{"id":24,"date":"2016-08-23T18:01:39","date_gmt":"2016-08-23T22:01:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filkontario.ca\/?page_id=24"},"modified":"2016-08-24T13:06:43","modified_gmt":"2016-08-24T17:06:43","slug":"errol","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/filkontario.ca\/fkowp\/errol\/","title":{"rendered":"FKO20 \u2013 Noob at a Filk Convention"},"content":{"rendered":"
Published by Errol<\/a><\/span> on 12 April, 2010<\/abbr><\/div>\n
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This past weekend, I attended Ontario\u2019s Filk convention<\/a>. Filk<\/a> is a music genre, mostly folk music, dedicated to fantasy and science fiction. However, one could write and sing about any obsession that spans the geek spectrum.<\/p>\n

\"20100412_Filkshot\"<\/p>\n

I have never heard of Filk before. I was shocked at this, because I collect geeks like some kids collect Pokemon cards. However, Filk seems to have arisen from conventions. And I, despite my badge of geekery I hide so proudly in public, have never been to one.<\/p>\n

\"20100412_PokemonErrol\"<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Why? Because I grew up in a small town in Saskatchewan. There weren\u2019t many geeks in that small town and I\u2019m sure that if I had engaged in more geek hobbies as a teenager the local bullies would have been quite happy to set up permanent residence in the toilet for my head.<\/p>\n

\"20100412_toilet\"<\/p>\n

I learned about Filk from Phil Mills<\/a> on the FAWM.org<\/a> forums. After reading, I immediately decided that maybe I should go. A few days of perusing the Filk FAQ solidified my decision and I signed up.<\/p>\n

Now, I wasn\u2019t stalking Filk because I wanted to boost my creep cred. I wanted to understand the community. I didn\u2019t know anyone at this convention. I only knew Phil from that one post he had on the forum. I also knew Debbie Ridpath Ohi<\/a> whom everyone seems to know. But I just followed her tweets.\"20100412_Flintstones\"<\/p>\n

Going into any community that has been around for many years can be daunting. When I asked Filkers how long they\u2019ve been part of Filk, the average seemed to be 15 years. The community is rich in their own folklore, and there are deep relationships that flow through these people. I needed to find a way to understand the culture of Filk.<\/p>\n

But there is only so much you can learn from online research. The best way is by going and, as a noob, a lot of the onus is on me to understand.<\/p>\n

I write this for those that are new to Filk and are considering going. If you are a musician, we will always have that bit of Lady Gaga that needs to yell out \u201cLook at Me!\u201d I needed to go to the Filk convention with an expectation of NOT playing anything. There are over 20 years of songs in their repertoire. Even if my songs fit, there is a need to respect my hosts. I did bring my keyboard and a few songs, however, just in case. \"icon_biggrin\"<\/p>\n

\"20100412_errol_mic\"<\/p>\n

Another thing I have to realize is that I\u2019m going to a geek convention. A lot of geeks are not comfortable around things like people. This is not to say they were standoffish. They were very friendly and accepting to a noob like myself. Phil\u2019s wife, Jane, went out of her way to make sure that the sea of introverts wouldn\u2019t turn me off. In fact, many people tried their best to make me feel welcome. Debbie introduced me to a slew of people, let me eat her food, and pummelled me with a pillow. Two or three times, in fact.<\/p>\n

\"20100412_pillow\"<\/p>\n

Furthermore, the Filk community accepts everyone where they are at musically. If you can sing, that\u2019s wonderful. If you can\u2019t sing, that\u2019s wonderful. You are only expected to do your best at the level you are. If all you want to do is listen, you are more than welcome! Musicians love an audience!\u00a0\"icon_biggrin\"<\/p>\n

To satiate my performer persona, however, I did get involved in the songwriting contests. I wasn\u2019t concerned about the competing aspect; this was a way for me to perform things without worrying about whether the song fit the community or not.\u00a0\"icon_biggrin\" As an added bonus, other Filkers who might be a bit shy, may find this as a starting point to drum up conversations with me!<\/p>\n

The first contest I entered had a Time Travel theme. The song I wrote, however, was heavily weighted in concept. I could only play a recording but Filk is about performing things live. My first foray into Filk and already it didn\u2019t fit the spirit of the convention! *laugh* But I thought the concept was so cool I just needed to do it anyway. So here is my contest entry: Time Reversed Dimensional Twin<\/strong>.<\/p>\n