Max Keasler
Well, Russ, Lee said she would like to get this little discussion off to a nice start. So here I am with a smile on my lips and a song in my heart.
You state Fanvariety is one of the "uncleanest" fanzines. May I ask how you know that cause I can't ever remember sending you copies. Or do your best friends tell you. Reason I never sent you a copy is that you are most certainly that type of fan I don't want reading Fanvariety. I'm looking for an open minded fan, not one with holes in his head. I think I once got a copy of your fanzine when I bought a batch from another fan. I read it too and as I said I never bothered to exchange. I don't know what ever happened to the copy. Must have used it to slip-sheet Fv.
Fanvariety is not a stf fanzine and it was never intended to be one. It was first started to publish material that deals with any topic. This could be science-fiction, religion, music, weird, fantasy, good housekeeping, politics, and yes, sex. That's S-E-X. I hope this isn't over your head.
I also think Fv was as bad as Incinerations, but what if it was, so what? We've toned it down lately. Not cause we wanted tho, but because the post-office told us to. We twist no one's arm to read Fv. I guess those first 9 issues were the last of the red-hot fanzines. They will all have to go now and I'm truly sorry to see it.
As for your rather gosh-wow-boy-oh-boy idea about consolidating fanzines into 2 or 3 fanzines. That is the biggest fugghead statement since someone wanted to start a Slan Center. Fandom is a hobby, not a way of life, at least not to me. Those fanzines you're talking about wouldn't hold water. Fans have their "professional fanzines" already and some of them are edited by fans. They are called something like prozines or pulp. That have fiction by fans, fan news, etc. But fans still turn to fanzines like they are today. Do you know what has made all great fanzines? It's elementary, my dear Watkins. Do you know what made Le Zombie, Spaceway, Time-traveller, Science-Fiction Digest, Shaggy, Fandango, Spacewarp and the other few greats? It was the single personality of the editor and his choice of material. Personality, I said. Maybe you'd better look that up. I can wait.
I'm afraid you'll also find me uh ... what was that phrase you used? Very cute, I think, "downright ornery". You can ask my readers and they'll agree with you. I'm downright ornery. So what? I'm happy as well as downright ornery. Also a bad speller and slightly nearsighted.
This is one editor that doesn't print in Fv what my readers like. What goes in Fv is what Bill Veneble and I want, not the readers. Since they do very little about footing the bill, I don't care if they like the material or not. If they like it, that makes it nice. If not, that's too bad. They're welcome to cancel their subscriptions or exchanges. Once I quit running what I like in Fv, I'll stop publishing the magazine. You can ask the NFFF about that if you like. But that's another stwitch of a different color.
I don't consider profanity a decent language. Personally I don't care for it, cause anyone can curse. I like something original, clever, even funny. If someone can write an article and be at least a little bit original, I'll print it. Whether it has to do with stf, religion, or sex. If I didn't like something in a fanzine I wouldn't read it. I most certainly wouldn't say just because I didn't like a bit of material, no one else should read it, even if they do like it. That's what you do, cause you and your CCF gang don't like "unclean" material (to coin another one of your sappy terms) no one else should. Well, I don't care much for you. Should I ignore you like I always have or should I orgamize a LET'S CLEAN UP RUSS WATKINS CRUSADE?
Since your Rebuttal is a clean-up crusade I would suggest you call it, "Through Fandom with Mop and Pail." As you said, Russ, everyone's tastes differ from another person's so let's just let it rest at that. That's why they print more than one magazine, you know. Thought I'd pass it on to you. Little things like that are nice to know.
Ever lovin yers, Max.
((Line forms to the right))
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We are perfectly willing to let our readers use Q as a place to publicly discuss issues. We even encourage a good argument. But it is our opinion that nothing can come from name-calling and back-stabbing. And we would rather remain neutral in a shooting war. If you have something intelligent and logical to say, we honor your right to say it and offer our zine to you, but there will be no more pointless namecalling and feuding, please.
- Lee Hoffman
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BETWEEN THE COVERS ARE:
Peter Ridley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . To Rear The Tender Thought
Ian Morgan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Between Blues
Thennek Thims . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Paradox
Alan Hunter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .And Incapable
Bob Shaw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ?
illos by Ridley, Hunter & Foster
One current U.S.A. promag for 3 issues. Subs exchanged with other fanzines.
BOB FOSTER,
2 SPRING GARDENS,
SOUTHWICH,
BRIGHTON,
SUSSEX, ENGLAND.
((We heartily reccomend
this mag...............yed))
Data entry by Judy Bemis
Updated June 17, 2001. If you have a comment about these web pages please send a note to the Fanac Webmaster. Thank you.