If I want to know what the last 40 years of fanhistory would have been like had I never existed, all I have to do is read Arnie Katz’ new article on numbered fandoms. It’s quite a public service. Usually one has to wait for the Christmas reruns of It’s a Wonderful Life to experience this kind of thing.
I wonder how many groups consider themselves the core of fandom. “Core Fandom,” of course. The National Fantasy Fan Federation. Who else?
When I first Googled “core fandom” I discovered the term is heavily used in furry fandom. I even saw a post applying it to Sime-Gen fandom (isn’t that based on the fiction of Jacqueline Lichtenberg?)
Welcome to the club, Mike.
Skimming Arnie’s piece, I’m amused to see that Alan Bostick changed his name and became British: “Dave Bridges’ Fast and Loose, a small frequent
fanzine, helped launch a fresh spree of publishing in
Fanzine Fandom, capped by the debut of Ted White
and Dan Steffan’s Pong in late 1980.”
Random other observation: “The election of then-US resident Avedon Carol to go to the Eastercon in the UK was a major victory for Fanzine Fandom,” but then the front moved further back, as the trench warfare was prolonged, and many were done in by gas.
Immortal Storm redux, anyone?
Unsurprisingly, Arnie’s histories always consist of what Arnie was paying attention to. The Core of the Core, you might say.