Because of these several impediments, as well as other technical difficulties, you will find typos and occasional replication of text. In our humble opinion, typos show that the logs are of *live* chats, not canned interviews, and minimal editing of these logs has taken place.

Solomon Davidoff's Home Page

[Cybling] Hi folks, welcome Solomon Davidoff!
[Cybling] If you have questions for our guest, please just ask. But please, let the guest answer one before asking another. Thanks!
[Solomon_Davidoff] Howdy.
[RobertB] Morning, Solomon.
[Cybling] Solomon Davidoff is a Doctoral Candidate in American Culture Studies at Bowling Green State University, working primarily on religion .
[FireClaw] Welcometh!
[RWC] The song of Solomon, one of the best songs from Kate Busgh's last alubm:)
[Solomon_Davidoff] Morning.
[Cybling] Solomon you just did your thesis on something very interesting. Tell us about it?
[Solomon_Davidoff] I did my Master's thesis on the phenomenon of filk music and fandom.
[Solomon_Davidoff] And I'm currently working on my Dissertation, focusing on religion...
[Solomon_Davidoff] in Children's fantasy literature.
[Cybling] Interesting phenomenon, this filk. We've had filkers in the chat earlier this weekend.
[Cybling] Some folks have postulated that it's a virus. Could this be so?
[Solomon_Davidoff] Addictive, usually. Not really a virus.
[RobertB] I can think of a number of people that'd like to read your thesis.
[Solomon_Davidoff] It's really fascinating, that filkers are ostracized (SP!) to a point
[Solomon_Davidoff] within fandom . . .
[Cybling] LOL. You mean you can't "catch" filk?
[Solomon_Davidoff] I'm working on an updated version for publication, but have to devote
[RWC] Sorry to sound so out of range, but what is filk?
[Solomon_Davidoff] more time to my Dissertation right now.
[Solomon_Davidoff] Sorry. Filk, by my working definition, is the music created by science fiction and fantasy fandom, that is sung in ...
[RWC] Yiddish?
[Solomon_Davidoff] what are known as "filk rooms," usually at conventions. It is firmly based in the American
[Solomon_Davidoff] folk tradition, but is found to utilize a variety of musical forms.
[Solomon_Davidoff] It was named from a typo, turning "Science Fiction Folk Music" to "Science Fiction Filk Music,"
[Solomon_Davidoff] and the name stuck.
[Cybling] Why are filkers ostracized?
[Solomon_Davidoff] Why ostracized? I hate to say it, but it seems to be in part because of the acceptance within . . .
[Solomon_Davidoff] the filk community of all comers. You can perform, even if your voice isn't at a "professional" level, or your lyrics aren't polished.
[Cybling] lol
[Cybling] So there can be some pretty painful performances?
[RWC] So filk people sing about science fiction?
[Solomon_Davidoff] People sing about . ..
[Solomon_Davidoff] Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, marriage, sex, child abuse, guns, artichokes . . . just about everything.
[DavE] "Bouncing Potatoes"...
[Solomon_Davidoff] LOL
[Cybling] LOL
[RWC] Wow, how do you recegnize filk then?
[RWC] recognize
[DavE] You'll know it when you hear it.
[Solomon_Davidoff] There are performances, to get back to the previous thread, that are not polished, but I still firmly believe that it's the intention in a filk room that counts more.
[Solomon_Davidoff] filk is what is sung in a filk room.
[Solomon_Davidoff] Period.
[Cybling] RWC, you can actually hear some filk online. Terence Chua for instance who does Chthulu mythos to ABBA tunes has wavs online. See his link page in our chat area here onsite.chicon.org
[RWC] It's like that dreadfull call from the inner xspace?
[RobertB] Solomon, you're starting to sound like Damon, now :)
[DavE] So what did you're thesis say about the phenomenon of filk in fandom?
[Cybling] lol
[DavE] your thesis
[Solomon_Davidoff] Songs written by non-filkers that are accepted in a filk room, like Weird Al Yankovic or Tom Lehrer, are known as "found filk."
[DavE] MTA!
[Solomon_Davidoff] Damon?
[RobertB] Damon Knight is attributed to have said that science fiction is what we point to when we say it.
[DavE] Yup. Applies to filk too.
[RobertB] yup
[Cybling] lol
[Solomon_Davidoff] Gotcha.
[RWC] This is so intellectual, I don't see where it leads;)
[DavE] Do you think original writers like Nate Bucklin are filk?
[E] Someplace thrilling, I'm sure...
[RWC] Filk is where you heart is?
[Solomon_Davidoff] You can also go to Eli Goldberg's Virtual Filk to hear some, or MP3.com, and look up Tom Smith. REally funny. Also on www.tomsmithonline.com
[Cybling] Folks, I want to remind you that our guests have been great sports about the platforms we're using here in the Green Room. Dining chairs, a dining table and laptops...
[DavE] I play a lot of filk on my radio show.
[Solomon_Davidoff] I've got two Nate Bucklin tapes, so I'd say so!
[Cybling] so please bear with us. Typos are required. Sometimes we have to delete whole lines.
[Solomon_Davidoff] Which radio show? I used to do radio. (have a BFA in Broadcasting)
[DavE] Nate (who lives about a mile from here) is an excellent musician, no matter what genre you wish to catagorize him in.
[RWC] That's what I cannot understnad what filk is?
[DavE] Shockwave, science fiction radio.
[RWC] why
[DavE] www.romm.org/audio
[Solomon_Davidoff] Okay. Can you send the url to me?
[Solomon_Davidoff] Check out www.solomonology.com
[RobertB] Dave, Didn't I see shockwave listed from RadioSpy?
[DavE] http://www.visi.com/~romm
[Solomon_Davidoff] No pen here. B)
[Cybling] Solomon... you've done a little more at this conventions for the filkers than a normal fan would, haven't you. What have you been up to here at Chicon?
[DavE] Bookmarked!
[E] Oh, I have... (Don't know why it's saying "E" instead of "E.T." BTW...) :-)
[DavE] Robert: Probably. I've been doing this for over 20 years.
[RobertB] cool
[Solomon_Davidoff] Well, I organized a religious service that was inteded to be all inclusive to all faith and belief systems, which was considered successful.
[DavE] So David, how are filk and religion related (or are they)?
[Solomon_Davidoff] I've also been adopted as a Libertarian fan *grin*, and appeared on lots of panels.
[Solomon_Davidoff] David? Who's that?
[Solomon_Davidoff] *grin*
[DavE] Er, Solomon Davidoff. Sorry, got the nick mixed up.
[Solomon_Davidoff] There are lots of religious filks. Maureen O'Brien has been collecting for an "all the filk on the web page," and has collected lots of religious oriented filk.
[Solomon_Davidoff] Taht's okay DavE.
[Cybling] If you have questions for our guest, please just ask. But please, let the guest answer one before asking another. Thanks!
[Solomon_Davidoff] Religion is not the only subject for filk, but it's certainly fair game.
[Solomon_Davidoff] Yay. More soda!
[Cybling] Solomon, is there a predominant subject for Filk?
[DavE] What interesting subjects is your doctoral thesis exploring?
[Solomon_Davidoff] Nope. All subects are explored.
[Solomon_Davidoff] The Diss? As I said, I'm looking at religion in Children's Fantasy Literature. I'm not giving specifics, though.
[Solomon_Davidoff] Sorry, but it's not a difficult thing for others to do, (I figure), and I want to be the first, so I can finish my darn degree!
[RWC] I came to your web page, no way to access the fifilk files
[DavE] What's been your favorite panel so far?
[RWC] I guess I won't know what it is
[Solomon_Davidoff] Re: RWC - Hmmm. Should work. Try accessing from personal.bgsu.edu/~sdavido
[DavE] RWC, ask me later, I'll dig up web sites for filk.
[Solomon_Davidoff] Re: DavE - I've enjoyed them all, to be honest. I quite like appearing on academic track panels, and Chicon has been a blast. My concert was fun, too! *grin* I do mostly spoken word stuff, though.
[E]
[sigh] Fine, I give up on being subtle... Yo, Solomon! Hi?
[RobertB] Margaret Middleton may have some filk sites bookmarked...
[Solomon_Davidoff] I have a range of 7 notes, but they all say "Please Don't Sing."
[Cybling] That's good Solomon, because in looking at your schedule (accesible from onsite.chicon.org) you are on a LOT of panels.
[DavE] Heh
[Cybling] lol
[Solomon_Davidoff] E! Hi!!!!!
[Solomon_Davidoff] I'm wearing such a pretty button today . . .
[E] OK, so you didn't see me earlier, and weren't intentionally ignoring me. Good. I was starting to wonder. ;-)
[Cybling] lol
[DavE] RWC you can try... www.filk.com
[Cybling] If you have questions for our guest, please just ask. But please, let the guest answer one before asking another. Thanks!
[Solomon_Davidoff] Or www.filker.org, or www.lovesong.com
[DavE] What seven notes are they?
[Cybling] Folks...we're going to have to let Solomon run off in just a few minutes.
[Cybling] If you have questions. Now's the time.
[DavE] Do you write your own music, or just sing parodies, or what?
[Cybling] Sorry...we get to keep him till 12:30, but that doesn't mean you can stop asking quesions now.
[Solomon_Davidoff] "Please don't Sing," repeated 7 times . . .
[Cybling] lol
[Solomon_Davidoff] I write my own parodies, sometimes well thought of *grin*, and have written one or two originals.
[Solomon_Davidoff] I have a vocal style far superior to that of the average turnip.
[DavE] What did your university think of your Master's Thesis.
[DavE] ?
[Cybling] lolol
* DavE has know some pretty vocal turnips.
[Cybling] lol
[Solomon_Davidoff] Well, I began it for the Dept. of Popular Culture, and finished it for the Dept. of American Culture Studies, at BGSU, so they were fine with it.
[E] Possibly even superior to that of the moderately advanced potato.
[Cybling] LOLOLOL.
[DavE] Sounds good. It's fun when you can do something with your hobby in Real Life (tm)
[Solomon_Davidoff] I hope so, although potatoes are known as great singers. And I've just gotten a wonderful potato kit in the mail recently!
[Cybling] lol
[DavE] Filk au Gratin
[Solomon_Davidoff] My girlfriend (ask me about her, I dare you!) sent me a Bonsai Potato Kit for my birthday.
[Cybling] Solomon, you're listed in a Panel this afternoon at 1:00 Central...not to distract youfrom filk here....
[DavE] Um, what about your girlfriend?
[Cybling] titled Beyond Harry Potter II: Censorship and Children's Literature
[Solomon_Davidoff] Got a few hours?
[Cybling] Harry Potter was censored?
[Cybling] LOL...well about 16 minutes.
[Solomon_Davidoff] Yes, back to the panels, Harry Potter has already been banned in a few communities.
[DavE] Potter banned? Who are these idiots?
[Solomon_Davidoff] As to my girlfriend, you can see more of her amazing work at www.arisia.org. She's Conchair this year. Be sure to go!
[Kimmo] Nothing surprises me anymore with regards to censorship etc in some american communities
[Cybling] Cool.
[E] Guess I'll have to update the Web site now! ;-)
[Kimmo] But here I go again knocking the US, I actually like the US.
[Solomon_Davidoff] People who think Witches are all in league with Satan.
[Cybling] Yikes!
[Solomon_Davidoff] The US is a fun place to visit . . .
[Solomon_Davidoff] Sadly, those who censor are seldom those who read.
* Kimmo agrees
[Solomon_Davidoff] I remember a religious arguement on a greyhound bus once . . .
[DavE] I don't mind religious people; I mind idiots who think their religion justifies them being idiots. Loudly.
[Solomon_Davidoff] I was discussing religion with someone who decided to deride MTV in his presentations on Celibacy, without having ever seen it.
[Cybling] That's one of the things about SF conventions. YOu actually get to congregate with people who use their heads for more than holding their ears apart.
[Solomon_Davidoff] I agree with DavE on that.
[Solomon_Davidoff] Cybling, that is often true . . . but not always. I'm sorry I'm going to miss the panel on the Myth of Tolerance in Fandom.
[Cybling] But you are on the Race: Minority Presence in Science Fiction panel.
[Cybling] Is that another 10 hour topic?
[Solomon_Davidoff] Then I was asked (no joke) "I understand you're Jewish, but why don't you believe in Jesus Christ?"
[DavE] heh
[Cybling] lol
[Solomon_Davidoff] Yes, it's a 10 hour one. I teach Ethnic Studies at BGSU, and am looking forward to the panel.
[DavE] In case anyone's interested, Bears 7-3 over the Vikings at the moment.
[E] What sport is that?
[DavE] Football.
[Cybling] Thank you Dave. lol E...I think it's hockey.
[E] (sorry, I had to) :-)
[Cybling] AS did I.
[Kimmo] But the Vikings have axes, surely they should be able to deal with some Bears? Unless they are grizzlies of course
[Solomon_Davidoff] Steven Silver has a great online Bib. of Jews in Science Fiction, and I've recently found an article in the NY Times on a new anthology of African American oriented SF, and a relatively recent Gay and Lesbian SF anthology.
[DavE] Well, it's a Chicago team...
[Solomon_Davidoff] *grin*
[Cybling] Oh RIGHT the baseball guys.
[Cybling] Solomon...say I was kinda handy with a guitar and liked writing my own lyrics and love SF...
[DavE] Jew _in_ science fiction, or Jews as writers of sf?
[Cybling] how would I get into filk. Learn where to start so to speak.
[Solomon_Davidoff] Jewish themed stories, actually.
[Solomon_Davidoff] How to get into filk in 1 easy step . . . go into a filk room! It's that easy. Listeners are filkers too, and don't let anyone tell you anything different.
[Solomon_Davidoff] You can also look at rec.music.filk
[Cybling] Okay. That's the newsgroup...so it would hold URLs as well?
[Cybling] Oh! I have to ask you about this panel.
[DavE] The easiest way to get into filk is to find someone with a guitar (or other instrument) at the con and ask them...
[Cybling] Out of the gutter and into the Classroom: Explaining Academics to the Fans.
[Cybling] What is *that* about?
[Solomon_Davidoff] You can ask for URLs. Hmmmm. Look for Maureen O'Brien's page, or www.tomsmithonline.com, and follow the links . . . There are web rings, too.
[DavE] Solomon, you might appreciate this one: Gore/Lieberman 5761!
[Solomon_Davidoff] LOL!
[Cybling] LOL...sounds like you can find your garden variety academic in the gutter somewhere.
[Cybling] lol DavE
[E] Cute!
[Solomon_Davidoff] the Gutter panel was interesting, and looked at how to explain academics, academia, other other topics.
[Cybling] Why they choose to or choose not to teach SF as a genre in our colleges, etc?
[Solomon_Davidoff] My best suggestion, is go to ww.sfra.org. The Science Fiction Research Association site (tell 'em I sent you)
[Solomon_Davidoff] For an exhorbitant amount of money *grin*, you can actually get 5 journals for a year!
[Cybling] LOL. Will do Solomon.
[Solomon_Davidoff] Teaching is part of it, but there's also coverage of fandom, in sociology, anthropology, culture study, and more.
[Cybling] Okay...we're down to the last 6 minutes here with Solomon Davidoff...filker...Doctoral Candidate...Fan.
[Cybling] Any final questions for Solomon?
[Solomon_Davidoff] Big mouth . . .
[Solomon_Davidoff] Opinionated goober . . .
[Solomon_Davidoff] *grin*
[E] All around nice guy...
[Solomon_Davidoff] Be sure to tell you're concoms to ask for me as a guest . . . *evil grin*
[Solomon_Davidoff] Awwww.
[DavE] Who's your favorite Backstreet Boy?
[Cybling] lololol!
[Solomon_Davidoff] George W. Bush
[DavE] There ya' go.
[E]
[choke]
[Solomon_Davidoff] He's just so cute, cuddly, and brain dead.
[Cybling] Thank you Solomon.
[Cybling] LOLOLOLOLOLOL!
[DavE] heh
[E] I was waiting for that...
[Cybling] Any final *real* questions.
[DavE] What's been your favorite party so far?
[E] You do realize he can only give one right answer here! :-)
[RobertB] Solomon, do you know Deborah Ross, from Fort Wayne?
[DavE] Well, he can be tactful.
[Solomon_Davidoff] *grin* My favorite must be the one where I got Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream, that I consumed in honor of my girlfriend. *grin*
[E] Oh? Tell me more...
[Solomon_Davidoff] While the Arisia/EastCoast Conspiracy party was fun!
[DavE]
[best Homer voice] Hmmm... Liquid Nitrogen...
[Cybling] Folks, we're going to let Solomon run away to the convention now. Let's thank him for joining us today!
* Cybling applauds
[Solomon_Davidoff] The myan worldcon party.
[Solomon_Davidoff] Sorry. Mayan.
[DavE] Nifty!
[Kimmo] Hey cool, just saw the hugo list. There is justice in the world, Galaxy Quest won its category
[E] Yay!
[insert wild applause]
[DavE] Yay!
[DavE] Anyway, this has been a fun chat. Thanks for joining us!
[Solomon_Davidoff] More people here, so I must dash. See you all later,a nd thanks for chatting. You can contact me at www.solomonology.com for other questions, or to offer me huge amounts of cash or GoH jobs . . . *grin*
[Solomon_Davidoff] I had a GREAT time.
[Cybling] Thank you!!
[RobertB] Thanks, Solomon :)
[E] We'll have to do this again sometime...
[Solomon_Davidoff] Bye all . . .
[Solomon_Davidoff] *grin*