Bruce Pelz - R I P
Lee Gold
The paramedics were called and took him to the hospital
but he died there.
Here's my now obsolete nomination for him for the
Filk Hall of Fame:
BRUCE PELZ -- nominated for the Filk Hall of Fame, by Lee Gold
Bruce Pelz wrote the music for three songs from John Myers Myers'
SILVERLOCK: "Little John's Song" (published October, 1960), "Widsith's
Song" (along with Ted Johnstone, aka David McDaniel) and "Friar John's
Song" (published in December, 1960). He made an epic trek along with
Ted Johnstone to Myers' home, half-way across the US, to sing him these
melodies -- plus Gordon Dickson's tune for "Orpheus's Song" (aka "I
Remember Gaudy Days"), and got Myers' permission to legally publish the
words along with the music.
Pelz later republished these songs and a number of other ones in his
first Filksong Manual (published for the 1965 Westercon). This was the
first compilation of filksongs that published not just the songs' lyrics
but (where legally possible) the sheet music, thus enabling filkers who
had never heard the tune to still attempt to sing it. It included some
songs previously printed in Karen Anderson's filksong collections, some
songs that had previously appeared in limited membership fannish amateur
press associations, and still other songs printed for the first time.
Three more Filksong Manuals later appeared: in 1966, 1967, and 1969.
All of this was years before the NESFA Hymnal first appeared, or any
other major filksong collection that was kept in print rather than just
being issued at a convention, in a fairly small run.
Pelz later combined his Filksong Manuals into a one-volume publication,
never letting it go out of print for too many years. It was most
recently republished for the 1996 LA Worldcon and is still available
($13 including shipping and handling; contact Bruce Pelz at
b...@mail.deltanet.com or 15931 Kalisher St., Granada Hills, CA
91344-3951).
Bruce Pelz and Ted Johnstone (aka David McDaniel) used to present filk
programming at LASFS meetings and LA-area conventions. They'd sit at a
table in the front of the room, with Ted playing guitar and both of them
singing,
Pelz also appeared as an actor/singer in the Westercon XX production of
"Captain Future Meets Gilbert and Sullivan" (by Sephen and Virginia
Schultheis), playing the Master of the Universe,. at the 1967 Westercon.
Pelz's own filksongs include
WORDS
OE (Almost) Elect, Replying We Sing... As I Find I'm a King, Paving
the Road to Hell , Umbraak'm, and Sir Fanalot's Lament (to tunes from
Gilbert & Sullivan)
The DNQ Rally Song [to his own tune]
The Fan Hill Chanty
I Don't Understand the Arisians
No More Fans
The Old Fan's Song
Secret Masters
Song of the Dusk Riders (to his own tune)
Trufandom iIs a Way of Life
Young Man Mulligan (verses)
MELODY
Grand Canal and The Green Hills of Earth, to words by Robert
Heinlein
The Silverlock songs: Widsith's Song (along with Ted Johnstone),
Little John's Song, Friar John's Song, and Taliesin's Song to words by
John Myers Myers
News from Babylon (to words by Don Marquis)
Bruce Pelz - Filk Hall of Fame
Bruce Pelz's Filksong Manuals did for filk in the 1960s what the
Westerfilk songbooks did in the 1970s. Bruce sold them at every
convention he had in running, and that was most LA area conventions in
the 1960s and early 1970s, plus nearly every Westercon and Worldcon (as
a member of the informal Floating Worldcon Committee aka SMOFs).
Bruce also wrote both lyrics and music. I'm often asked to sing the
songs from Silverlock, and Bruce wrote all or part of the music for
three of them.
Bruce and Ted Johnstone used to lead filksinging at LASFS as a two-man
group, and several Westercons (I remember 1967 and 1969, but there may
well have been others). Bruce would explain what page of which Filksong
Manual the upcoming song would be in and break off in between numbers
occasionally to sell Filksong Manuals.
Barry Gold
Lee Gold
>
> Bruce Pelz died this afternoon of a massive coronary.
> The paramedics were called and took him to the hospital
> but he died there.
Please do NOT phone or email Elayne Pelz, even to
offer condolences.
--Lee
bi...@bsutton.com
:>Please do NOT phone or email Elayne Pelz, even to
:>offer condolences.
Would you be available as a contact to pass on condolences and to let us know
what the funeral arrangements are and whether donations in lieu of should go
somewhere in particular?
Of all the RIPs recently this one tears me up, because I only ever met Bruce
in passing. I always wanted a chance to spend time talking to him but never
was able to do so. I feel my life is poorer as a result. I cherish his
contributions and wish he had not been so unrecognized in current filk
circles outside the West Coast.
Words seem such a poor thing; even music seems so overused in the past couple
of years. We mourn one of the real pioneers, and I guess the best thing to do is
to make sure the legacy he created lives on.
There's a helluva Fan Room out there somewhere.
I think I must go cry now, so that I can remember some songs and laugh later.
Bill
--
Bill Sutton | Posting by and for myself alone
GAFilk 2003 | "'Tis said the newsgroup is a fine and private place
Jan 10-12 2003 | But none, I think, do there embrace..."
http://www.gafilk.org |
Lee Gold
>
> Lee Gold <lee...@attbi.com> wrote:
>
> :>Please do NOT phone or email Elayne Pelz, even to
> :>offer condolences.
>
> Would you be available as a contact to pass on condolences and to let us know
> what the funeral arrangements are and whether donations in lieu of should go
> somewhere in particular?
I'll pass the information along as I hear it.
There's a bulletin board at LASFS for memorials, at
http://www.lasfs.org/lasfs/bruce/.
--Lee
Rob Wynne
>Words seem such a poor thing; even music seems so overused in the past couple
>of years. We mourn one of the real pioneers, and I guess the best thing to do is
>to make sure the legacy he created lives on.
The lights of the trailblazers fade, even as we walk the paths they laid
for us. But see, ever about, the beauty they led us to, this home we
crafted on the frontiers they opened, and remember how we came.
He will be missed.
-R
--
Rob Wynne / The Autographed Cat / d...@america.net
Gafilk 2003: Jan 10-12, 2003, Atlanta, GA -- http://www.gafilk.org/
Lee Gold
>
> In article <3CDB51CD...@attbi.com>, Lee Gold <lee...@attbi.com>
> wrote:
>
> > Bruce Pelz died this afternoon of a massive coronary.
>
> also had some communication with him for inclusion of "I Don't
> Understand the Arisians" in "Primary Beams."
>
> A very nice person, and certainly one of the Founding Filkers, as Lee
> documents.
Urr, not Founding, as he only began filking in the early 60s,
but certainly one of the chief stars of filking when Barry & I
entered fandom in the mid-60s. Jack Speer (starting in the early
1940s) was a Founding Filker, two decades before the generation of
Bruce Pelz and Poul Anderson.
--Lee
Joe Kesselman (yclept Keshlam)
> Here's my now obsolete nomination for him for the Filk Hall of Fame:
Why "now obsolete"? It's preferable to recognize folks while
they're alive to appreciate it... but there's no requirement
that you be alive to be inducted in the FHOF.
--
Joe Kesselman, http://www.lovesong.com/people/keshlam/
{} ASCII Ribbon Campaign
/\ Stop HTML mail!
NudeAdGuy
either in Phoenix or L.A. or wherever I ran into him were always pleasant and
fun.
RIP
TT
www.cdbaby.com/tuerff
"This is the B-side of our platter, sports fans...and I'm singing just for you,
covered in sequins!" -- Viv Stanshall
Steve Simmons
>Lee Gold wrote:
>> Here's my now obsolete nomination for him for the Filk Hall of Fame:
>Why "now obsolete"? It's preferable to recognize folks while
>they're alive to appreciate it... but there's no requirement
>that you be alive to be inducted in the FHOF.
There's even precedent. Gordy Dickson was inducted shortly after
his death.
--
Never attribute to malice things that can adequately be explained
by stupidity.
Michael Liebmann
"Lee Gold" <lee...@attbi.com> wrote in message
news:3CDB51CD...@attbi.com...
> Bruce Pelz died this afternoon of a massive coronary.
> The paramedics were called and took him to the hospital
> but he died there.
>
Dave Weingart
>news:3CDB51CD...@attbi.com...
>> Bruce Pelz died this afternoon of a massive coronary.
>> The paramedics were called and took him to the hospital
>> but he died there.
>>
>WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!
Which part was hard to understand?
--
73 de Dave Weingart KA2ESK "There were no wrecks, and nobody
mailto:phyd...@liii.com drownded. I' fact, nothing to laugh
http://www.liii.com/~phydeaux at at all!"
ICQ 57055207 -- Marriott Edgar
Michael Liebmann
"Dave Weingart" <phyd...@liii.com> wrote in message
news:abianm$h9k$1...@eri0.s8.isp.nyc.eggn.net...
> One day in Teletubbyland, "Michael Liebmann" <sff...@bellsouth.net> said:
> >news:3CDB51CD...@attbi.com...
> >> Bruce Pelz died this afternoon of a massive coronary.
> >> The paramedics were called and took him to the hospital
> >> but he died there.
> >>
> >WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!
>
> Which part was hard to understand?
>
Judith & Dave Hayman
Lee's FHoF nomination moved me very much when I first read it a few years
ago. There were a couple of others. As a voting member of the HoF jury, I
very much wanted Bruce to be inducted, though I didn't know a thing about
him beyond what I read.
Death is certainly not a barrier to HoF induction, but it's so much better
to honour people in their lifetime. There are many filkers who helped
create the community that we enjoy -- like Bruce Pelz -- and who are
reaching the age where illness and death are becoming more likely.
Please remember Bruce by making a nomination of him to the Hall of Fame.
And remember all the other contributors to our filk community.
Judith
keith lim
> "Dave Weingart" <phyd...@liii.com> wrote
> > "Michael Liebmann" <sff...@bellsouth.net> said:
> > >[Lee Gold wrote:]
>
> > >> Bruce Pelz died this afternoon of a massive coronary.
> > >> The paramedics were called and took him to the hospital
> > >> but he died there.
> > >>
> > >WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!
> >
> > Which part was hard to understand?
> >
> More of a case of shock than anything else.
I don't mean to be callous at this tragedy or the shock you felt at
reading the news, but you have to admit that your one-word post could
appear as slightly strange, especially since you had taken the time and
effort to trim most of the quoted text--good netiquette (and
appreciated), but not exactly indicative of a spontaneous response.
Was it just me, or was anyone else reminded of a scene in the cave near
the end of _Monty Python and the Holy Grail_: "Look, if he was dying, he
wouldn't bother to carve 'Aaaaaggh'. He'd just say it!" Exclaiming aloud
"WHAT!?" is an understandable immediate reaction; going through the
several steps necessary to write the word into a Usenet followup post is
somewhat less so. Not incomprehensible, nor anything wrong with it; just
a tad surreal, is all.
--
keith lim keit...@pobox.com http://pobox.com/~keithlim/
Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else.
Kay Shapero
> Bruce Pelz died this afternoon of a massive coronary.
> The paramedics were called and took him to the hospital
> but he died there.
>
> Here's my now obsolete nomination for him for the
> Filk Hall of Fame:
>
> BRUCE PELZ -- nominated for the Filk Hall of Fame, by Lee Gold
>
Not so obsolete - he deserves it.
Bruce was the first LASFan I ever met; he sold me a Filksong manual (part
4) at my very first convention. It's hard to think of LASFS without him.
I'll be bringing my copy of the Manual to the LAFA sing.
Since I didn't have time to read this group yesterday, I found out from
Liz last night. Someone set up a couple of candles over where his book
table usually went, along with an "In memory" sign.
--
Kay Shapero
kaysh...@nospamearthlink.net
Remove the obvious spamblock to reply
filk FAQ http://home.earthlink.net/~kayshapero/filkfaq.htm
http://home.earthlink.net/~kayshapero/index.htm
Donald L. Johnson
serves (nowadays it often doesn't).
For those of us who aren't familiar with it, how do we nominate for
inclusion in the Hall of Fame?
And may we simply send a copy of Lee's nomination, and append "Yeah, what
she said!" ?
Donald
Submariner, retired
----------
In article <Yn8D8.9629$J46.1...@news20.bellglobal.com>, "Judith & Dave
Margaret Middleton
>inclusion in the Hall of Fame?
>
the official collector. Check out the interfilk site for better detail on that.
>And may we simply send a copy of Lee's nomination, and append "Yeah, what
>she said!" ?
No.
You need to give your own reasons, but you could use one or more of Lee's
comments as jumping-off points.
MSMinLR(at)aol.com (Margaret Middleton)
Shameless Plug for our local con: http://www.rockon.org
Help make a Quilted Artifact to sell for Interfilk:
http://members.aol.com/msminlr/ifquilt.htm
Joe Kesselman (yclept Keshlam)
> You need to give your own reasons, but you could use one or more of Lee's
> comments as jumping-off points.
You _want_ to give your own reasons in any case, since the
more different arguments are advanced the more convincing
the total becomes.
bi...@bsutton.com
:>For those of us who aren't familiar with it, how do we nominate for
:>inclusion in the Hall of Fame?
http://www.bserv.com/community/fko2.htm
:>And may we simply send a copy of Lee's nomination, and append "Yeah, what
:>she said!" ?
Please be specific to your own thoughts and feelings.
The FHoF process does not depend on the number of nominations, but on the
quantity of information. The closest thing to "quantity" is that practice (not
codified in any rules, by the way) seems to be that selections tend to have
nominations that come from a couple of different areas of the filk world.
Dave Weingart
>> For those of us who aren't familiar with it, how do we nominate for
>> inclusion in the Hall of Fame?
>>
>> And may we simply send a copy of Lee's nomination, and append "Yeah, what
>> she said!" ?
>
>information for where and how to submit nominations.
I'm not on the FKO concom, but...
http://www.bserv.com/community/fko2.htm
Dave Weingart
>You send a letter or email to Interfilk; probably to Dave Hayman. I think he's
>the official collector. Check out the interfilk site for better detail on that.
The FHoF isn't run by Interfilk, it's part of FilkOntario
Previously posted in this thread:
J. Spencer Love
> >For those of us who aren't familiar with it, how do we nominate for
> >inclusion in the Hall of Fame?
> >
> You send a letter or email to Interfilk;
No, the Hall of Fame and Interfilk are separate.
> probably to Dave Hayman. I think he's the official collector.
He is the administrator, yes.
> Check out the interfilk site for better detail on that.
There are links there, but try instead
http://bserv.com/community/fko2.htm
> >And may we simply send a copy of Lee's nomination, and append "Yeah, what
> >she said!" ?
>
> No.
> You need to give your own reasons, but you could use one or more of Lee's
> comments as jumping-off points.
First, the jurors see only the different reasons, not a count of
identical submissions. If you rephrase redundant points, you may add
some weight, but you also risk boring them. Add more, different points.
Add your personal point of view. Draw the jurors in.
Second, the induction text is composed of text from actual nominations.
Give them more (and possibly better) options.
-- Spencer
Bob Laurent
:>For those of us who aren't familiar with it, how do we nominate for
:>inclusion in the Hall of Fame?
:>
: You send a letter or email to Interfilk; probably to Dave Hayman. I think he's
: the official collector. Check out the interfilk site for better detail on that.
Please don't send to Interfilk. The hall of fame is a function of
FilKONtario.
Thanks.
Bob Laurent
President, Interfilk