Chronologically Yours

[billroper]

Just before Julie was born, I went diving through the files in the filing cabinet looking for back issues of Kantele as I tried to answer a question on filk history. I didn't find the zines, but I did find something that I had been looking to find for a very long time:

The chronological list of every filksong that I wrote from 1978 to 1986.

Accordingly, I've now updated the list on the website. There are still songs between 1987 and 2002 that are a bit hard to place, but most of the songs are now in the right place.

If only I knew what some of them were. There's a couple of these that I've completely misplaced.

Comments

[alicebentley]

Songs you wrote but don't now know the words or music?

Would they have been recorded somewhere else? I have a huge fat file of filk lyrics collected from around that time, but many of them don't include writer credits. And I was just pondering what to do with this file - any recommendations on who might want it?

[billroper]

"Hacker Symbols" may be on one of the Marcon compilation tapes. Clif may also have a copy. Heck, Juanita may have a copy of that one, since she sang it having written the original tune.

On the filk lyric file, I'd be tempted to punt that in the direction of Interfilk and see what they have to say.

[hms42]

Marcon Grows Up - Sung by Juanita Coulson. If you need a copy (as mp3), I can generate one in about a week or so once I get my gear setup again.

[hms42]

I'll take a copy! Over time, I may be able to fill in some of the holes.

[alicebentley]

Email me [alice at sfbooks dot com] with your postal mailing address and I'll box 'em up and send them out (eventually).

It looks like a concatenation of photocopies from songbooks, loose pages and a run of what was clearly typing practice. But there's some great old stuff in there, and I'd be happy to see it saved from the recycling bin.

[tigertoy.livejournal.com]

Most of the entries that aren't hyperlinks on that list are at least somewhat familiar. If you mention specific ones, I can let you know what I know about them; some of them I might even be able to find transcribed lyrics. I still have a lot of cassettes recorded at midwest filks back then, but I haven't tried to play any of them in over 20 years, and I don't know if they are still playable at all, or if they've disintegrated into goo or been eaten by mice or something. I listened to the tapes I recorded at my first few conventions a whole lot, since back then I had little else to listen to, so everything on them including out-takes and between-song conversation is probably still accessible in my brain sludge.

[billroper]

The three that I'm fairly sure that I don't have copies of in any form are "Hacker Symbols" (written with Clif, so he may have a copy), "The Stranger", and "Follow That Road". I vaguely recall the chorus on the last of the three and that I eventually became fairly firmly convinced that the song sucked. :)

The other two, I find that I'm unable to place, although it's fairly obvious what the first one was, given that it has to be to the tune of "Herbs and Simples".

If you've got these, you're doing far better than I am...

The other songs on the list, I'm fairly sure that I have copies of.

Thanks!

[tigertoy.livejournal.com]

I know I did tape "Follow That Road" the one time I heard it. I transcribed it but there were some words I couldn't make out. I remember asking you at a later con if you'd do it again, and you said no; it was clear that you weren't happy with the song. Whether I can find that partial transcription at this point I have no idea. I will try to remember to poke around in the mess.

I have a vague memory of hearing Juanita singing "Hacker Symbols". (Yes, it is a parody of "Herbs and Simples".) I think it probably was on some con tape. But I don't remember any words and I never transcribed it.

"The Stranger" is just about the only title that doesn't ring any bells at all.

[hms42]

I can check my databases tonight to see if any of these are know to be on a tape. As for converting the old tapes to computer, I can provide basic info on how to do it, if needed.

Harold S.

[billroper]

I think "Hacker Symbols" is on one of the Marcon tapes -- "Marcon Grows Up", if I recall correctly.

[tigertoy.livejournal.com]

Seems likely, since that is the Marcon tape that I have.

And now (memory spurred by the mention) I've got Maraschiello's "Happy Birthday Marcon" song from said tape trying to play in my head. Of course I only remember a few bits, not the whole thing. "Once again at Marcon there's that goddamn scwewy wabbit, / Unimaginative habit, but let's not go slitting hares."

[hms42]

back issues of Kantele as I tried to answer a question on filk history

I have access to my copies of the zines. What are you looking for so I might be able to locate it and pass the info along.

[billroper]

This was the discussion from a few weeks ago on the early filkcons. I'm fairly sure that all of them would have been listed in Kantele.

[hms42]

I'll have to dig those out and see what is mentioned.

[msminlr.livejournal.com]

I think I've already found them, and transmitted them to Gary.
I may even have posted my search-results in one of my replies to his original post. Check there first...

[mrgoodwraith.livejournal.com]

I know what it's like to lose track of one's own songs. I wrote and performed a song on my first night in organized fandom, at the open filk on Friday night at Marcon 24 in 1989; I lost those lyrics shortly afterward, so that song is probably unrecoverable. More distressing to me is the fact that I let too much time go by without refreshing myself on my song "Humans Are Sneaky" after my contest-winning performance of it at FKO in 2003, and as a consequence I completely forgot the melody. Since April 2006, I've been waiting for the next FKO CD to come out, which should have that song on it, but it's been like waiting for *glass* to drip. (Not that I have any grounds for complaining -- after seven years of promising to release Confluence anthology CDs, we're still not there yet.)

[hms42]

There are still songs between 1987 and 2002 that are a bit hard to place, but most of the songs are now in the right place.

Were any of these printed in Xenofilkia?

[billroper]

Almost certainly not. Some of them made them to convention songbooks, but I don't think I've had very many songs go to Xenofilkia.

[hms42]

If you have an idea what conventions you sent songs to, people might be able to locate the songs. (I also have a LOT of songbooks that I really need to inventory and then send to Gary.) Future project..