Saturday Waffling: February 8th, 2014
First off, some news and a request. Next weekend, at the Gallifrey One convention in Los Angeles, Paul Cornell is doing a reading of This Point of Singularity, aka my essay on The Three Doctors. It’ll be on Friday night at 11:30, and is on the schedule and everything. If you happen to be going to the convention, I would be really, outrageously, ecstatically happy if you could snag me a recording of this event. It doesn’t have to be super-nice – anything where the audio is intelligible will suit me fine. It’s just, you know, author who was a vivid part of my childhood reading one of my essays at the largest Doctor Who convention in the country and all. And I kind of want to hear it. So yes, if you can help, please let me know in comments. Very appreciative and whatnot.
February 8, 2014 @ 1:08 am
Never having been to a convention: That Cliffhanger in Dragonfire does make sense. Poor special effects, but you can see the iceslip that's preventing him continuing on and the path below he's aiming for if you're looking for them.
February 8, 2014 @ 3:10 am
Wow! Congratulations!
… I bet you're going to see your blog numbers go through the roof as well…
February 8, 2014 @ 3:16 am
At a much smaller convention I got a hug from Katy Manning even though I only came 3rd in pass the buck. I was 10 or 11.
February 8, 2014 @ 7:48 am
Not only have I never been to a Doctor Who convention, but I've never been to any science fiction convention apart from the tiny Revoluticon in Asheville NC in 2006.
My top two memories from Revoluticon: watching a sword-fighting demonstration (with real swords, not fencing foils; don't try this at home), and seeing an intriguing preview for an in-progress film then called Moon Europa, now apparently completed and renamed Solatrium, which I still haven't seen.
February 8, 2014 @ 7:57 am
I've frustratingly been at the same hotel as a Star Trek convention, and even had free access to all the Star Trek events, but couldn't justify going to any of them because it conflicted with events of the other conference I was at (Libertopia 2010, in Universal City), thrown by the same organizers (the creators of "Star Trek: Of Gods and Men") at the same time in the same place, to save money.
February 8, 2014 @ 8:24 am
Have been to maybe 3 local comics conventions in my life, and one local Dr Who con in Raleigh back in the early '80s when the local PBS station had it on heavy rotation.
But I did make the trek to Columbus OH in '85? '86? to meet a Dr Who penpal and to see JNT and Colin Baker and his wife. Colin was new in the job and had tremendous energy. They showed his first serial, I think, and "The Five Doctors," which had not aired in the States at that time.
The only two things from that con that leap to mind: a caption contest for pics from various DW episodes, and Colin Baker's annotating every picture with some Monty Python phrase or catchline.
The other was a parade of people lining up on stage to have their picture taken with Baker. Someone got a picture of a very large woman hoisting Baker in her arms in a bride-and-groom carry and she looked very happy. I remember Baker's game attitude through the weekend, just enjoying himself and joining in.
February 8, 2014 @ 9:15 am
Despite having been a fan of the show since I was 8 — my cousin gave me novelisations of The Android Invasion (I know!) and The Dinosaur Invasion and I was hooked immediately — I had never been to a Doctor Who convention until last year. I tried to go to one when I was maybe 12, where I would have met Jon Pertwee and, I believe, Patrick Troughton, but it was cancelled due to illness. Or perhaps, now that I think of it, more than illness. I don't remember exactly what explanation was given or whether this would have been before or after Troughton's death; all I remember clearly is that we got as far as the convention hotel, where someone told my father it had been suddenly cancelled because one of the Doctors couldn't make it.
But you said fondest memories, and all I have to work with is Gallifrey One 2013. So many good moments there — watching Sylvester McCoy work the crowd, that terrific panel with Dick Mills and June Hudson — but for personal moments, it would be one of three:
1. Meeting Philip m-fing Hinchcliffe;
2. Running into a rather jolly Freema Agyeman in the hall and telling her that her season was the one that hooked me on the new show;
3. Discussing the cliffhanger to episode 2 of "The Ark" with Andrew Smith.
I loved and hated the whole thing because so many people I wanted to say hi to were there, speaking on stage, signing things, and drinking at the bar, and I was way too shy to start a conversation with most of them. Maybe I'll do better next time I go, if they can just avoid scheduling it over Valentine's Day.
February 8, 2014 @ 9:28 am
Sitting opposite from Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat in the lobby at Gallifrey as they chatted about Hammer Horror movies, a subject about which I know nothing.
February 8, 2014 @ 9:37 am
Off topic, but the BBC Radio 4 news has named the recent spate of inclement weather "Stormageddon" (1pm today)
February 8, 2014 @ 1:39 pm
I managed to miss this remarkable incident at a Norwich Convention by twenty minutes http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-22542222
February 8, 2014 @ 3:19 pm
My favorite would be from a comic book convention, not a Doctor Who or SF con, but here goes:
At a small show in Seattle in the early 90's, Gil Kane was one of the guests. At this point, my collection of Silver Age comics was quite small, but I did happen to have all the Animal Man appearances in Strange Adventures, including 184, drawn by Gil Kane. At this point in time, the book was quite hot due to the Morrison run on Animal Man, even though I think Morrison's run had finished by then. I took it up to be signed, along with a few other issues I had (including a beat up Spider-Man 96, which I had Stan Lee sign a couple decades later as well, but that's another story). Mr. Kane took the book, but rather than sign it right off he started slowly flipping through the book, looking at his own artwork. After a minute or so I asked if anything was the matter, and he said something along the lines of "My boy, I just haven't seen this in years."
I wish I had been smarter back then, so many questions I would ask him now that I'll never have the chance. But I'm very glad I got to meet him and have the books still.
It's going to be VERY interesting to see what Phil has to say when the war gets to the Alan Moore/ Gil Kane collaborations…
February 8, 2014 @ 4:40 pm
Wow, congratulations! That would be really awesome to hear.
I do have a question for you, Dr. Sandifer: I am considering minoring in media studies (I will major in creative writing/English and literature may have to be in there somewhere), and I didn't know if you had any advice or comments? I figure it would be a good way to have a day job with freelance writing, and I enjoy reading analyses of popular media (for example, the Internet has erupted with conflicting takes on Disney's Frozen, a movie I haven't seen but I've read all about it anyway). Thank you!
February 8, 2014 @ 4:43 pm
Oh sorry I just realized your profile said "focusing on media studies" rather than "in media studies"…has been a while since I've read it.
February 9, 2014 @ 1:15 am
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February 9, 2014 @ 1:16 am
Also the Mirror
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/uk-weather-stormageddon-wettest-winter-3123399
No convention anecdotes I'm afraid, never been to one. Guess that makes me unconventional.
I'll get me coat
February 9, 2014 @ 10:47 pm
Wow, hope you get your recording!
I've never been to a Doctor Who convention, just gaming ones (GenCon UK and the Gaming Expo in Birmingham). Any anecdotes from there would be a bit Rimmer "and then I rolled another six!", so I'll spare you that.
I'm trying to decide whether to go to Valiant here in Sheffield next month. It's got my original TARDIS team (Frazer Hines and Deborah Watling), but it's a bit expensive on our current budget so would have to be part of my 50th anniversary celebrations. (That's 50 for me, not DW.) Will think on't.
February 10, 2014 @ 12:40 am
Another one whose never been to a Doctor Who convention. I go to the Discworld Convention every two years and the Highland Comics Expo every whenever. (It started annually, then it was biannually, now we're waiting for any announcement at all.)
My best Discworld Convention memory is probably having my Definitely Not The Nac Mac Feegle costume complimented by Pam Gower, doyenne of Maskerades. The fact I then won a prize was nice as well, but strictly secondary.
Favourite Hi-Ex memory is the increasingly bewildered auctioneer during a fierce bidding war for a piece of Judge Dredd artwork — between Al Ewing and a fan who had expressed his intention to give it to Al Ewing if he won…
February 10, 2014 @ 12:41 am
Gah! "Who's", not "whose"!
I'm not awake yet…
February 11, 2014 @ 7:28 pm
Sitting in a hotel lobby at DragonCon talking with some friends, subliminally aware of someone playing blues (rather well) on a nearby piano, only to look over and realize that it was a shoeless and rather drunk David Carradine.