have been filking since 1967 and 1965 respectively, and remain active in the Los Angeles filk community. They have done much over the years to promote filk and the dissemination of filk songs. They work as a team, each making the other’s contributions possible. While Lee is known for her publishing and writing, Barry is known for his performance skills.
Both are active members of LAFA – Los Angeles Filkers Anonymous – and handle LAFA’s mailings. They routinely attend conventions and promote filk there, and have run filk tracks and served on filk concoms.
Lee publishes Xenofilkia, a bi-monthly compilation of filk songs which has been in continuous publication since October 1988. Xenofilkia disseminates filk songs within and outside the filk community, with a small space allocated to filk community news. Lee has thereby helped to bring the filk community together and send filksongs around the world, often long before they appear on tape. She has also published four issues of Filker Up, an anthology; and, since 1975, a monthly gaming zine, Alarums and Excursions. In addition, Lee and Barry have prepared several of the official convention songbooks for ConChord, and they co- edited the songbook for ConFrancisco.
Lee created the “Poker Chip Bardic” style of filk circle, an attempt to find a happy medium between the West Coast Bardic and Mid-West Chaos styles of Filk Circle, to allow for follow-ups and themes, but still ensure that even the shyest filkers get their turns.
Lee is a very talented parodist with a long list of songs to her credit, from the humorous “You Bash the Balrog” to serious songs based on Robert Heinlein’s novels. Barry is an accomplished performer with mellow voice and pleasing guitar style, noted for his concert performances.
For these contributions to filk music and the filk community, Lee and Barry Gold are inducted into the Filk Hall of Fame, this Twelfth day of April, Nineteen Hundred and Ninety-Seven.