Remember the Hyatt

[billroper]

Here's the last entry for this batch, which I think finishes off everything that was already typed up and on the computer, but which had -- for some reason -- not managed to make it to the website.

It was 1981. Worldcon was returning to Chicago for the first time in a long time. And the overlapping committees had decided to hold WindyCon downtown as a trial run of the Hyatt Regency Chicago. Of course, the problem was that the hotel was booked in October when the con was normally held. But December! December was available. And so there we were.

There were problems. There were lots of problems. And Clif got caught by several of them, so his mood was foul. daisy_knotwise was running the Masquerade and had asked Clif and I to perform at halftime. And we decided to write a song. We played it for Gretchen and asked if it was ok with her. She said, "Sure!"

We went on stage at the Masquerade halftime. And they turned up the lights. And everyone started talking. We were undermiked and barely audible past the first row, which is where our friends came up to so they could hear us, along with some of the convention guests.

But mostly we were ignored. Until Gretchen signaled us to wrap it up and we launched into our new song.

And the room got really quiet all of a sudden.

And before we were done, the Fan GoH, Mike Glyer, fell off his chair laughing.

Later, Ross recruited me to help run cons up here in Chicago, so I guess he got even.

Did I mention that Chicago is bidding for 2012? :)

(Did I mention that I'm not on the committee? I've stopped trying to run Worldcons. Too much politics for my blood...)

Words: Bill Roper & Clif Flynt
Music: “No Quarter”, Juanita Coulson
Copyright 1981

Remember the Hyatt

Suck 'em in, suck 'em in, said the Chicon committee.
We will sell them a badge, we must sell every one.
Though the con's in December, they'll never remember –
Once Christmas is over, they'll think they had fun.

If the Hyatt don't fill up, they won't tear our bill up,
But if we make our block, we will get damn good rates.
Ross Pavlac, Curt Clemmer, Larry Propp, and the Passovoys –
Should know better.
It can never be run by as few fen as these:
A doctor, a lawyer, a filker, an aardvark,
And half of your gofers are lost in the car park!
And if Windycon crashes, how can Chicon fly?

The art show, the art show, where the hell is the art show?
Beyond registration, just look for the line.
The flats still aren't standing, the artists demanding
Their art must be hung up before check-out time.

Larry Propp, Larry Propp, what is Larry Propp doing?
It seems that he's singing the same tired song.
He's at registration, giving misinformation.
It seems everything Pavlac told him was wrong.

Curt Clemmer, Curt Clemmer, what happened to Clemmer?
The program book don't have his name on the list.
From Strekcon's he's learnin', his bridges ain't burnin'.
If his name isn't there, then perhaps he'll be missed.

Ross Pavlac, Ross Pavlac, oh where is Ross Pavlac?
When membership slumped, he was media's friend.
The Galaxatives found him, in the fountain they've drowned him.
I doubt if he'll even watch Star Trek again.

The panels, the panels, where the hell are the panels?
The con suite, the hucksters, the rest of the fen?
The gamers cut capers with sheets of graph paper.
They're mapping the halls out for dungeons again.

If the Hyatt don't fill up, they won't tear our bill up,
But if we make our block, we will get damn good rates.
Ross Pavlac, Curt Clemmer, Larry Propp, and the Passovoys –
Will learn better.
It can never be run by as few fen as these:
A doctor, a lawyer, a filker, and aardvark,
And half of your gofers still lost in the car park!
With luck we will find them before Labor Day.