You want weird? I got weird for yez.
Bud Webster
before with "R. A. Lafferty" as the subject line. I almost deleted it
unread, but I'm glad I didn't.
In part, he asked:
"I'm searching for a 'Bud Webster' who back on 8/16/81 wrote a
inscription on a FEP of a book to a individual who must have broken a
leg under questionable circumstances."
Didn't ring bell one with me. Was this something I did at a
convention? Have I ever signed a book to anyone with a broken leg?
have I ever KNOWN anyone with a broken leg? And what was the
connection to Lafferty?
Pondering this, I replied asking for more details. I heard back
tonight, and it was one of those "HUH!" moments. It seems that back
in 1981, Firesign Theater performed here in Richmond at VCU, and I was
there not only as a fan, but to cover it for the local college radio
station. I was set to do a nice, leisurely interview, but the day
before the gig, Reagan was shot, and they closeted themselves in their
hotel room rewriting their entire show to reflect the news. So the
interview took place in a hallway surrounded by fans who thought
they'd "help" me by shouting out "funny" answers to the questions I
asked before the FT could get in a word.
Finally, they had to go back for the second show, and I called out
"Break a leg!" Phil Proctor, who is a student of theater history,
explained to me that this wasn't just a way of not jinxing the actors
by wishing them luck, but a reference to the way that Elizabethan
performers bowed to Nobility/Royalty, with one leg extended backwards
and the knee slightly bent (or "broken").
In gratitude for their willingness to put up with a bunch of frat-boy
yahoos in order to give me a pretty good interview, I sent them all
books - Dave Ossman, the poet, got a collection of beat poetry; Phil
Austin, the rock fan, got a copy of _Paperback Writer_, a fantasy
novel about a Beatles reunion; Peter Bergman got a nice old hostory or
radio; and Phil Proctor got a copy of _Does Anyone Else Have Something
Further to Add?_ by Lafferty, with the following inscription from me:
"After having been a drama major for 3 years, you show me what 'break
a leg' means. What are they teaching in college these days? A book by
one of my favorite writers to one of my favotite performers. Loved the
spots for 'Comin' At Ya''- Bud Webster 8/16/81"
The book somehow made it from Proctor's library to a Goodwill store
outside Chicago where my correspondant, a fellow bookseller, bought
it; thus is provenance created.
Easily one of the weirdest, and most satisfying, experiences I've had
lately. Or at all.
michael adams
"Bud Webster" <budwe...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:84cd91tf4kapvekm4...@4ax.com...
A nice story and not weird at all IMO. Just a tribute to your generosity.
More Phil Proctor stuff on here -
http://www2.aya.yale.edu/classes/yc1962/proctor0305.html
michael adams
...
William M. Klimon
news:84cd91tf4kapvekm4...@4ax.com...
> The book somehow made it from Proctor's library to a Goodwill store
> outside Chicago where my correspondant, a fellow bookseller, bought
> it; thus is provenance created.
Great story, Bud.
Reminds me of finding a signed copy of Fr. Robert Greene's *Calvary in
China* that my grandfather requested Fr. Greene send to a family friend--of
course, the friend lived in New England, my grandfather's been dead for 30
years, and I found it in a thrift store 3 miles from my house in Northern
Virginia. More details here:
http://groups-beta.google.com/group/rec.collecting.books/msg/bcc154b74b3ade00?hl=en
William M. Klimon
http://www.gateofbliss.com
Shelf Space
include links to books which would almost certainly be of great
interest to book collectors, yet you inflict an incredibly dull and
long-winded story of a tenuously book-related nature on the world?
Speaking as I find (because I don't know anything about you), you
appear to be a hypocrite. Yes you are right in the tedious minutae of
the newsgroup rules, but taking a step back for a moment, that must
mean that the rules need changing.
Bud Webster
<haunte...@hotmail.com> wrote:
Fuck you and the horse that rode you in. If you don't like it here,
gp the hell away. I doubt anyone will miss you - unless their aim is
bad.
Bud Webster
<mjad...@onetel.com> wrote:
>A nice story and not weird at all IMO. Just a tribute to your generosity.
Not weird? How many times does a bookseller *successfully* track down
a cryptic inscription? How many have even tried?
"Generosity..." Yeah, I guess, although considering how much Firesign
gave me over the years for the price of a few albums, it's scant
repayment.
michael adams
> On Sat, 28 May 2005 18:13:40 +0100, "michael adams"
> <mjad...@onetel.com> wrote:
>
>
> >A nice story and not weird at all IMO. Just a tribute to your generosity.
>
> Not weird? How many times does a bookseller *successfully* track down
> a cryptic inscription? How many have even tried?
...
Surely more like how many "Bud Websters" are there involved in book
collecting, compiling or whatever, whom a bookseller is likely to have
heard of? Given the likelihood that he presumably must have recognised
the name, if only vaguely, in the first place. Such is the price of
fame maybe. It's not as though you're unknown to Google either.
IMO weird is Marylin Manson. Or your long lost dog turning up after
23 years, with bright green fur.
...
>
> "Generosity..." Yeah, I guess, although considering how much Firesign
> gave me over the years for the price of a few albums, it's scant
> repayment.
...
Even so, very few bother.
michael adams
...
Shelf Space
amazes me that you have the temerity to criticise others for postings
interesting links to interesting book sales. Yes, we all despise
spammers, but a great many book collectors do want to know about the
occasional auction or publication of a book that will be of interest to
discerning book collectors.
I don't care about you or your boring little jobsworth's FAQ. I think
an unmoderated and usenet based book collecting forum should permit the
on-topic posting of links to sales that might be of interest. I
therefore urge all readers of this group to ignore you and your
downright silly rules, and to post freely as they wish.
Provided that their posts are, unlike yours, on topic and non-abusive,
I can see nothing wrong in it.
CB
(See, it is possible to express oneself without being personally
abusive. If you want to be personally absuive, email me off list, and I
will send you my home address. Then you can call round in person, and
we'll see how brave and personally abusive you dare to be
face-to-face.)
Bud Webster
<mjad...@onetel.com> wrote:
>Surely more like how many "Bud Websters" are there involved in book
>collecting, compiling or whatever, whom a bookseller is likely to have
>heard of? Given the likelihood that he presumably must have recognised
>the name, if only vaguely, in the first place. Such is the price of
>fame maybe. It's not as though you're unknown to Google either.
Oh, I doubt it, Michael. I'm not at all well-known, unless you happen
to hit the same conventions I do. Remember, he found me through the
Analog website, where he found a post I'd made about collecting back
issues of Astounding/Analog, not somewhere that mentioned either my
writing or bookselling. I'd have been less croggled if he'd turned up
a post from here, really.
At least, that's the only place he cited. He may have seen someplace
else, but he didn't mention it.
>> "Generosity..." Yeah, I guess, although considering how much Firesign
>> gave me over the years for the price of a few albums, it's scant
>> repayment.
>
>Even so, very few bother.
Yeah, well, I was raised better'n that.
Allison Turner-
>
>Well, what with the foul language and the rambling, off-topic posts, it
>amazes me that you have the temerity to criticise others for postings
>interesting links to interesting book sales. Yes, we all despise
>spammers, but a great many book collectors do want to know about the
>occasional auction or publication of a book that will be of interest to
>discerning book collectors.
CB: This newsgroup was created for conversations about
collecting books. Very specifically, the creators of
this newsgroup designated for-sale and wanted posts as
not allowed. There are other newsgroups for those posts,
and I go to them when I want that kind of information.
I don't get over here as often as I'd like to, but I
really enjoy the "rambling, off-topic posts" that you
so object to, and I don't want to have to weed my way
around advertising to find them. (And how, I ask you,
can a post about collecting books, rambling or not, be
off-topic in rec.collecting.books?)
>I don't care about you or your boring little jobsworth's FAQ.
(Side-note: how does this comment support your proclaimed
ability to "express oneself without being personally abusive"?)
>I think
>an unmoderated and usenet based book collecting forum should permit the
>on-topic posting of links to sales that might be of interest.
You can think whatever you want, of course. But just because
a group is unmoderated doesn't mean it doesn't have guidelines
for what's on topic and what's not allowed. Otherwise all
groups would be a mishmash, indistinguishable from each other.
This one does not allow for-sale and wanted posts, and is
specifically for those boring;) rambling posts about collecting
books, that I want to read and you don't. (Why are you here,
again?)
>I
>therefore urge all readers of this group to ignore you and your
>downright silly rules, and to post freely as they wish.
Perhaps you'd care to create your own newsgroup, which
allows for-sale and wanted posts? Then those people who
want that can follow you there.
-Allison
<NameWithheld>
rules. You don't have to read the newsgroup. You don't have to post to it.
If you do wish to post, don't violate our standards by posting commercial
offerings. There is a place for those, and that place is NOT this one!
Again, no one cares if you like or agree with the no-for-sale-items rule.
Just follow it if you wish to be here.
c
John Pelan
<haunte...@hotmail.com> wrote:
No one cares what you like or don't like, Barker. Save your internet
tough-guy crap for somewhere that you haven't already been pegged as a
snivelling little coward. Seems to me that the last time someone
wanted to take you up on your posturing, you pulled your addy off your
website and went into hiding.
Now run along, your croaking is unwlecome here.
Cheerio,
John
BobFinnan.com
>Save your internet tough-guy crap for somewhere that you haven't already been pegged as a snivelling little coward.
Look who's talking - the king of the internet tough-guy blowhards!!!
Fuck you Pelan and the horse you rode in on, you bloated windbag.
John Pelan
wrote:
Aha, tough talk from the dumpster diver!
Bobby, if I require any shit from you, I'll ask that you scrape off
your tongue.
Cheerio,
John
BobFinnan.com
>Aha, tough talk from the dumpster diver!
>Bobby, if I require any shit from you, I'll ask that you scrape off your tongue.
And if I wanted your shit, I'd scrape it out of your mother's twat, you
fucking windbag.
You're a pathetic little pussy and everyone knows it.
Now go take a Midol, you big twat.
John Pelan
wrote:
That the best you can do Bobby? About what I'd expect from a derelict
using free internet service at the library.
As I've offered before, I'm not at all hard to find and I have a
waiver right here you can sign, tough guy.
Now go back to wanking over Frank & Joe with Barky.
Cheers,
John
BobFinnan.com
>As I've offered before, I'm not at all hard to find and I have a waiver right here you can sign, tough guy.
Oh my, the endomorph is flexing his internet muscles again. How
frightening!
I'm not hard to find either, you big sissy but I doubt you'd have the
balls to open your piehole to me in person.
Pelan you're a pathetic juvenile jerk.
Nobody here wants you around.
Go back to jerking off over your homoerotic S&M stories.
fundoc
Shelf Space
No, I won't.
CB
Shelf Space
known. There is no end to your vileness, nor to your obvious pleasure
in wallowing in verbal excrement.
CB
Shelf Space
highlight Pelan's 'literary' preference as the "homeerotoc S&M' story.
Besides, it's become increasingly obvious in the few years he has been
menacing people (mostly 'fanboys') on the internet that that he is
acting out a filthy sadist fantasy. The obsession with sadistic horror
and the malicious internet abuse are as obviously two peas from the
same pod.
I've only ever personally known two people who I would have real,
serious concerns about letting anywhere near my or anyone else's
children: John Pelan and Jessica Amanda Salmonson. Both live in
Seattle, both work together, both share the same depraved and psychotic
internet habits.
Wasn't Ted Bundy a Seattle man too? Must be something in the water.
CB