From: Steve Davies Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.fandom Subject: VoM Issue 13 (Worldcon Newsletter) Date: Sun, 03 Sep 95 20:51:31 GMT Organization: The Fortress Unvanquishable, Save For Sacnoth Lines: 174 Reply-To: steve@vraidex.demon.co.uk THE VOICE OF THE MYSTERONS The INCAPACITATION Newszine Monday 28th August - Afternoon Edition - Issue 13 You Want How Much!?! Apparently Paramount didn't just refuse us clearance on Star Trek; they also blocked showings of Barbarella and Mission: Impossible. Thames TV offered us The Quatermass Conclusion (1970 - John Mills) which is far inferior to the BBC's Quatermass and the Pit (which we've shown). The kicker, however, was that they wanted #3500 to clear the rights. Also on the video front, Lumiere (Colin Hicks) and Julie Ward were accidentally omitted from the credits. Filk Shake The winners of the Filk Fund raffle were as follows: Waistcoat - Mary Kay Kare Framed Cross-stitch - Nigel Parsons Shield - GFJC Hedger Please collect prizes from Filk programme items in the Moat House. ...and Counting... The current attendance figures are: Total membership of all types - 7000 Warm body count - 4800 Parties Evolution: Forte Crest, 10th floor, 23:00 Gopher/Dead Dog: Forte Crest Ballroom, 21:00? The committee would like to thank Microsoft for their generous contribution towards tonight's gopher party. Gay Party: The Cabaret Bar, Madame Gillespie's. Free tickets from Safer Sex stall in Hall 4. Avast Behind All Science Fiction Fans born on February 29th have been apprenticed to the Pirates of Fenzance until their 21st birthday. All such apprentices are asked to notify Bucconeer of their current address. Bucconeer may be reached at Post Office Box 314, Annapolis Junction MD, 20701, USA or via email (baltimore98@access.digex. net). Sunday's Party Report We started out deep in the Heart of Texas chatting with our LoneStarCon2 friends at the Standing and Former World Cons Combined Party (some mouthful, eh?). This included Winnipeg, LoneStarCon and Bucconeer. They used their space well, having set up a large buffet of chilli and sweets in the center of the ballroom. We noticed the tables dusted with Texas magic confetti, which was a nice touch. Our Bucconeer friends supplied the punches (two varieties, white whale and spiced rum bilge) and bar services while in costume. Congrats on your win, Baltimore; we're looking forward to partying and pillaging in the harbour. Let's not forget Winnipeg, who provided much appreciated support and lots of great parties! We won't forget you, folks, not with a venue like the Dead Dragon Inn. We cabbed over to the SECC to catch the fireworks display, which was thoughtfully delayed a few minutes while we assembled our group for a good view. Thank you, Creed, for sponsoring so delightful a fireworks show - Best Pyrotechnics of the Con. We slipped into the Hugo Losers party sponsored by LACon III briefly to wish them better luck in the future. By now, one of our Russian friends, Natasha, declared she was "Konets!" (trans.: Kaput!). Those remaining in our group climbed into a cab to the Central and began the international hallway tour on the first floor, starting with the Albacon party (Scottish national con). Our host Cuddles explained to us the background of the convention, and we came away with an appreciation of the importance of new blood in fandom. We also left with an appreciation of Irn-Bru, a Scottish soft drink equivalent to Big Red stateside. Next door, the folks at the German-Belgian party were dispensing glasses of Martens Pils, a Belgian beer, and cigars. We understood more than one fan mistook the cigars for chocolates (right, Cem?) Of course, an experienced chocoholic/connoisseur like Scott was never fooled for a moment. (Kurt: "No one's looking, Scott. You can spit it out.") Tibs at the Mexican Hat party explained the philosophy of a Mexican hat fund, initiated by British fans to provide seed money for various fannish projects. We think this a good idea and applaud these efforts. We enjoyed standing in any spot on the first floor hallway of the Central and hearing a host of languages and dialects, appreciating how international this Worldcon is. Also, happy birthday to 1/2r ("Arthur"), who unabashedly informed us it was his "thirtieth" birthday. Many happy returns and enjoy the Stroh-marinated fruit (what a punch!). Back at the Forte Crest, we dropped in on the Michigan fandom party to say "hi." Then back to the Standing WorldCons party which was still doing well by 01:15. Fans were queued for drinks and pirate punch/bilge. Karen Meschke (LoneStarCon2's co-chair), relaxing against an empty buffet table, told us about the feeding frenzy for the chilli which occurred after the Hugo ceremony. Our best wishes to this year's Hugo winners. We're looking forward to some good reading. So now it's time (**trumpet fanfare**) to award Sunday's Party of the Night to the Standing Worldcons party. And after considerable debate of the outstanding qualities of the many parties we visited during Intersection, we in our (now official!) capacity as Intersection's Party Reviewers do hereby award and declare with all rights and privileges appurtenant thereto the Party of the Convention to the first floor of the Central Hotel when on Saturday night it coalesced into a single and unified international fan effort at partying. This, of course, is what a Worldcon is about, and we salute all of you for your efforts and wish you the best in partying. See you in L.A. next year where we'll party with the mouse. Party on! Last of the Ukranians (Honest!) Thanks to all fans who contributed money to help Alex and Hellen - our goal has now been reached. If you still have money to spare, anything left at the Information Desk will be split between the Brunner fund and Fans Across The World. (HL) Free Chocolate! Walter Greenlees (Handmade Jewels) was the holder of lucky ticket 422 in the United Fan Funds Chocolate Raffle. Walter, a local fan with a shop in the Argyle Street shopping centre. immerdiately donated the enormous 2.5kg chocolate drop to the Evolution party to be held in the Crest this evening. At 23:00 disappointed ticketholders should rush there to join in the expected orgy of chocoholic excess. Dress code: Mad Scientist or Fan. The chocolate raffle raised over #160 for TAFF, GUFF etc. Lunar Eclipse Elizabeth Moon apologises to those couldn't find her kaffeeklatch... she moved it to a quieter venue in the belief that everyone had arrived. She promises never to make that mistake again, and will always check to be sure the wagon train is complete. Yours for a Low, Low 1000grts It has been determined that Gopher Refreshment Tickets, or GRT is actually a clever reference to the groat, the most miniscule of medieval monetary units. This proves again, if it was ever necessary, that the folks in finance really do have a sense of humour. Late Development Well, the plan sounded great: Pete Tyers, one of the official con photographers, would whiz down to Boots on Sunday morning with the negatives, after having phoned ahead to say that he was coming and that it was a special rush job. Sounds pretty straight-forward to us. However, due to a completely rare and unforeseeable (and you understand we're being facetious here) failure of modern technology, the tills didn't work at opening time. Boots staff went into headless chicken mode and refused to let anyone through the doors until they were working, even if that person was only delivering negatives and had phoned ahead to say he was coming. Pete and others then had to race around frantically to see if there was anywhere else available to develop the negatives. As there was not they had to go back to Boots, who then said something along the lines of "Well, if you wanted them developed today you should have been here when we opened." We understand that a shop manager copped a large piece of Pete's mind and a letter will go to Boots' head office explaining exactly how much potential sales Boots lost for themselves and the convention through this amazing display of disaster management. In the meantime, numbered samples of the photos available started being put up just inside the entrance to the FanFair and Pete is taking orders. Quotes "With the right ribbon you can get away with anything" (Fred Duarte) Here is the Moose: Pictures at Seven Unconventional fans, intriguing professionals and large hoofed mammals can all be seen on Moose TV, the chat show with antlers. Over twenty different items packed into the fun-filled hours from 7-9 tonight at the Kintyre rooms in the Central Hotel. Your chance to hear a kaleidoscope of reactions to the UK's largest SF convention. Closing Ceremony: Report in Full Forget it. They don't mention us, we don't mention them. Credits This issue dedicated to Lethargia, muse of newsletter editors and others who haven't had enough sleep. Muffled snoring from Steve Davies, myoclonic twitching by Alex Stewart, Rapid eye movement by Tom Becker and Jan Van 't Ent. Somnambulistic shufflings from Giulia De Cesare, Scott Bobo, Kurt Baty, Heidi Lyshol. -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stephen M.W. Davies | steve@vraidex.demon.co.uk | sdavies@cix.compulink.co.uk | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------