BRIAN BURGESS
Gregory
I'm really sorry to have to report this, but good old fan Brian
Burgess died at 7am Tuesday 28th January.
He'd been taken to hospital from the nursing home he'd been in for the
last eighteen months, and simply died of heart failure, brought on by
his generallly poor state of health (after several strokes he suffered
in the late Eighties) and a recent breakdown in liver functions. He'd
just turned 65 on 29th December.
He'd been involved with fanactivities since 1952, and had attended
conventions and meetings all over the world.
Because of his deteriorating health he hadn't been out and about or at
conventions for a couple of years, and especially regretted missing
Novacon 25 in 1995, as he was one of the last few Immortals who'd been
to every Novacon up to then; he did get a special 'Best Fan' Nova
award, which I know he appreciated a great deal.
Brian was a real fan, a genuine enthuiast for science fiction,
fantasy, fandom and conventions; he brought the same cheerful optimism
to his other interests - he was widely travelled and made friends all
over the world, and was something of an authority on GA Henty - and
was a kindly and good hearted fellow, with maybe rather more than the
usual quota of eccentricities, but who was in every sense one of us. I
regret not having got to know him better, but like all good fans his
presence will remain with us.
(I don't believe his family ever understood how much the sf fan world
meant to him, or how well he was known. If any of you who knew him can
write a note to his brother -
Roy Burgess, 1 Coombe House Chase, New Malden, Surrey KT3 4SL -
it might serve to correct their unstated impression that he had simply
wasted his life.)
--
Greg Pickersgill
Gary Farber
Gregory <gre...@gostak.demon.co.uk> wrote:
: I'm really sorry to have to report this, but good old fan Brian
: Burgess died at 7am Tuesday 28th January.
That's a shame; he was a true fan legend. In the Sixties, no British
fanzine was complete without a reference to Brian and his meat pies, it
seemed.
Thank you for letting us know, Gregory.
--
-- Gary Farber gfa...@panix.com
Copyright 1997 Brooklyn, NY, USA
Sysop, Reinventing America II
Visit http://www.pathfinder.com/reinventing and play along.
Rob Hansen
On Thu, 30 Jan 1997 11:55:25 GMT, gre...@gostak.demon.co.uk (Gregory)
wrote:
>I'm really sorry to have to report this, but good old fan Brian
>Burgess died at 7am Tuesday 28th January.
>
Damn. That's the fourth UK fan death I've heard of in the past week,
the others being Roy Hill, Brian Robinson (co-editor of HELL with Skel
in the '70s), and Phil Rogers (former BSFA Chairman, former TAFF
candidate). I hoped we'd left this level of death back in that
terrible year of 1996, but apparently not.
Rob Hansen
================================================
My Home Page: http://www.fiawol.demon.co.uk/rob/
Feminists Against Censorship:
http://www.fiawol.demon.co.uk/FAC/
Harry Payne
Greg Pickersgill <gre...@gostak.demon.co.uk> wrote:
> I'm really sorry to have to report this, but good old fan Brian
> Burgess died at 7am Tuesday 28th January.
I remember Brian fondly for two things: first, being very polite and
understanding to me at my first convention, and second for being very polite
and understanding to my mother at _her_ first convention. Those of you who
know my mother will know exactly how much that means.
I think there will be very few people in UK fandom who won't miss him.
So, do we organise the memorial pie-fest and booze up at the Eastercon?
--
Harry Payne
Lisanne
In article <32f31d9...@news.demon.co.uk>, Rob Hansen
<r...@fiawol.demon.co.uk> writes
>
>>I'm really sorry to have to report this, but good old fan Brian
>>Burgess died at 7am Tuesday 28th January.
I,too will miss Brian. He was a figure of legend even when I joined in
1977. I remember a pie of his in a kilner jar being auctioned off at one
of the Easter conventions in Glasgow, an Albacon. The first, if memory
serves me. Might be nice if someone who knew him really well wrote a
piece for this ng explaining his importance to us.
Lisanne
****************************************************
Reality is for those who can't face Science Fiction
****************************************************
Morgan
I've not responded on this for a couple of days, because I
quite literally did not know what to say. Brian was such a
gentle creature, such a quiet and loving person. As a gafiate,
I hadn't seen him for years - but I used to think of him quite
often, and wonder how he was. He had that effect on you. He was
such an innocent, in the purist, most complete sense of that
word. I used to seek him out for a cuddle and a hug, and to hear
what convention he was off to next. I'll never forget how excited
he was when he was waiting for a military transport lift to
Washington, wondering what sort of plane he was going to get to
slip into the back of.
When Dave Langford reported in Ansible a few weeks back how ill he
was, I was determined to write Brian, say hello. Another good intention
confined to the wastes of what-might-have-been. When Greg reported on
how his family thought his life had been a waste, it actually struck
me quite hard. I wanted to write off to his brother there and then,
saying what a unique and wonderful person Brian was, but not having
actually manged to write to Brian in time, I guess I'd feel a bit of
a hypocrite for that.
For those who don't know who he was, many of the comments made about Brian
might be puzzling - and I think the truth is, many of us are wrestling
with how to express Brian's personality. In another world, in another,
crueler, time, Brian might have been condemmed to be seen as somewhat dim -
even mentally retarded. That was the last thing Brian was. He was just
completely different - his world centred on simplicity, on completeness
for it's own sake. He was truly a gentle giant, and one who will be
sorely missed.
Does anyone know where that infamous Pork Pie in formaldyhide is?
(Brian used to supplement his early convention go-ing by selling
the occasional pork pie to hungry conventioners, from a seemingly
unending supply kept in his briefcase. One was rather famously
'preserved' in a jar of formaldyhide, and auctioned. Last I saw
of it it was a pasty sludge in a kilner jar.)
--
Morgan
"Nunc demum intellego," dixit Winnie ille Pu. "Stultus et
delusus fui," dixit "et ursus sine ullo cerebro sum."
Robert Sneddon (SEE .SIG TO REPLY)
In article <32f08b12...@news.demon.co.uk>
gre...@gostak.demon.co.uk "Gregory" writes:
> I'm really sorry to have to report this, but good old fan Brian
> Burgess died at 7am Tuesday 28th January.
I read this with some sadness. Brian had been a fixture at my first
cons, adding to the "Crazy Gang" sense of family I got from coming
home for the first time in my life.
I came across Brian for the last time (in this incarnation, anyway)
at the last Novacon. The TAFF auction was going good and some "Visions
of Tomorrow" turned up. Aha, I said, an opportunity to fill some holes
in the ol' magazine collection. A few pounds, and they were mine.
A brief examination found the name "Burgess" written on the front
cover in pencil, as newsagents of old were wont to do. I wondered if
these were indeed Brian's copies. This speculation was confirmed when
an old B/W photograph of an underdressed giant standing beside two
naked young ladies fell from the pages of one issue.
Yep, Brian's magazines, all right.
--
*** SPAM BLOCKED ADDRESS *** To reply, remove the string "_nospam_" from
the address above. If you don't, mail will bounce and I'll never see it.
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Robert (nojay) Sneddon
Lisanne
In article <855053...@sidhen.demon.co.uk>, Morgan
<Mor...@sidhen.demon.co.uk> writes
Huge snip
>(Brian used to supplement his early convention go-ing by selling
>the occasional pork pie to hungry conventioners, from a seemingly
>unending supply kept in his briefcase. One was rather famously
>'preserved' in a jar of formaldyhide, and auctioned. Last I saw
>of it it was a pasty sludge in a kilner jar.)
>
>--
>Morgan
He also sold milk. Many a fan who, em, fell asleep during the all-night
videos, was grateful to him for the milk and pies. They were joked about
as being stale or the milk off, but he was most particular that they
_were_ fresh. He won an award, though I'm damned if I can remember its
name - Ken McIntyre Award? - for his services to Brit Fandom.
He was very popular with ladies in his out of con social life. There
were doubters till he brought some holiday snaps in. I was priveliged to
see them. By God, he was surrounded by a bevvy of beauties who obviously
knew him! I hope he had a misspent middle-age and thoroughly enjoyed it!
I like to think he had. (Mis-spent in the sense of a mis-spent youth,
that is)
Bless him. He was one in a million as you said, Morgan.
John Dallman
Lisanne <Lis...@norman1.demon.co.uk> wrote:
> ... He won an award, though I'm damned if I can remember its
> name - Ken McIntyre Award? - for his services to Brit Fandom.
The Doc Weir. That one is for general services to fandom/being a good
person/et al. The Ken McIntyre is for fanart, and appears to be falling
into disuse.
John Dallman j...@cix.compulink.co.uk
Tim Illingworth
In article <E5Atw...@cix.compulink.co.uk>
j...@cix.compulink.co.uk "John Dallman" writes:
> The Ken McIntyre is for fanart, and appears to be falling
>into disuse.
Yup - because nobody remembers the conditions in advance. It's for
artwork published in a fanzine, and both the original and a copy of
the published page must be exhibited in the Eastercon Art Show.
This has been a reminder :-)
Actually, I'd suggest Mae Strelkov's work on the Plokta web page, but
I'm not sure how to display that in the Art Show...
Tim
--
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tim Illingworth t...@smof.demon.co.uk Go not to Usenet for advice, for
Chessington, tim...@cix.compulink.co.uk they will say both 'No' and 'Yes'
Surrey, UK 10014...@compuserve.com and 'Try Another Newsgroup'
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bernard Peek
In article <855504...@smof.demon.co.uk>, Tim Illingworth
<t...@smof.demon.co.uk> writes
>In article <E5Atw...@cix.compulink.co.uk>
> j...@cix.compulink.co.uk "John Dallman" writes:
>
>> The Ken McIntyre is for fanart, and appears to be falling
>>into disuse.
>
>Yup - because nobody remembers the conditions in advance. It's for
>artwork published in a fanzine, and both the original and a copy of
>the published page must be exhibited in the Eastercon Art Show.
There are additional requirements that make the award as it stand
difficult to manage. In addition to the restrictions above there is a
stipulation about the judging.
One of the judges must be a Knight of St Fanthony and another must be
Rog Peyton. The convention appoints two judges.
It's time that the award was either re-constituted or abandoned.
--
Bernard Peek
Alison Scott
Bernard Peek <b...@intersec.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>Tim Illingworth wrote
>>Yup - because nobody remembers the conditions in advance. It's for
>>artwork published in a fanzine, and both the original and a copy of
>>the published page must be exhibited in the Eastercon Art Show.
>
>There are additional requirements that make the award as it stand
>difficult to manage. In addition to the restrictions above there is a
>stipulation about the judging.
>
>One of the judges must be a Knight of St Fanthony and another must be
>Rog Peyton. The convention appoints two judges.
>
>It's time that the award was either re-constituted or abandoned.
I mostly disagree with this. My view is that it's clear that in order
to judge art appearing in fanzines (actually now interpreted as
fannish publications; convention art has won in the past) you need to
be able to judge both the original and the fanzine as produced. Even a
fanzine like _Plokta_ is severly constrained by the medium when
reproducing artwork.
The judging arrangements have not, as far as I know, ever caused a
problem. The judging is Rog Peyton, a Knight of St Fantony [and there
are a fair few of those about, though fewer than there used to be :*(
], a representative of the Eastercon committee, a representative of
the BSFA and A.N.Other.
The problem has been caused by lack of suitable submitted artwork in
many years. The reason that con publications have often won is not
that conventions have the best artwork (they often have good and very
'professional' artwork, but the KM is recognising a fannish
achievement above all) but that con committees tend to be more likely
to get their act together and get the stuff that's needed.
There's also a date problem; I think it's artwork appearing in the
previous calendar year which is eligible, rather than up to Easter.
Is _Plokta_ planning to ensure that artwork which appeared in the
fanzine is submitted for the Ken Macintyre award? Certainly. Had we
considered submitting the Mae Strelkov art from the web site? Er, no.
It's not easy to see how we would, any more than it's easy to see what
consitutes the original of the "New Plokta, New Danger" picture from
P3, which was a digital photograph retouched and doctored in Paintshop
Pro, printed individually by laser printer and then hand retouched.
The longterm problem with the award is in the definitions of
"original" and "fannish publication", not in the arrangements for
organising it.
I feel very strongly about this award; I think it's important, because
it's rooted in the *production* of fanzines. If the appearance of your
fanzine means anything more to you than the means by which words are
transmitted to the recipient, then you have to take time and trouble
to create an effect, which you choose. The way in which you integrate
artwork into the fanzine has an enormous impact on that effect, and
the award explicitly focuses on that process.
If the appearance of the fanzine doesn't mean anything more to you,
then e-zines are definitely the way forward. _MT Void_ and _Emerald
City_ are fine examples of good, solid, textual fanzines which (as far
as I know) do not lose content by being transmitted by e-mail.
_Ansible_, in my opinion, suffers drastically from being transmitted
by e-mail; though I've been pleased to be able to get it that way
whilst prevented from attending the Tun, I was most cheered when Dave
sent me paper copies to help me while away the long hours of
breastfeeding.
But I like the craft of producing fanzines as well as the art of
writing. And, lest it be said that this is because _Plokta_ is a
high-tech fanzine, I should add that fanzines which are much less
"in-yer-face" technically can still be physically very impressive, and
can use their less "advanced" technology to produce effects which
would be completely impossible with _Plokta_.
And there's scope for the KM award to reflect this. It's a good award;
all it needs is entries. There are a lot of fanzines printing good art
in Britain, and, well, it's about time we got our collective act
together.
--
Alison Scott ali...@fuggles.demon.co.uk
Now with added cobwebs: www.fuggles.demon.co.uk
Pete Lyon
The fan artist is very much motivated by the recognition, approval and
support of their peers. Such awards are invaluable in providing this
and give a focus for the artist who often feels like an addendum or
interior decorator, not as vital as the text. Let us not get too hung
up on tradition.. the E-Zine should also become the equivalent of the
Hard Copy. This means abstract design and layout being included within
the remit. This is no bad thing as it would liberate those fans who
aren't in possession of more traditional figurative skills but have
considerable design flair. I certainly prefered taking over a zine and
within the limited means available, and subject to the editor's
approval, giving the thing a bit of style.
--
Pete Lyon