Programming Just Ain’t That Easy

I’ve been on panels that drew single digit audiences where we were just too stubborn to quit: “What, and give up show biz?” (Can you believe people wouldn’t get out of bed at Loscon on Sunday morning to listen to Marty Cantor and I talk about fanzines?)

Last weekend at Lunacon the fans caught in a similar predicament made a higher quality decision.

Michael Walsh notes “So This Is Your First Con,” Friday at 4 p.m., had Ben Yalow and three other fans slated to participate. Only Ben showed, while Perianne Lurie was added at the last minute. There was an audience of one: Filthy Pierre Strauss, who probably went to his first con during the Kennedy administration. All decided that perhaps canceling would be best. 

They were very wise.

3 thoughts on “Programming Just Ain’t That Easy

  1. I recall a convention in Arizona many years ago where J. Neil Schulman and I had competing readings across the hall from each other at Midnight. No one showed fro mine, so I looked in on his. The room was equally bereft of fans and he was sitting at the table, by himself, looking at his manuscript. He looked up, said “I said I would be here, reading, at Midnight. I did not say I would be reading aloud.” And then he turned the page.

  2. I was on a three-person how to enjoy your first con panel (entitled “Fandom in 50 Minutes”) at Millennicon last weekend which drew an audience of one. Since, however, it was in a room with big round tables (rather than the standard panelist in front. audience in back set up), we decided to stick around and have a free lowing discussion which, occasionally, touched upon the topic.

  3. The 3 Laws of Panels:
    1- If the audience outnumbers the panelists, the panel will proceed.
    2- If the panelists outnumber the audience, there will be a brief discussion to decide if the panel should proceed, or all should go do something better.
    3- If there is no audience at all, the panelists are to strip naked and exchange the most amazing stories they have never told, so that they can, forever after, berate people for not attending the most interesting panel ever.

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