Conventional Wisdom: GaFilk 1
by Dell Stinnett
"Strangers No More - We Sing!"
The First Annual Georgia Filk Convention (GaFilk 1)
January 8 - 10, 1999
"What is Filk?", you ask. Filk is Science Fiction and Fantasy Folk Music. As Nick Smith of LA Filkharmonics put it "It is a mixture of song parodies and original music, humorous and serious, about subjects like science fiction, fantasy, computers, cats, politics, the space program, books, movies, TV shows, love, war, death. . . " That covers a lot of ground!
Filkers are people who listen to, perform, participate in, and/or write filk music. They hang around late at night, sometimes all night, at science fiction conventions, singing, playing guitars, drumming, enjoying each other's company, and just having a good time!
On January 8 - 10, 1999 GaFilk 1, the first annual Georgia Filk Convention will take place at the Ramada Inn Atlanta Airport South. A filk convention is like a mini-science fiction convention that centers around one sub-genre - filk music in all its forms. If you'd like more information about GaFilk 1, please visit us on the web at http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/dell_stinnett/gafilk1.htm. Or you can send an e-mail to Michael Liebmann.
First of all, let me add in my own 2c: GaFilk is going to be a blast, and I for one wouldn't miss it. At least two of Aphelion's editors will be there, myself and poetry editor Kim Holec, and I'm trying to talk Dan and Jeff into showing their faces too. In any event, it's going to be a lot of fun.
Here's a couple of links you can check out to learn more about filk music:
Tom Smith's Brief Guide to Filk
Tom Smith is one of the, er, more original filkers out there, and he offers a very personal and
somewhat twisted view on the subject.
Filking 101: The Folk Music of Science Fiction
DAG Productions is a publisher of filk music since 1982. Jane Mailander's intro to
filk is one of the best and most comprehensive that I've read.
The Virtual Filksing
Oh, this is the good stuff. Actual filk music by Leslie Fish, Julia Ecklar, Ookla
the Mok, and others, free for download in RealAudio and MP3 format. Don't miss this!
Random Factors
Ok, so you wanna hear some more of this stuff? Well, here's the one stop shop
Random Factors is one of the best filk dealers in the country, and give discounts for
large orders. It's also run by two of the nicer people I've had the pleasure to meet.
Xenofilkia
For over ten years, Xenofilkia has been the bi-monthly journal of filk music. At a
buck and issue, it's hard to beat the price, too. Drop the lovely Lee Gold a line to
sign up!
Dell Stinnett is a member of the GaFilk Convention Committee.
Return to the current issue of Aphelion!