FenCon

[filkertom]

I'm in Addison, TX, just north of Dallas, for FenCon IV. And already I'm loving it. Haven't yet spoken with anybody from the con, but the bellman delivered a FenCon tote bag with just the greatest swag evar. A glass bottle of Bock (what the hell, I'll try it) and another, old-style design, of Dr. Pepper, and a Don't Mess With Texas bottle opener. A Film Crew button.

And five-and-dime toys in profusion.

A business-card-sized Spirograph. Texas candies. A tin of Play-Doh. A parachute-army-man toy. A Roswell alien. A Forget-Me-Not growing kit. Crayons, a little writing pad, a tracing pad (the old film-and-stylus thing, haven't seen one of those in years and years).

And the coolest of the cool, the beyondest of the beyond, something I didn't even know existed... Mini Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots.

I think I'm gonna like it here.

Oh, and, billroper? daisy_knotwise? I'm parked right next to you. ;)

Here's my schedule for the weekend:

• Friday 8:00 PM Main Stage
  Tom Smith Friday Night Concert
• Friday 10:00 PM Programming 2
  What the Filk is Going On Here?
  Description: Music, of course! What is the appeal of this genre? How has the improvement in recording technologies helped filk?
  (I'm bettin' this goes hands-on in short order)
• Saturday 11:00 AM Second Stage
  Singing in Circles
  Description: Discuss the different types of Circle filking and how they work. What works for what crowd?
  (ditto, and honestly I think it's way too early)
• Saturday 1:00 PM Autographs
  Guest of Honor Autograph Session for Friend of Fen
  (shrug -- I'm a GOH, I'll be there. You know you can ask for an autograph pretty much any time I'm not actually playing guitar or going to the bathroom)
• Saturday 5:00 PM Main Stage
  Tom Smith Guest of Honor Concert
  Description: Our Music Guest of Honor will be entertaining your funny bone.
  (Ideally, the rest of you as well)
• Sunday 11:00 AM Main Stage
  TechnoPeasants Unite!
  Description: Discussion of International Pixel-Stained Technopeasants Day and the giving away of books, music, art, etc. to stimulate interest and sales.
• Sunday 1:00 PM Programming 3
  Comedy in SF/Fantasy/Horror
  Description: From comic relief to an outright funny book, humor has always had its place in the worlds of Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Horror. Authors discuss the ways they approach the use of funny business in their work.

So, who all's gonna be here?

ETA: billroper wrote just the nicest bio for me. Thank you, my friend.

Comments

[bald-ruminant.livejournal.com]

I'll be there.

[tomreedtoon.livejournal.com]

I'm not there. But since you are, you might want to drop in on the guys of The Film Crew...Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett. They're carrying on the MST3K tradition in fine style. (Just don't mention Joel Hodgson...I think they're kinda sensitive about him.)

Also see if they're demoing their "RiffTrax" which are commentary tracks that play along with DVD's. I got their one for Fantastic Four and it was certainly worth the three bucks.

[valkyrwench.livejournal.com]

Damnit! *Why* don't I know about these thing in advance?
Unfortunately, we won't be there :(

[vulpine137.livejournal.com]

I'll be there on Saturday, with a few of the locals I've corrupted into Smith-addicts :)

[archiver-tim.livejournal.com]

I'm not there, but kept a look out at FenCon for these past four years as a place for my Texas Sisters to go to. For a con in it's fourth year, they really got there con together with a web site that should be something envied and emulated by other cons.

-Ryan

[dhstein.livejournal.com]

sounds like a sweet swag bag!

[shockwave77598.livejournal.com]

Shiner Bock is made in a little town called Shiner in central TX. One of the few "real" brewries left that doesn't deliberately try to make beer taste like hog intestines (aka Budwieser).

Hope you have a good time at the con.

[jss]

What does it say about me that my first thought was "There's a whole con about the death sheep from hell?"

I'm not there (I left Dallas almost 14 years ago now), but enjoy!

[umbran.livejournal.com]

Apropos of nothing - this comic made me think of your music:

http://xkcd.com/319/

[thatcrazycajun.livejournal.com]

Dangit, wouldn't you know...I spend years going to grade school and high school in the D/FW Metroplex in the late '70s/early '80s, and there's squat-all going on in the way of fannish activity; and ever since a couple years after I moved away, they've had cons out the ying-yang. Wish to hell I could be there; I might even spot the one or two fannish types I remember from high school there. Give 'em heaven, Tom!

[bathtubnz.livejournal.com]

Not sure why you think they are sensitive about Joel, they are all still friends. Mike went out for beers with Joel not that long ago (So yes he's familiar with RiffTrax).

[tokyosteven.livejournal.com]

I'll be there in about 10 minutes. OMW in a shuttle from DFW now. :-)

[pbrim.livejournal.com]

I'll be there! I live in Dallas and have made every FenCon so far.

[tomreedtoon.livejournal.com]

Didn't know this. There were some "oh-ohs" when Hodgson's name came up on the Film Crew panel at San Diego Comic-Con.

Part of it, I'm sure, is the downfall of Hodgson's own career. His "camera in a circle" experiment for HBO died a gooey death on Comedy Central. And I choked when, on the doomed Paula Poundstone variety hour, he was listed as "creative consultant."

God. I just checked IMDB. He was also involved with Paul Reuben's awful "You Don't Know Jack" game show. Gaaaah! That's almost as bad as being the Insult Clown at a dunk tank at a local carnival.

[jcbemis.livejournal.com]

Terri Wells hopes to be there by your concert tonight - her first plane today (which would have gotten her there in plenty of time) was cancelled.

[peachtales.livejournal.com]

Ooooh, that swag bag is the most excellent thing ever!
Can't make it, but hope you have a great time! :)

[bathtubnz.livejournal.com]

Heh, fair enough about SDCC, part of it perhaps might have been "Oh here is the millionth question about joel...."

Joel is the one who stepped away from riffing (apart from Star Wait) so I think it's all really up to him if he is to come back to it, but I am pretty sure the door is open.

Did you know Joel recently joined Cartoon Dump with Frank?

I don't know if Joel is invited to Mary Jo's wedding, but I know Mike, Kevin and Bill are going, and since Trace just moved back to MN I can't imagine he wouldn't be there too.

[theturbonerd.livejournal.com]

I'll be there.

Not surprising that they gave you Shiner Bock. FenCon uses it exclusively for room parties. It is a damn good Texas beer, and I generally don't like beer.

See you at FenCon!

-Tim Morgan