• Embed Doc
  • Copy Link
  • Readcast
  • Collections
  • CommentGo Back
Download
 
This is a Fanzine.That’s what it is. Many people in here are manythings, but there is one thing for sure, we are all fansof some sort or another, and many who are profes-sional, are good enough to give their time, efforts artand words for our altruistic craziness. For which I amvery grateful.It’s great to be at 300. Bollocks, I haven’t edited300 issues of Drink Tank, I am afraid that I would haveto stop con-running to even get any where near thatmark, but I have had a brilliant time editing the onesthat I have helped edit. We have a system and it worksreal well for us, that’s for sure.I like how we are suddenly empowered, theHugo win was so unexpected. And then within about10 minutes of the awards finishing, I was already tout-ing for submissions for this issue. It was like we wereChromed up, people very kindly agreed, and I love that.Most writers and artists, work so hard, and many donot earn a living, and I appreciate that they give theirtime for free for our fanzine. It’s our hobby, but it is sonice to have such a wonderful mix of writers.Sometimes, I just want to hear what someonehas to say, and that’s good enough for me, the unique-these subjects, do let us know.But it would be real nice to hear what you think of this zine. Did you like it? Was it what you expected?Why did you download it?I was stunned into silence when Chris told methat a number of Drink Tanks have had over 10,000downloads. Like... thats crazy, but yes,some issues onScribed have been downloaed 60 times and one 14,000.Its pretty amazing. And thats just Scribd. Over on efan-zines we get good uptake too, but I just have to wonderwho the 30,000 people who looked at our fanzine winare...My mom saw that Hugo Video. Initially I couldsee she was unsure, sorry for Chris. Later, she came tome.‘Chris is such a really nice guy, isn’t he’ I couldfeel something in the tone. ‘yeah, a great fella mom’.‘I noticed that he thanked his Mother and Fa-ther’ she said quickly followed be a ‘such a nice chap’.You see, even in winning, sometimes I lose.The Drink Tank is fun, Chris steamrolls on, atsuch a pace, and I come along as and when I do andgenerally I love it a lot. It’s a unique zine ,really, and forall anything negative anyone can say, especially when weare having an acute bad spelling day, we make the time,ness of fanzines is that they canbe what they are, and with Drink Tank, well, each one has beenvery different.It’s always good funthough, and I am grateful to Chrisfor having involved me to such alarge degree, I would never havesuspected ten years ago, thatI would not only be doing thisamount of fan writing, but alsoediting, sourcing, seeking think-ing reading and suggesting.It’s fun.Even as I type this, Ishould say, we are working on Journey Planet - we have 3 inter-esting issues - Sherlock Holmes,Blade Runner and Comics, so if you feel the need to write onwe find the time and we do it.We don’t talk about it, or pon-der it out or procrastinate. Wedo it. Chris cannot procrastinateeasily, it’s an ailment, and I ammildly hyper, I expect.Its great to think that inmany offices, probably after mostpeople have left, a sneaky reamwill be placed into the printer,and then, this Fantastic Fanzinewill get printed. I approve.I am especially pleased somany fans whom I hold in suchhigh regard, as well as profes-sionals, find themselves in thesepages. Some of the art is realwish fulfilment.But, do get in touch, dolet us know what you thought,
No. 1 - Cover by Stephen SprinklesNo. 2 - Editorial by James BaconNo. 3 - Art from Delphyne Woods
Comments? garcia@computerhistory.org
 
and do check out Journey Planet, Ansible, File 770,Chunga, Challenger, SFinSF, Procrastinations and, of course, Bannana Wings. They are all excellent too. 
No. 4 - Editorial byChristopher J Garcia 
This issue is, whithout doubt, the biggest un-dertaking I’ve ever undertook. I mean really, it’s hardenough to put together a regular issue and it’s eventougher to get stuff for a theme issue and then to tryand do a theme issue with 300 people involved, well,that’s just nuts! Still, there’s nothign I love doing morethan putting together a zine.To me, it’s just about the most fun you can havesitting at a computer.It’s all about doing the zine to me. The act of putting together a zine is the best part of zines in myeyes, and that is not a widely held belief. I keep encoun-tering folks who don’t get why I’m not big on spell-checking or accuracy checks or even doing any realediting, and I always answer teh same: to me, that’s nofun at all. Fun is what I do just about everything for. And
No. 5 - Photo by Mo Starkey
that’s what The Drink Tank is all about.So, I’m all over this issue, as I often am in thesepages, so I don’t need to say much, but I do have togive thanks to a number of people who have made 300issues possible at all. Bill Burns is one. If it werent’ foreFanzines.com, there’d be no Drink Tank, no CLaimsDepartment, no eI, no Journey Planet, no Chris ForTAFF, no nothin’! While fanzines in various other areashave all but died out, largely replaced by blogs, pod-casts and what have you, eFanzines.com has managedto keep zines a vital part of Fandom and not just allow-ing those who have always done zines to keep going,but even bringing in new folks with new material that’sawesome! Thanks Bill!Of course, I have to talk about James Bacon. Attimes, I feel bad for the guy because The Drink Tank isoften so strongly associated with me that he gets over-looked. I couldn’t do much without him, and this issueproves that more than anything as he got about half of the submissions. It’s hard because I love The Drink Tank and with my methods, it’s not always easy to include James on things because I’m always full-steam ahead!I’m working on it though.Not hard, but working on it nonetheless.This issue has some amazing stuff and I’ve soloved reading everything. There’s stuff about Fandom,stuff about history, about art, about music, about ev-erything! We’ve got some fiction, which you don’t of-ten see in these pages, and there’s some poetry too!There’s even some Python code, which is somethingI never thought I’d run! Folks from five countries (US,UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand) as well asmore than two dozen folks who have never contrib-uted to The Drink Tank, whcih makes me happy. I lovebringing in new folks and even if they never even readanother issue, just having them around for this makesme smile.Ultimately, this issue is a snapshot of a moment.This is a zine full of folks who are around now, writ-ing about stuff that is around now. IT’s not a captureof what Fanzines of the Now are about, and it’s not acapture of what fanzines mean. It’s a look at the peoplewho are around and form a part of the lives of thosearound The Drink Tank. These are pieces that are frompeople of fandom, from people in teh wrestling world,in the arts, in writing, in science fiction, the placeswhere James and I live our lives. That makes this issuevery special to me.Even if it cost me several nights of sleep! 
Let’s start with 2011 Hugo winner: Tara
O’Shea
of 00

Leave a Comment

You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...
You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...