UnMSTed "Eye of Argon"?
Tom Salyers
Like the subject says, does anyone know where I can find the complete
unMSTed "Eye of Argon" story that was MSTed so wonderfully a little while
back? I have some friends who need to be shown what the true meaning of
"bad" is..... =)
--
Tom Salyers "Now is the Windows of our disk contents
IRCnick: Aqualung made glorious SimEarth by this Sun of Zork."
Denver, CO ---Richard v3.0
Lucy Huntzinger
: Like the subject says, does anyone know where I can find the complete
: unMSTed "Eye of Argon" story that was MSTed so wonderfully a little while
: back?
Mais oui, I have owned a copy for about 12 years and would be glad to
forward it to you and to anyone. It is best when read aloud with several
friends but its evil can be enjoyed alone.
If anyone else wants an unMSTed copy, please send me an e-mail request to
huntz...@phyv02.phy.vanderbilt.edu and I'll send it on.
-- Lucy
Bruce Durocher II
: Bruce Durocher II (be...@nwlink.com) wrote:
:
: : I have lurking on my hard drive a copy of an interview with the
: : author of "Eye of Argon" <snip>
: Post it here! We must see this! It would be OTP but well worth reading.
: So many MSTies have seen the EoA that it would be great to find out just
: what the heck ramsey that guy was thinking he wrote.
Well, just because (if I have the name right) you did a fanzine I
greatly enjoyed a number of years ago--with a debate on whether or not a
lady could drink beer, as I recall--here it is. Unfortunately, the copy
I have is missing the name of the gent who found it and keyed it in. =(
*********************************************
The following interview is reproduced verbatim, typos and all, from OSFAN
13 (published November 21, 1970). OSFAN was the newsletter of the Ozark
Science Fiction Association, in St. Louis. Douglas "Doc" Clark was the
publisher, aided by Leigh Couch, Sue Watson and others. Jim "Nomad" Theis,
author of "Eye of Argon", was a club member who showed up for collations
but otherwise was not on the staff of OSFAN or an officer of OSFA. He was,
however the first winner of the club's monthly "J. T. Rikosh Award", which
was a sort of humorous booby prize along the lines of the LASFS "Fugghead
of the Year" award.
The two issues of OSFAN that I have are replete with amazing typos, spelling
errors, runtogether words and missing punctuation in a manner that will be
familiar to readers of "Eye of Argon". I suspect that the vast majority of
the errors in "Eye of Argon" were in fact not the author's fault, but were
committed by the person (uncredited) who typed the stencils for OSFAN, who
appears to have been a sloppy typist and rather sparing in the use of corflu.
(Or maybe you just couldn't get corflu in the Ozarks in those days.)
"Eye of Argon" made its first appearance in OSFAN 10, which, given the more
or less monthly appearance of OSFAN, must have appeared in August 1970 or
thereabouts. OSFAN appears to have sprung up in the wake of the 1969
St. Louis Worldcon.
Here's the interview. Insofar as it is possible to do so I have reproduced
the original typos, spelling errors and grammatical mistakes verbatim.
GRAFANDOM
by Guiseppe Caporale
Grafandom or the Graphic Fantasy Collectors of St. Louis constitutes
but a small portion of the membership of OSFA. Though small in numbers,
Gra Fan/ OSFA members tend to be very active in these clubs. Good examples
of this activity include; J.T.Rikosh Award winning short story writer Jim
Ties, Mike Mc Fadden's great cover illustration for this issue of OSFA and
my artwork for this and previous issues of OSFA.
Gra Fan is the third attempt at a Comics oriented fan club or group
in the St. Louis area. Because of the efforts of Mike and Len McFadden,Gra
Fan is a successful club that continues to keep growing.
The other two clubs, the first club which had no name and the second,
Bob Schoenfeld's Gateway Comic Club will be discussed at a later date to give
you faithful (?) readers a great insight and understanding of GraFan and the
comics oriented fans in St. Louis.
With this article on GraFan,we will begin a series of interviews on such
hard core GraFan members as Steve Hou ska, Walt Stumper, Walt Jaschek and
good old "Diamond" Jim Thies. Evantually GraFan publisher and editor Mike
McFadden and his brother Len, who acts the club advisor.
Our first interview will be with the J. T. Rikosh Adward winning short
story writer "Diamond" Jim Thies.
OSFAN: What did you think of your story "Eye of Argon" in OSFAN 10?
THIES: I admit I did make a few mistakes. But then, I'm just a 16
yearsold. The editing that was done to it did not help it. Inthe future,if
I have anything else published I would appreciate it if it were published
as it was written.
OSFAN: How long have you been in GraFan?
THEIS: From the beginning. About a year.
OSFAN: Any comments on OSFA?
THEIS: OSFA is a very nice organization; well structured. All the offices
seem to be well handled. No inconsistences there. The jobs are very
capbly taken care of and, I mean,they have regular meetings once a month.
Printing parties once a month. They have parties on holidays,ect.
OSFAN: A friend (I will leave nameless) has said that there is far too much
social life going on inOSFA and not enough dissussion of Science Fiction.
THEIS: As far as that goes, if you wanted to orient more Science Fiction into
it you would actually be shoving it down their throat. Like at a meeting,
some member might decide to speck on Science Fiction and Science Fiction
theory- and that becomes boring. If you want to talk just about Science
Fiction you can always find someone to talk with. Members do talk Science
Fiction because afterall, that's what the club is all about. But they also
talk sports,politics or anything else that comes to mind. Mostly,they want
to enjoy being with people of the same tastes: Science Fiction.They don't
have to convince each other they are Science Fiction fans; they belong to the
club because it fills their needs to belong.
OSFAN: Are you trying to say that you are mainly an OSFA member rather
than a GraFan member?
THEIS: No. What I'm trying to say is that OSFA is a better organized
group, with a much better following than GraFan which is a much newer
group of fans. OSFA has a wider scope of members from high school,
college,and adult level of readers and fans. GraFan appeals to people of
these groups but on a smaller basis because it is a comics oriented group
which makes,in many ways, for a smaller readership. Author's Note: As far
as I know GraFAn has at least 70 suvscibers, which includes professionals
and fans, and, in a way is rather remarkable because GRAFA is a fairly new
club whose most recent monthly issue of the GraFan club-zine is number 4).
OSFAN: Is there anything in "Eyeof Argon" that you would have changed now
that you have re-read it OSFAN 10?
THEIS: In fact, I have changed it. I went over it for an independent study
for English in school. You know, like adjectives changed and places where
sentences should be deleted; things of this type. Even so it is nothing to
be proud of and yet it is. Because how many people have had their first story
published at16-even if it is in a fanzine or club-zine? How many professional
writers have written a complete story at so early an age? Even so,"Eye of
Argon" isn't great. I basically don't know much about structure or
composition.
OSFAN: Are you now working on structure, composition,and grammer?
THEIS: Yes, I am but it is difficult becuase I'm still in high school and
must work on my writing in my spare time. Basically, these books on
English composition haven't taught me anything I didn't know but they are
showing me how to put them (composition grammer,ect.) into a working
order.
OSFAN: Whenevercan OSFAN expect another contribution from you?
THEIS: Whenever they want one! In fact You've got my latest story at your
place. Have you read it?
OSFAN:I started it, but I haven't had time to finish it. What inspired you
to write it?
THEIS:The idea for the story came to me while watching Alfred Hitchcock
reruns. Incidentally, my story has nothing to do with what was on
television.
OSFAN: I am personally pruod of your story for OSFAN10, in the sense, that
it is more than I could have done. Also the fact that when they were
kidding you about it, you took it so well. I think you should be given a
pat on the back for such good sportsmanship. You showed real character.
THEIS: I didn't know that.I mean, it was easier than showing bad character
and inviting trouble.
With the end of our interview, I'll attempt to finish off this first
colum with some final information on GraFan.
GraFan can be ordered from Mike McFadden, 14 Joyce Ellen Lance,
Ferguson, Missouri, 63135, and you will receive 12 issues for$ 2.00.
Because GraFan is becoming like more of fanzine/newszine than just a
club-zine, you can expect both surprizing and interesting items. News, in
some cases,that no one else has.Pro-covers such as the forthcoming GraFan
No. 5 with Vaughn Bode and GraFan No.6 with Larry Todd.Interviews such as
the two-parter with Denny O'Neil pro comic writer. Fan articles by Len and
Mike McFadden, Walt Stumper, Walt Jaschek and Jim Theis. Fan artwork by
Mike McFadden, Steve Houska, myself and who knows who else might pop up in
GraFan. Try it. Comic fandom is alive and well and living in St. Louis.
Beleive it!
Vox=Caporale
[The preceding article was published in November, 1970 in OSFAN #13. No
copyright notice appears in the zine.]
*********************************************
Incidentally, if anyone ever decides to MST this interview, I get
dibsies, O.K.?
And, has anyone noticed that Robert McElwaine is now ending his
postings with the following notice:
UN-altered REPRODUCTION and DISSEMINATION of this
IMPORTANT Information is ENCOURAGED, ESPECIALLY to COMPUTER
BULLETIN BOARDS.
He must have seen what happens to his postings in this
newsgroup... I hate to shock him, but ever since I first saw this
addendum, I've been sending choice parts encheferized to my friends as
taglines in e-mail.