Second Class Fans

[billroper]

Meanwhile, I've been given to understand that just because you're on the filk program at LACon IV, doing panels and workships and the like, that doesn't mean that you're a program participant. Fascinating. I thought we gave up that sort of thing 30 years ago. But maybe not.

In the meantime, I wrote this:

Words: Bill Roper
Music: "Second Hand Songs" by Jonathan Turner
Copyright 2006

Second Class Fans

Thirty years I'm in fandom, plus or minus a few
And I've seen lots of blunders, and I've made one or two.
And I work on conventions -- I help out where I can,
But for all that I do, seems my fandom's not true.
I'm a second class fan.

(Chorus)
I'm a second class fan, I sing songs late at night.
I give workshops and panels, but they say it's not right
To put me on the program though I do what I can.
Seems they just need to say that while I'm in L.A.
I'm a second class fan.

I was on the filk program at LACon Four.
Thought I might get a ribbon, but they showed me the door.
Such things are reserved, not for our calloused hands.
Seems we don't have the clout, so the Green Room is out
For us second class fans.

Now Columbus likes filkers and Chicago does too
And I bet Kansas City wouldn't have done what you do.
We write songs to remember so we won't do this again.
We will vote for a site where they treat filkers right
And we're not second class fen.


Update: Fixed a wordo where I typed a homonym in my sleep-deprived state back in Grand Junction, Colorado. Thanks, Murray!

Comments

Seems I recall similar problems before in LA

[hvideo.livejournal.com]

During the last LA Worldcon (1984?) I seem to recall that there was a very similar situation. There was a fuss because filk concerts/panels did not qualify as "participating". The filk programming was treated as completely separate from the rest of the con - it did not show up in the convention book or the pocket program, and participants did not get participant badges or Green Room access or anything else. Since WINDBOURNE had 4 performances to give (a regular concert, running a theme room, a kids concert and a recording session for Spencer Love), we didn't have time to do much of anything but recover from one performance and start getting ready for the next. I saw a grand total of two non-filk program items during the entire convention - and had to fight to get those. It was a hell of a lot of work and basically zero drain on the facilities of the rest of the convention.

As I recall, back then there was simply NO interaction between "regular programming" and "filk programming" prior to the con. The filk people were given rooms, period. Everything they did was in total isolation from the regular tracks. Filk panels and concerts didn't exist as far as the regular programming people were concerned. If people were on both tracks, there was no check against being set up on two panels scheduled for the same time. Etc., etc.

Mind you, this was not a unique situation back in the 80s. The same thing happened in New Orleans at NolaCon, and IIRC Spencer had to fight to have things done better in Boston.

I had certainly thought that we had gotten away from that sort of attitude. But perhaps - not so much. :(

Re: Seems I recall similar problems before in LA

[mdlbear]

That seems to be very similar to this year -- filk is off in a couple of rooms in the Hilton, and most of the filkers aren't in any non-filk programming. Partly our fault, really -- I didn't fill out the questionaire early enough. But I did go to the site, find the program questionaire, and send it in. Who knows what happened to it.

Re: Seems I recall similar problems before in LA

[avt-tor.livejournal.com]

LACon II was in 1984. LACon III was in 1996.

Re: Seems I recall similar problems before in LA

[hvideo.livejournal.com]

Right, LACon III in 1996.

I guess I remembered the 1984 date because that was a con I saw a lot more of. In other words, I attended it.

I couldn't recall 1996 because that was a con I saw almost nothing of. While there were the 4 actual performances, the great majority of time was spent in the hotel room preparing for whichever performance was next. I don't think that "attended" gets the idea across. "Worked" is more descriptive, but even that is somewhat of an understatement. I've worked other conventions (from gofer up to department head) and always got to see more of those conventions than I did LACon III. I didn't just work LACon III, I =WORKED= LACon III.