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Fantasycon and John Clews
On a whim, and because Caroline’s now working all the time on her thesis, I popped along to Fantasycon in Nottingham over the weekend. This is the British Fantasy Society’s annual event, with guests including Neil Gaiman and my mate Juliet McKenna. It reminded me of the old days, showing up at a convention without a registration or a hotel room, and then sorting it all out when I got there. They were kind enough to immediately invite me onto a panel on screenwriting, with Stephen Gallagher, who I also know of old, and Clive Barker. It’s the first time I’ve met him. He was funny and gracious, and obviously takes care of his image: in multi-patched jeans and paint-splattered shoes, he was as Clive Barker as it’s possible for anyone to be.
Friday night was rather too swiftly drunken, but on Saturday I was delighted to meet Ian Edginton, the comic author, who’s also worked with D’Israeli, on the excellent Scarlet Traces, and the boys from Solaris Books, on home territory, were kind enough to take me out to lunch. It was the ideal quick convention experience, really, with an aptly-sized dealers’ room and a thoroughly businesslike and sociable bar. I had a great time.
On a different note, I was saddened to hear about this, courtesy of Nev Fountain:
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2006430707,00.html
Amiable eccentric John Clews, 51, enlivened his community by wandering about dressed as Tom Baker’s Doctor Who. Until he was goaded to death, pressurised to the point of having a heart attack, by a gang of youths who often taunted him. The right to be eccentric is every right we have, wrapped up in one. The youths presumably thought of him as fair game on the basis of their defining of themselves as normal, and him as a geek. It feels to me right now like ‘they’ got one of ‘us’. But that’s not a very constructive feeling. The Sun has been surprising me in recent years with sudden surges of liberal intent, but I can’t help but think that John, in death, finds himself on the right side of them only because of their anti-gangs campaign. In life, he might well have found himself mocked by that ultimate arbiter of what’s allowed.
Announcements:
ITEM! On the 25th November, I’ll be joining Trev Hairsine, Mark Millar, Bryan Hitch, Adi Granov and Nick Roache at the Dublin City Comic Book Convention, from 9am in the Temple Bar Music Centre, admission ten Euros. Should be a good gig.
ITEM! I’ve also taken up a kind offer to go to Belfast next August for Mecon 10, with guest of honour Ian Banks. Web sites for those when I get them.
Friday night was rather too swiftly drunken, but on Saturday I was delighted to meet Ian Edginton, the comic author, who’s also worked with D’Israeli, on the excellent Scarlet Traces, and the boys from Solaris Books, on home territory, were kind enough to take me out to lunch. It was the ideal quick convention experience, really, with an aptly-sized dealers’ room and a thoroughly businesslike and sociable bar. I had a great time.
On a different note, I was saddened to hear about this, courtesy of Nev Fountain:
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2006430707,00.html
Amiable eccentric John Clews, 51, enlivened his community by wandering about dressed as Tom Baker’s Doctor Who. Until he was goaded to death, pressurised to the point of having a heart attack, by a gang of youths who often taunted him. The right to be eccentric is every right we have, wrapped up in one. The youths presumably thought of him as fair game on the basis of their defining of themselves as normal, and him as a geek. It feels to me right now like ‘they’ got one of ‘us’. But that’s not a very constructive feeling. The Sun has been surprising me in recent years with sudden surges of liberal intent, but I can’t help but think that John, in death, finds himself on the right side of them only because of their anti-gangs campaign. In life, he might well have found himself mocked by that ultimate arbiter of what’s allowed.
Announcements:
ITEM! On the 25th November, I’ll be joining Trev Hairsine, Mark Millar, Bryan Hitch, Adi Granov and Nick Roache at the Dublin City Comic Book Convention, from 9am in the Temple Bar Music Centre, admission ten Euros. Should be a good gig.
ITEM! I’ve also taken up a kind offer to go to Belfast next August for Mecon 10, with guest of honour Ian Banks. Web sites for those when I get them.
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I knew we'd be seeing you in Dublin in November (where John has asked me to join you all for dinner on Saturday night, bless him), but I didn't know you were going to Belfast in August. We'll be there, along with (and probably in the same B&B as) Leah & John, and very much look forward to seeing you there.
Looks like you starting to like coming to Ireland. See you in November.
That article you linked to is really heartbreaking- what a wretched thing to do to a sweet guy like that. Makes me appreciate my dinky little liberal arts college all the more, because it has the sense to immortalize that kind of quirky and creative bravery, rather than victimize it. Our most dedicated SCA member actually got a "bubble" or spotlight write-up on the school's website (a big deal in our tiny community)-- you can read it here, if you're interested:
http://www.kenyon.edu/x32200.xml
I mean, the Kenyon community is hardly representative of the average American attitude, or really of the average anything, but at the same time, I thought you'd appreciate knowing that some places celebrate eccentricty in the ways you'd hope, rather than stifling it.
And no, before anyone asks, this comment was NOT sponsered by my school's publicity office. I actually say things like this about my school unprovoked by administrators...I'm just that dorky.
For me, Mecon is a chance to continue the lovely social life of the Dublin events. Phoenixcons are like team building exercises, you come away feeling close to all the other guests and attendees! And thanks for that alternative snapshot, Maggie. I had a lovely night out amongst my mainstream friends last night, so I hauled myself out of that dodgy 'them and us' mindset quite swiftly.
IaIn Banks?
Yes.
Some comments are easier to deal with than others.
yay for cons! did you get a chance to geek about Who with unca neil?
I didn't! I saw him only onstage, and he didn't socialise when I was there, so short of rugby tackling him in the aisle... And nobody wants to see that.
then mental image of you leaping off a chair to bring him down like an elk just struck me.
But what would that achieve, really?
Paul is there any way you can speak to RTD and have an episode dedicated to John Clews next season. I think it would be fitting. Never been here before so must set up account soon !
As you may now have seen, two posts above this one, I don't think such a dedication would serve any purpose. But welcome!