1986 Zelazny Reading on YouTube

Roger Zelazny’s reading at the 4th Street Fantasy Convention in 1986 has been posted by Baron DavE Romm on YouTube. The videotapes originally were made for airing by the Minneapolis Television Network, a local cable access channel. Then (as it says in the intro) the tapes were stacked in DavE’s closet awaiting the Digital Revolution.

Zelazny’s initial reading is frequently interrupted by laughter – for good reason. “LOKI 7281” is a very funny story. Here’s the brief summary from a NESFA website:

Roger Zelazny’s home computer is sentient. This was an accident but is also true of many of this model who are now in the homes of many of the leading SF writers. The computer is rewriting his books to make them more salable. When the writer finds out he tries to destroy the machine. The machine, in concert with its siblings, plan to murder the writers and keep this secret. They will tell whoever is curious that the writers are off at an SF convention, somewhere.

DavE has plans to post more of these old videos, digitized by Beth Friedman, including one featuring Jane Yolen.

[Via Andrew Porter and Geri Sullivan.]