The Drink Tank 101 ChrisforTaff.org [email protected] Issue 100 has sat long by having really great guests. Silicon It was a nice feel for a con. While cons enough on its own and had another approach. like CorFlu deliver on a community it’s time to get back Friday was the Relaxaday. There feeling, Silicon left me with a very dif- to what I do best: run- was no programming (other than the ferent feeling, more akin to the feeling ning pictures of large- Game Room being open) before the I had leaving WorldCon. There was a breasted women! No Meet The Guests at 7. That allowed for general fannish glow to things that you seriously, this issue folks to mill about, register, get some don’t find a lot of places, even BayCon is going to be about dinner, all without fear of missing any- this year didn’t have the warm glowing fandom and blogs. thing. It was during that period that warming glow. BayCon 2005 certainly Trust me, it’ll be OK. I started meeting folks. I ran into my did, though. buddy David who proofs the issues of The second day was much dif- Why fandom needs more cons like SF/SF, Kevin Roche (wearing a suit!), ferent. There was programming, the Silicon Andy Trembley, Leigh Ann Hildebrand, art show, the dealers room, all of it by Christopher J. Garcia Dave Gallaher and various others cel- running all day. if you only came for Another Silicon has come and ebrating the contract signing for Cos- Saturday, you might have thought you gone and left no trace upon the Earth tumeCon 2008 26 at the DoubleTree. were at a much larger con. There was a it touched so briefly. I really had a To me, this was a great idea, because lot of programming that went lightly at- wonderful time and was most pleased it allowed the folks who were throwing tended, but there was a good selection to see that there were a lot of new faces parties to do just that I don’t normally see around cons. that. It was a very Hell, my buddy Jordan was there and good idea. It also I’d never had pegged him for attend- allowed Silicon ing. It was at the DoubleTree, which is to be more about where I’ve been going for cons since the Night Program- beginning of time. The con had a lot ming. They had a going for it and I was glad that I made film festival on Fri- it. day night and the You see, there’s something about parties and Rocky small cons that I really enjoy. Relaxa- Horror. All these cons are one thing: I wouldn’t say I’m things were there a big fan because a lot of times it’s to be had in the like sitting around at a big party. I like evening. It felt like some programming, but not so much a small con, cer- that it feels regimented. CorFlu had tainly not as big as the right amount when I went in 2005. BayCon, but it was Conjecture had too much the years I delivering a lot of attended, though they made up for it bang for the buck. of stuff to be heard. a slave auction as always. There was Silicon sort of rode a strange a particularly fetching lass there, but line. There was a focus on Comics, alas, I did not get to speak with her. but only a few comic book vendors (in All this party atmosphere was fact, the entire dealers room was much great, making the con seem like a big- smaller than the one for BayCon as far ger deal. I learned from the newsletter as selection) and there was a large art- staff that there were probably eight ist’s alley that I thought was very nice. hundred people over the course of the It was also a general SF con. I found con, which is a very good number. It a lot of typical SFing going on, which felt like a real honest to gosh local con. is always nice. And there was a strong While BayCon is a regional drawing film presence, which I always appreci- folks from all over the West Coast, Sili- ate. Cons that ride lines like that stand con has carved itself a niche with BA- a good chance of drawing new folks rea fans and semi-fans. That’s a good from one into the other. There were way to build a local fandom that’s nice people who came strictly to see Mr. and strong. Lobo and his Lobotronic Film Festi- The last day was interesting. We val and there were folks there to see had the SF/SF panel where we took Mark Bode (Vaughn’s son) and some the Family Photo and talked about the were just there because they always go zine. The folks who do read us seem to BArea SF cons. It was an interest- very happy with us. There’s just not ing crowd. The mash-up of folks really enough people that do every week. made me smile. This’ll probably start the change. We One thing that I’ve always loved actually managed to draw more people about fandom is inclusiveness, and to the SF/SF panel than the GoH panel Silicon was probably the most inclu- did in the same slot! We rock. sive non-WorldCon I’ve ever been to. It Silicon was a fun time and I ran was a great time and I was so glad that around passing out TAFF ballots and Saturday was as good as Friday. gossiping and writing for the newsletter Saturday night was party night, and just plain having a good time. I’m including the Evil Geniuses party looking forward to next year already, which is always a crowd pleaser. It even though I’m not sure where it’s was one of the favourite parties at gonna be at (I understand that they’re WorldCon even, so you know it’s gotta talking with the DoubleTree, whihc is be good. They had a mess of folks and great) and I have no idea who the GoHs the BASFA party was low key and a will be, but if it’s like this year, I’m cer- place to go and chat if you wanted to. tain to go home happy. There was also Mara’s Bar which had nograph” from 1888-89. You can hear ing funds to support Fisk University it at http://www.gutenberg.org/files/ beginning in the 1860s. They were a 10311/10311-m/10311-m-001.mp3. long-running groups and they sold lots There were several pieces on these of sheet music and early recordings. cylinders and there’s no real clear copy One of them was Swing Low, Sweet of these since the technology wasn’t Chariot, which they made hugely pop- perfected, but it’s incredible to hear ular in the 1990s on their tours. It’s some of the earliest sound recordings. one of the first recordings, though the There’s not much to it, but I listened to ones you’ll find on the various Fisk Ju- the whole thing. bilee records are later. A Kinda Thorough Look at the Unit- 2) The Jesse Walter Fewkes field re- 5) Casey at the Bat recording from ed States National Recording Regis- cordings of the Passamaquoddy Indi- 1915 by De Wolf Hopper. Hopper is try ans from 1890. Talk about massively the one who made Casey at the Bat I’m a mark for registries. The important to the history of these Unit- a big deal. The poem appeared in National Film Registry announcement ed States. This was probably the first of new films being added is a big deal field recording (the device he used was in my eyes and I always look it up as less than two years old and still tightly soon as it’s announced. Usually I’m controlled) and the subject, the Pas- happy and surprised with the selec- samaquoddy Indians, were one of the tions, and those that I don’t agree with lesser studied tribes. We’ve got a good make for good arguments. snapshot of the time, the language A few years back, the Library of and their songs from these recordings. Congress launched the National Re- Sadly, I can’t find them on the web, cording Registry to do for audio record- but I heard them at a lecture once. ing what the NFR did for the moving image. I’m a lover of music and spoken 3) Stars & Stripes Forever’s first disc word and history, so this was an add- recording from 1897. This is another ed event every year for me. I’ve spent one of the major stepping stones as a fair amount of time looking at the this might have been the first disc sold. choices and here are my thoughts on There weren’t a lot of disc players until many, not nearly all 200, but the ones about 15 years after this came out, but that I think are very noteworthy. what are you gonna do. From the 2002 Innaugural List 4) Swing Low, Sweet Chariot by the 1) Edison’s Exhibition Recordings in- Fisk Jubilee Singers. This is a strange cluding “Around the World on the Pho- one. The Fisk Jubilee was a group rais- the San Francisco Examiner and I’ve last 70 years was a bit of an exaggera- never been quite sure how, some five tion.