Tag Archives: alison scott

[Apr. 20, 1969] Are Phoenixes Rising from ASFR's Ashes?

April 20, 2024 Alison Scott Leave a comment

by Alison Scott

Meanwhile in Australian Fandom

For three years we have been entertained and informed by the finest Australian fanzine of our age, the Australian Science Fiction Review (ASFR). Edited by John Bangsund, it started with a remit to explore Australian SF but of course it has cast its net far wider than that.

Cover, ASFR 15, John Bangsund

Bangsund prints articles by some of the most thoughtful and erudite writers from Australia and worldwide, and features fascinating letters from interesting correspondents on a range of subjects. The content, whether tending to the serious or fannish, sparkles; a testament to Bangsund’s close and careful editing. ASFR has been nominated for a Hugo in each of the last two years, and its influence is felt globally.

A Fanzine Editor is a Proud, Lonely and Impoverished Thing

Now, however, Bangsund is clearly finding the fanzine not merely a financial drain, but also a personal one. It has many subscribers and agents in several countries (including Ethel Lindsay for the UK, from whom I got these copies). In Issue 18, December 1968, he features an editorial explaining that the high cost and low level of feedback he receives on the fanzine is discouraging him from continuing. But the quality of material he publishes remains very high. That same issue features an essay by Australian author George Turner on the business of writing about science fiction that I think is well worth a read by anyone who is interested in criticism.

With a Little Help from his Friends

The latest issue, #19, dated March 1969, has been edited exceptionally by John Foyster, who writes, a little peevishly:

“Although I (John Foyster) am named as editor of this issue of ASFR, it should be noted that the issue has been partly edited by John Bangsund in that his policy prevented the publication of some material I should have liked to use. Further, the size of the issue has been limited to the extent that I cannot include some articles I felt were worthwhile (over and beyond the previously-mentioned censorship). But let's not get maudlin.”

This issue is still the largest for some while, and features a smaller typeface so as to cram in more material.

Will ASFR continue? It’s clear that Bangsund is unpersuaded of the value of publishing such a serious sf-focused fanzine as ASFR has become, and would prefer the freedom of a more general title. However, two of his associates appear to be picking up the mantle. These fanzines could not be more different from each other, but both show a link to ASFR beyond just being written by regular contributors to that fanzine.

Some Like it Sercon

The first, SF Commentary, comes from Bruce Gillespie. This is issue one, and apparently Gillespie’s first fanzine! He has clearly sprung fully formed from Bangsund’s rib. This fanzine is, to be fair, rather hard to read. I don’t think he has used the best typewriter, and there are no illustrations at all!. So it is quite a struggle to read the fascinating analysis of Kurt Vonnegut’s Sirens of Titan and Cat’s Cradle by Damien Broderick, or Gillespie’s own analysis of several recent novels by Philip K. Dick. It’s well worth it though.

Cover, SF Commentary 1, Bruce Gillespie

The first issue is over sixty pages in total (a letter column is promised next issue, and I am sure he will get good letters to put in it) and features a wealth of serious science-fiction criticism. This is explained in the acknowledgements; most of the articles here were originally planned for ASFR, but the reduced frequency of that fanzine has put them here instead. Gillespie is planning to publish nine times a year; quite an ambitious schedule. You would think he would have learnt from Bangsund’s example.

But what of Fannish Nonsense? We have a Rataplan for that!

Rataplan, meanwhile, comes from Leigh Edmonds, another of the ’ASFR gang’ – and this time there is a photo of Edmonds with the other people who work on ASFR.

The 'ASFR gang' pictured in 1967 – (l-r) John Bangsund, Leigh Edmonds, Lee Hardin, John Foyster, Tony Thomas, Merv Binns and Paul J Stevens. Photographer believed to be Diane Bangsund.

This is a very much better-produced affair than SF Commentary. Leigh is not rash enough to commit to a publishing schedule but says “I intend to concern myself with fandom… If I can get quality and fannishness I will be happy.” But while the major article here is a consideration of fantasy films of the thirties, the items I enjoyed most were the satirical pieces poking fun at, in turn, Melbourne SF fandom, ASFR, and science fiction magazines. That last came via a John Foyster ‘editorial’ for ‘Stupefying Stories’, a magazine which feels like many we have all read.

Cover, Rataplan 1, John Bangsund

John Bangsund has already suggested that these two fanzines are the heirs to ASFR. They are both very different and you will need to seek them both out to be convinced, as I am, that Australian fanzine writing is in safe hands.

No comments Leave A Comment

Conventions/Performances

[May 8, 1968] A Visit to Thirdmancon, the 1968 British Science Fiction Convention

May 8, 2023 Alison Scott 2 Comments

by Alison Scott

A report of the Thirdmancon, Eastercon 1968

It’s hard to overstate the anticipation I had for Eastercon 1968. It was going to be the largest national convention ever, with over 200 fans expected! In the end I understand that something like 150 people turned up; still the largest British national convention yet.

Still Riding the Slow Train

I set off from Hoe Street station on Good Friday morning in a state of considerable expectation. My journey was quite tedious, involving travelling into the city, crossing town on the Metropolitan line, taking the express train, but only as far as Stockport, and then finally changing to a beautiful but majestically slow branch line down to Buxton. The convention had originally been planned for a town with a mainline station, something I considered frequently while stopping at stations with names like Hazel Grove, Disley, Dove Holes, and Chapel-en-le-Frith.

Authentic Georgian Piles

Buxton is a beautiful spa town that has perhaps seen slightly better days. That was certainly true of St. Ann’s Hotel, situated at one end of the once glorious but now dilapidated Georgian Crescent. I arrived to find someone waving a sword through his car window. This set the scene for a very vibrant but perhaps rather disorderly con.

I was in the overflow hotel, at the other end of the terrace, and there were a lot of fans milling around. It turned out that the hotel had misplaced their booking, and mine. Fortunately they quickly realised I was a lone female traveller and sorted me out with a tiny single room that I suspected might have previously been used to store laundry. The hotel appears to have retained many original features, like the plumbing, the lino, and the bedlinen. Ah well, all I’d be doing here was sleeping.

After I picked up my badge and programme book, I was a bit overwhelmed at how many fans were there. I was later told it was nearly 150; a huge number for an S-F convention! Quite a lot were local to the northwest, but there were fans from Ireland and several from America. This year the convention was being run by the Delta film group from Manchester, and so there was a lot of film-themed programming, including some of their own films, other films, and film related items. So some of the influx of fans was other film buffs. But not all by any means. Luckily I spotted Ella Parker, who had magisterially formed a one-woman tea salon in the lounge, having noticed that everyone would pass through that point. I was just happy to see a friendly face and fellow London Circle member.

Ella introduced me to a group of German fans. My German is terrible, but their English was quite good. They’re bidding to hold Germancon, the World SF Convention, in Heidelberg, West Germany in 1970; that will be quite the event I’m sure. The decision will be made at this year’s Worldcon in America. They were drumming up support but most fans were pretty supportive anyway and in fact the convention passed a motion of support for the bid. I spoke to some of the US fans about it, and they think that US fans are also enthusiastic about the idea of Worldcon going to a non-English speaking country for the first time.

After a little while, we all moved into the convention hall. It was very striking! Eddie Jones had painted a huge backdrop featuring an alien landscape and a giant red star; a fitting setting for our weekend conventioning.

Films and even more Films

After the opening ceremonies, horror film buff John Ramsey Campbell gave a talk accompanied by films. I myself am not a horror film buff, but John Ramsey is very entertaining. I hear he is a promising writer, but I’m not a horror fiction buff either.

John Ramsey Campbell in his Knight of St Fantony regalia (Photo credit: Stan Nicholls)

This led naturally into a film show, featuring the work of the Delta film club and promising an X-rated film! I think it was probably a humorous rather than a scandalous one, but I returned to my room to save my energy for the rest of the weekend.

Saturday Morning: Fully Charged

I arose on Saturday in good time for the panel about starting fan clubs. I have no plans to leave London, and surely London will always have the London Circle? But it was interesting to hear about other cities and their clubs.

I then spent some time milling about with other fans. Most people at the convention were wearing ordinary working clothes, but some were dressed in jeans and other trendy gear. But on Saturday morning I encountered what I think might have been the most extraordinarily dressed man I’ve ever met in my life. I checked my wristwatch but the Fancy Dress was not due for several more hours. He was wearing bright pink trousers, an orange Chinese silk jacket with dragons on it, and a rather odd hat that looked a bit like a fez. “Oh, meet Peter Roberts!” said Beryl Mercer. “He thinks this is stylish, but I’d say he’s just an exhibitionist.”

As I was travelling by train, I had no desire to pick up books or mags at the auction, and I took the opportunity to have a walk around Buxton. It’s a very lovely spa town, though it has rather fallen on hard times. The hot thermal baths closed a few years ago, and the natural spa bath is now a public swimming pool. Saturday lunchtime is never a great time to visit such a place, so a swim will have to wait for another visit.

What is this Solar System Thing Anyway?

I returned to the convention in time for the talk by a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, Alan Whittaker, “Life in the Solar System”. I think Mr Whittaker had judged his audience poorly; his talk was clearly aimed at people who had never heard anything of the planets rather than an audience who were deeply familiar with all nine of them. He could perhaps have altered his tone or content, given this, but chose not to.

By this time the con was running very late, and Ken Bulmer, giving his Guest of Honour speech, made great play of this. His speech was long but he delivered it at a furious pace. It was terrifically entertaining and we were all held spellbound. I didn’t take proper notes but Peter Weston told me later smugly that he had already made plans with Ken to republish his speech in the pages of his fanzine Speculation. Speculation is perhaps the best and most famous of current British fanzines. A small chunk of it was available to all at Thirdmancon in the form of the 'combozine', where samples of several current fanzines are bound together for distribution to convention members. This year’s combozine also featured Ethel Lindsay’s Scottische, the Bristol and District group’s Badinage, and Gothique.

After a second auction, the people who’d booked full board went off to dinner and some of the rest of us went out to explore alternatives in Buxton. There were not so many of these! But I knew I wouldn’t be able to eat as much dinner as the full board would be. When we returned, however, we discovered that the portion sizes on the set dinner were so small that some of the unhappy fans went out for a second dinner. According to Keith Freeman, the hotel manager was as unhappy as we were and swore he would never entertain the possibility of a science fiction convention again.

Nevertheless, our dinnertime woes were forgotten as soon as Eric Bentcliffe started his hilarious ‘Fandom Exposed’ slideshow. We were not sure what to expect, but of course this was a set of mostly funny and some fascinating slides from previous conventions, all narrated with great glee by Eric. This was followed by the Fancy Dress, won by Tony Walsh as “The Black Cloud”. I thought that Doreen Parker should have won for her turn as the girl from Cordwainer Smith’s “The Ballad of Lost C’Mell”.

Late Night Mayhem

Before we could all go and party, there was a grand jousting tourney, where Brian Burgess and Ted Tubb bashed each other with swords quite a lot. None of this had any noticeable effect on their very well-built suits of armour and eventually the entire thing was declared a draw.

I have no idea if this was Ted Tubb, Brian Burgess, or another challenging knight

Although there had been amiable parties on the Friday night, it was Saturday when they really got going. They were often very crowded; the rooms in this hotel were not large, and in some cases the siren call of free booze was enough to draw large numbers of fans, even if the free booze was the most questionable of home brews.

Ted Tubb had apparently brought a hogshead of home brewed wine, but I rather preferred the idea of Bill Pettit’s party with crates of perfectly good commercial beer. Oddly, so did everyone else, and I couldn’t get near it. The parties were spilling out into corridors and even staircases.

A stair party. Dave Kyle is in the centre here, and Bill Burns is to his right. Other fans are unidentified. (Photo credit: Howard Rosenblum)

Some of the more established femme fans took me under their wing. Although they insisted that all the fans were perfect gentlemen, it was clear that some of them might occasionally forget this fact after having a few drinks.

Eventually after far too much fun, I went to bed, glad that the first item on Sunday morning was the eminently skippable Annual General Meeting of the British Science Fiction Association

I did not feel quite so well on Sunday

I emerged a bit later for the second pro panel, which featured Christopher Priest, John Brunner, Ken Bulmer and Tom Disch, discussing “the difference between real life and fictional speculation.” You would expect it to be quite easy for these science-fiction professionals to spot the difference, really.

Christopher Priest, John Brunner, Ken Bulmer, Tom Disch (showing the Eddie Jones backdrop)

The fan guest of honour was the winner of the Trans-Atlantic Fan Fund, Steve Stiles. I was pleased to get a chance to chat to him over the weekend. I learnt of his shock at the recent news from America that has been covered so well in the Journey. It had quite discouraged him at the very start of his trip, but he was determined to make the best of it. His talk was very good, but was interrupted by hecklers! I later learnt that they had been set up by Stiles himself; a jolly jape but perhaps a slightly embarrassing one?

Art from the Thirdmancon programme book

Assorted Ceremonies

The evening session on Sunday was a presentation of “This is your fan life” by Eric Bentcliffe to convention chair Harry Nadler. This used audio tape, film, slides, personal reminiscences, and a rambunctious high-kick dance by what appeared to be the entire Liverpool SF group.

That was followed by the presentation of the Doc Weir Award, which is a cup, held for one year, given to ‘a fan who deserves a bit of public recognition’, and a certificate. This year it went to Mary Reed. She was clearly a popular choice, and delighted and overwhelmed with the award.

Mary Reed with her Doc Weir certificate (Photo credit: Stan Nicholls

Messages from the Future

Dave Kyle told us all about his recent viewing of Stanley Kubrick’s new film, “Year 2001, a Space Odyssey”. It was based, apparently, on a short story by Arthur C Clarke, but is very different now. Clarke is expanding his short story into a novel and I will be very interested to both read it and see the film. Apparently it is opening in the West End in just a couple of weeks. I do hope the London Circle will organise a visit!

Finally we had the mysterious, and perhaps slightly bizarre, Knights of St Fantony ceremony, in which three new knights were invested in the order – Beryl Mercer, Doreen Parker and Ken McIntyre. Phil Rogers became the new Noble Master. That concluded the formal proceedings, but there was still a lot of partying to be done.

We carried on carousing long into the night. I was encouraged to try some more of Ted Tubb’s home-brew wine but I have resolved never to make the same mistake twice. Nevertheless, I only just managed to get up in time for breakfast and to catch my train home.

The convention had some problems with cancelled and late running items, and a hotel that bordered on the hostile. However, I had a splendid time and would like to thank all the Delta Group for putting on the con.

Thanks to Sandra Bond, Claire Brialey, Bill Burns (both in person and here), FANAC, Rob Hansen, and Dave Langford for help with this article.

2 Comments Leave A Comment

Science Fiction/Fantasy

[September 16, 1967] A quick tour round the Fan Hugos

September 16, 2022 Alison Scott 6 Comments

by Alison Scott

You will have to make, I fear, some allowances for your fanzine correspondent, recently returned – as reported only a couple of days ago by the Traveler – from the World Science Fiction Convention.

The Fan Hugos – not, thank goodness, the Pongs – were awarded for Best Fan Writer and Best Fan Artist as well as Best Fanzine. They instantly caused controversy because Jack Gaughan won for both Best Professional Artist and Best Fan Artist. However, Gaughan is a prolific and generous fan artist, contributing covers and interior illustrations to many fanzines, as well as doing fine professional illustrations. It seems to me that it is possible for someone to produce both fan and professional work in the same year. But we are reliant on the voting fans to not confuse the two, or to vote purely based on 'name' quality.

Alexei Panshin's win for Best Fan Writer surely reflects the publication of his critical book Heinlein in Dimension over the previous year, primarily in one of the nominated fanzines, Riverside Quarterly. This book has had a strange history; Panshin wrote it under contract but on reflection (and perhaps worry of a suit from the subject of the book) the publishers decided not to go ahead with it, so he published it in sections in fanzines, predominantly RQ. This only counts as fan writing by the narrowest of margins, but it is fine work and it's not surprising the Hugo voters saw fit to reward it.

Meanwhile, I have brought back to London a veritable heap of fanzines, and by a happy coincidence every fanzine that was nominated for a Hugo last year has continued to publish. They have all, in the wake of their nominations, mentioned the possibility of the fanzine Hugo being renamed the Pong, and unsurprisingly none of them were in favour of it.

NIEKAS 18, Spring 1967, edited by Ed Meskys and Felice Rolfe

Cover of Niekas 18, by Warren Preston

NIEKAS won Best Fanzine for 1966. This issue is notable chiefly for the variety of material on offer. You might call it uneven. The lead article here, from Ben Solon, aims to directly counter Panshin's reading of Heinlein. It is not, I think, as compelling an argument. The fanzine continues with a pun-filled faanfiction story. Faanfiction, as distinct from fan fiction, is fiction about science fiction fandom. Most of it does not repay careful reading, and some of it does not repay reading at all. There is a reprint of John Brunner's address to Tricon, a strange mixture of industry anecdotes, Brunner's customary self-aggrandisement, and a passionate call to action for science fiction to be, well, better. More challenging, more speculative, and more daring.

John Brunner addresses Tricon, by Jay Jay Klein

Otherwise here we have a partial glossary of Middle Earth, a relatively dull overview of SF in Denmark that could have done with an edit, and then, tucked in at the end, the transcript of a half-hour telephone call with JRR Tolkien by Harry Resnik. Resnik explained that he had agreed to have transatlantic tea, and set the call, and the recorder, for 11am Eastern, 4pm UK. The interview, one of the most detailed yet given by the Lord of the Rings author, is followed up by an equally illuminating Tolkien Society discussion. Startling, but well hidden.

Australian Science Fiction Review 11, August 1967, edited by John Bangsund

"Cordwainer Smith illustration" by Steve Rasmussen from ASFR 11

Such a contrast from NIEKAS! ASFR is a serious critical fanzine with only the slightest fannish side. The editors had an article in preparation about the works of Cordwainer Smith. When the man behind the pseudonym, Paul Linebarger, died last year they decided to go further. Linebarger/Smith's death has not been covered by the Journey as far as I can see, but he was a great loss to our field. He leaves a fine if limited oeuvre, and this fanzine features a detailed obituary by a man who knew him well, a critical consideration of the work, a conversation by the authors of those two pieces, and a bibliography. ASFR 11 also features an index to the first ten issues of ASFR; Harry Warner Jr. is on record as quipping it's about time someone produced an Index to the Indices, a sentiment I understand entirely. But the value of indices of this kind in helping us locate articles and information is invaluable.

Lighthouse 15, August 1967

Cover of Lighthouse 15 by Jack Gaughan

Ben Solon writes in the letter column "a fanzine of this size and quality seems to inhibit as much comment as it inspires". This fanzine is very good. The pieces hang together far better as a whole, and their general quality is higher than those in, say NIEKAS. It is also far more fannish, with multiple articles that provide insight into the life, and not merely the reading habits, of the authors. Most of those authors are professionals; Carr is well-connected and persuasive. Lighthouse is at its best when it is at its most personal. A well-researched article by Fritz Leiber about the Anima Archetype in science fantasy is less beguiling somehow than an amusing travelogue by Samuel R Delany. And how enticing is the home life of Terry and Carol Carr, as seen through the lens of their fan writing? This would have my vote.

Yandro 172, June 1967, edited by Buck and Juanita Coulson
Yandro 173, August 1967, edited by Buck and Juanita Coulson

Cover of Yandro 173 by Cynthia Goldstone

Yandro 172 (June 1967) and 173 (August 1967) are bundled wtih a flyer advertising the Pan-Pacificon bid to hold the 1968 World Science Fiction convention in both Los Angeles and Tokyo! This would be very exciting but I am not at all sure how it would work, the flyer does not explain, and in any event this bid did not win and next year's World SF Convention will be Baycon. Linked to this is a flyer for the Trans-Oceanic Fan Fund, aiming to bring Japanese fan Takumi Shibano to the World SF Convention. Yandro – a much shorter and more frequent fanzine than some of these – normally features news, reviews and letters, together with one or two longer articles. In 172, the long article in this issue consists of a round-up of the current state of Swedish science fiction fandom from Bo Stenfors. This is fascinating stuff and I hope that the Journey can attract a Swedish correspondent soon. More unusually, 173 gives a great deal of space to Star Trek, with a bibliography by Ruth Berman covering almost every serious and trivial article about the show and its leads. She remarks that far more attention is given to Shatner and Nimoy than to the creators or to the actors in more minor roles. "There are no articles about Gene Roddenberry, who chiefly deserves credit for Star Trek… yet the various articles on the actors and the show… show him as a man of integrity and humor". Yandro's essential for news and updates but there are better fanzines here.

Habakkuk, Chapter II, verse 3, February 1967, edit by Bill Donaho

Cover of Habakkuk Chapter II, verse 3 by Steve Stiles

In most of these fanzines you would scarcely know that the United States is at war with Viet Nam. But Habbukuk has columns from the recently drafted Steve Stiles, now in basic training, and Colin Cameron, exploring the upsides and downsides of life in the army on active service. Otherwise this issue has a long editorial from Donaho. It is tedious on the matter of the parties he has attended recently, which are clearly more exciting to attend than to read about. It perks up, however, when he tells of officiating at what the papers called an 'LSD wedding'.

It has been a while since this issue came out; there were two in 1966 so hopefully we'll see another one soon.

Trumpet 5, April 1967, edited by Tom Reamy

Interior illo from Trumpet 5 by Rob Purim

This is a fantastically well-produced offset litho fanzine full of good clear photos of fans taken at Tricon. It's a delight to see pictures of so many of the folks whose fanzines I've been enjoying.

It's only slightly marred by an entirely nude photo of a woman, devoid of SF content, fantasy content or clothes, on the contents page. Fan artists and photographers; think before doing this, and don't confuse erotica with science fiction, even if we often buy them both in the same bookshops.

The rest of the content, while beautifully produced, largely leaves me cold. There is SF and faanfiction here, and a lengthy deconstruction of Doctor Strangelove by Richard Hodgens that takes rather too long to say rather too little. I very much enjoyed the cartooning of Rob Pudim in this issue but overall I would have to say that Trumpet is a triumph of production values over content.

Riverside Quarterly Volume 3, No. 1, August 1967, edited by Leland Shapiro

Cover of a previous issue of Riverside Quarterly by ATom (Arthur Thomson)

The 1966 issues of RQ had concluded Alexei Panshin's deconstruction of Robert Heinlein, Heinlein in Dimension. Jack Williamson's thesis on HG Wells is thin gruel by comparison, though careful, thoughtful stuff. Writing in Australian SF Review, John Bangsund describes Riverside Quarterly as "a bit too serious for my liking", and I am pretty sure that his enthusiasm for serious consideration of science fiction is way greater than mine. However there is a lot of interest here; in particular, for fans of SF poetry, there are a dozen poems here, some very good.

All of these fanzines have deep, interesting letter columns, where some of the great SF writers and fans of the day engage with the serious and less serious topics raised. Many of the correspondents write to several, or all, of these fanzines, and you can see the most important topics of our age being worked through in real time.

Overall, what does this crop of finalist fanzines and their contributors tell us about the state of science fiction fandom here in 1967? I would argue that it shows that it is in great health. The willingness of professional writers and artists in the field to contribute to, and engage with, fanzines can only be good for the development of the art and craft of science fiction. And, as they have done for half a century, fanzines remain a great way for fans to understand not just the genre, but the profession. And the three Hugos for fan activity will give us a chance to celebrate and reward the best of them.

(Thanks to FANAC, without whom this article would not have been possible)

6 Comments Leave A Comment

Science Fiction/Fantasy

[June 22, 1967] The Pong Arising from the World Convention

June 22, 2022 Alison Scott 4 Comments

by Alison Scott

Something is rotten in the science fiction fandom community. And its name is Pong.

I recently came into correspondence with Gideon Marcus, founder of Galactic Journey. I took him to task for the lack of fanzine reviews and commentary in his ‘zine–a shocker in such an otherwise comprehensive overview of our modern world of science fiction. He suggested that there was an obvious remedy to that omission. And so, I find myself dragooned into the position of “Associate Writer” for the Journey. You’re welcome.

Although I’m based in London, I’m fortunate enough to trade with many fan editors around the world, and hope to share with you some of the topics that are exciting fans this summer, and that are mentioned in the fanzines arriving in the post each day. And one topic,in particular, has consumed the thoughts of SF fans across the globe–the idea that the fan Hugos will be separated from the “real” Hugos and given their own name.

A section of the Hugo Award Nomination ballot for 1967, with a torn paper edge at the base.

Tucker’s Folly

How many of you remember Hoy Ping Pong? I am not sure how familiar that name will be to the readers of the Journey. Hoy Ping Pong – “The Chinese Buck Rogers” – was a pseudonym used by Wilson ‘Bob’ Tucker in the 30s and 40s for much of his humorous fan writing, such as his “Report of the 196th Convention”, which you can read as a featured letter in Wonder Stories, November 1934, if you can find a copy. Tucker dressed up as Pong for the first convention masquerade at Chicon in 1940, though I have been unable to find a photo of this event. Over the years there have been many occasions in which Tucker appeared in place of Pong, or where Tucker wrote an appreciation of Pong or vice versa. Japes of this kind were commonplace amongst early fans. And in Tucker's case, as appreciated (or not appreciated, depending on who you ask) as the Chinese characters we keep seeing being played by British actors in Doctor Who. [or Mickey Rooney's turn as Yunioshi in Breakfast at Tiffany's (ed.)].

Tucker will perhaps be best known to Fellow Travelers as an author and critic. Perhaps one of you has found your name “Tuckerised” as a character in one of his sadly infrequent novels. But those of us who follow fanzines will know that he is one of the very first and most energetic fanzine fans, and instrumental in the flourishing of fanzines and therefore of science fiction fandom itself. Sadly, Tucker has not published an issue of his fanzine, Le Zombie, since 1958. And so therefore (perhaps not so sadly) we have not seen so many outings for Hoy Ping Pong, or any other of Bob Tucker’s Pong-based pseudonyms, such as John W Pong Jr and Horatio Alger Pong. And as such, they are drifting into obscurity.

Until now. Here we are in 1967, and Ted White, from his lofty position of power as chairman of NyCon 3, this year’s World SF Convention, has decided that the time has come to expand the existing Best Fanzine Hugo. I think that many of we actifans would welcome additional awards for Best Fan Writer and Best Fan Artist. However, the NyCon 3 committee – and I think we must assume this is mostly Ted – decided to unilaterally create a new class of awards, the Fan Achievement Awards, by analogy to the Science Fiction Achievement Awards, and to nickname them the “Pongs”, by analogy to the “Hugos”.

Ted White at last year's Worldcon (Tricon).

It is entirely a matter for the committee of the current World SF Convention to decide which Awards are made. From time to time, fans have suggested that this should be more formalised, but those attempts have never lasted for more than the current year, as each new committee puts their own stamp on the Convention. So this year, as Buck Coulson writes in *Yandro* #169, “[Ted] scorned to use manipulation, propaganda, persuasion or even tact; he just came out, open and aboveboard, with his coup.” But as we see below, Coulson – for whom White is a regular columnist – was not actually averse to the idea.

Back and Forth

Fan editors as a whole, however, have not been pleased, to say the least. Following general grumblings, the *Double:Bill* editors, Bill Bowers and Bill Mallardi, wrote to five influential faneds. Three wrote back rapidly to agree with the Bills’ view that these awards should be Hugos; one replied verbally, and only one dissented – Buck Coulson, who as the Bills archly point out, already has a Best Fanzine Hugo.

Tom Reamy goes further, and suggests that, “We should outlaw such changes on the whim of the half-dozen who just happen to be the con committee. Any change the committee wants to make should be voted on by the membership and stop all this nonsense.” That might be a step too far; one can easily see how these arrangements could quickly become an unwieldy bureaucracy.

Despite the nomination form listing this as a done deal, and not containing any opportunity for comment, a quarter of the returned ballots argued that the awards should be named Hugos instead, and the idea of the Fan Achievement Awards be forgotten. The Convention committee did not follow that advice. Instead they reported that three-quarters of ballots supported the Pongs – quite the prevarication given that they were merely those that had not actively complained.

Although Tucker is much beloved as the “first fannish fan”, even some of the people who think that the Fan Achievement Awards are a fine idea are not persuaded that the best nickname for them would be the Pongs. Offense concerns aside, Hoy Ping Pong, and Tucker’s many other Pong-related pen names, are only known to dedicated fannish fans. Pong himself seems to exist primarily as Tucker’s alter ego; if the ‘Chinese Buck Rogers’ had adventures, we never learn of them. Many of the fans who have commented on this little furore have found the choice of “Pong” to be baffling.

Wilson Tucker in his younger years

Some of the fans who do support the move do so for the most cynical of reasons. They argue that the Best Fanzine Hugo has already been debased as a result of one or more winners who are to their minds unworthy. Therefore, why not start again with a new set of awards, which, while nominated and voted for by the same imperfect Convention members, will no doubt deliver a far better outcome? I trust most of you will be able to spot the flaw in that argument.

Finally, it may only be here in Britain where the word “pong” means a peculiar and off-putting smell, but that seems to me to be another excellent reason why we would not want our highest awards for fan activity to be called after one. The ‘Hugos’ are traditionally a stylish and weighty rocket ship, redolent of, well, the future. Let our imaginations not trouble us too much with thoughts of what a ‘Pong’ award might look like.

Let Bye-pongs be Bye-pongs

Regardless of our feelings about the Pongs, it is time for everyone who is a World SF Convention Member to vote for the Hugos, including for what I hope will be the Best Fanzine, Best Fan Artist and Best Fan Writer Hugos. Although there is not space for it on the form, I suggest that you take the opportunity to make your feelings clear when you mail in your vote.

This is not just an academic exercise! Our own dear Galactic Journey is a nominee for Best Fanzine for the fourth time [at least, so we were told–I can’t find us on the ‘67 Hugo ballot…(ed)]. Would we be content to win a Pong, rather than a Hugo? Nobody does fanzines intending to win awards, but if we were to win, the Traveler and company would need to decide whether to accept our Pong, or turn it down as many faneds are suggesting.

Will the NyCon3 committee relent, and award Hugos rather than Pongs to the best fanzine, fan writer and fan artist of the year? Watch this space.

Thanks to Fanac for source material, and to Mark Plummer who additionally provided useful material from his own collection.

[Per the latest ‘zines, it does appear the Nycon Committee has relented, and the “pong” will go the way of the dodo. Thank goodness! (ed)]

4 Comments Leave A Comment

55 years ago: Science Fact and Fiction