s how it is for me, publishing. It makes me seem anyway. almost human and leaves you I’ve got the option, because with a vague feeling of indul- I’m more or less kidding. gent superiority. Strangely, some people actu- Then the section eases ally try to use this simplistic into a discussion of trends and approach to make serious pre- their role in predicting the fu- dictions. ture. Not only does it prompt a “If this goes on” is a good succession of erotic mental springboard to satire, but a images, but the principles may poor method of foretelling the possibly form the foundation future. of the New Science of Psycho Trends don’t usually continue Fanhistory! Just call mw to absurd extremes, unaffected “Hari,” because my predictions by other trends and develop- “Selden” come true. ments. And finally, with an More often, as a trend gains affectionate tweak of the esti- steam, it fosters a counter- mable Hooper, comes this trend. If the pendulum swings witty self-analysis. back far enough, a counter Well, at least half- counter-trend almost always slows and ultimately reverses witty, eh? it. Trends in the length of women’s skirts demonstrate this One Man’s Claptrap back-and-forth process. When skirts hit the floor and can’t As you’ve already noticed, \ Claptrap #2 ’s graphic theme get any longer, the hemlines head skyward. is the Rosicrucians. He bearers of the mental secrets of the The length of women’s skirts also illustrates the inter- Ancients have a long association with the world of science Claptrap #2 G is a more-or-less monthlyfanzine (April, 2014) edited and to some extent written by Arnie Katz ([email protected]). It is distributed by direct email and also through the kind auspices of Bill Burns of efanzines.com Published 4/24/14, Member: fwa Supporter: AFAL 2 fiction, because there was a four-decade stretch during which it seems like every SF magazine had an ad for the organization. Why, the Rosicrucians are as much a part of Sci-Fi as flying saucer nuts, The Shaver Mystery and Phil Seuling! That justification – Claptrap is the fanzine where every- thing is justified except the margins – notwithstanding, I’m In This not singling out AMORC. It’s simply its turn. Fandom’s Ghods willing, a lot of other forms of claptrap will get a turn on the griddle. CLAPTRAP The Plain Truth is that I’m a thorough skeptic. I don’t believe in anything that can’t be observed and verified. As an agnostic, I don’t disbelieve things that can’t be observed and verified. I withhold opinions about such things. Filibuster I know that one person’s claptrap is another’s Flame of Truth. I’ve listened to people defend the most blatant pyra- Arnie…..2 mid schemes with fanatic passion. I think it’s likely that there’s a form of claptrap out there, waiting to captures each of us. Even hard-headed Bill Kunkel became a sucker for a tricked-out version of nu- Styx & Stones merology. (I don’t think I’ve encountered my claptrap yet, unless it's Fandom.) Eric Mayer…..6 There are two types of beliefs. There are beliefs that can’t be validated or disproved. I have no quarrel with anyone who holds such a belief, even though I personally prefer not to embrace anything that can’t be proved. And then there are beliefs that violate one or more ele- End of a Woman ments of reality. Everyone has the right to champion dis- Arnie…..8 provable beliefs. You can believe that the Earth is flat or that it came into existence 6,000 years ago – and I have the right to think you’re deluded. To Be or Not to Belize Listen to Yesterday You never know what topic will take over the living room at a Vegrants meeting. The congregation of mighty Thorns on the Rose intellects and diverse interests is liable to fasten on even Arnie…...10 the most esoteric subject. At the March 15 th Vegrants, for instance, it looked like the heart of the evening’s living room conversation would be a detailed examination of Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land . Unexpectedly, talk veered from RAH to the Speaking of Sports relative insignificant Caribbean nation of Belize. Even though no one present had a shred of knowledge Closet Homophobia about Belize’s history, culture or location, some of Trufan- Arnie….. 14 dom’s finest minds spent the next couple of hours relent- lessly churning out such gems as “Daydream Belizer,” “Do You Belize in Magic?” “I’m a Belizer” and “Roxanne” by the Belice. We even formed a club, the True Belizers. no more. So far as I know, Forry Ackerman never even I wish I could tell you the whole lurid story that engen- visited Belize. dered all this alleged levity. It’s a multi-faceted mess with Alas, I can’t tell you the bizarre tale that one of the Ve- something for every perverse taste. There’s a feckless pub- grants told that night. An internet search might turn up the lisher, a two-timing girlfriend who is a call girl on the side, genzine edition of Claptrap and the participants in this epic plagiarism, a triangle that broke up a celebrity couple, in- farrago might be able to recognize their own names if I ternational politics and Forry Ackerman. used them. That, in turn, might rebound negatively on the 4e, I must explain, was not involved in this un-Belize- raconteur. able yarn. His name came up when someone made a par- So I can’t tell you about Belize. You probably wouldn’t ticularly feeble pub and someone else said that Forry Belize it anyway. would’ve liked it and wasn’t it a putty that Ack fanacked 3 Bhye, Bhye Bhob of the market, but we were close Word of Bhob Stewart’s death enough to the peak to come away reached me a few days after the with some money. Now, we’re actual passing. I was staying away exploring the possibility of buy- from my email inbox and the ing, due to the still-depressed real Internet, so I didn’t get the sad estate prices and relatively low news until JoHn Hardin told me at interest rate the sad news. Whether we actually buy Bhob Stewart was already a depends on finding a house in our legend by the time I joined the price-range that we like enough. Fanoclasts in April, 1964, He no Joyce and I hate moving; she’s longer attended meetings regu- still hoping to purchase the place larly, but he did make periodic we rent. Guest Appearances. Looking for a house is Though somewhat shy and quiet like baseball’s spring training. in person, his wild side came out When teams converge on Florida in his artistic creations. He did and Arizona, every team is ready everything from the cartoons on to contend for the pennant and the backs of baseball cards to un- every kid who goes 2-for-4 or derground comics to those side- pitches four acceptable innings is splitting multi-page cartoon cov- on his way to Cooperstown. ers for Void . Those covers, espe- It’s the same with adver- cially the one on #28, impressed tised houses. They are all beauti- Lenny Bailes and me so much ful, well-maintained and in lovely that we collaborated with Ross surroundings. Currier and Ives Chamberlain to produce a sequel have nothing on skilled house for the first issue of Quip photographer. And let’s not forget Bhob Stew- Until you investigate. art’s avant garde film, The Year That’s when you find out the Universe Lost the Pennant .