Index

 

This is SKYRACK 46, published 9th October, 1962 by Ron Bennett, 13 West Cliffe Grove, Harrogate, Yorkshire, England. 6d per copy. 2/6d for six issues. 35¢ for 6 issues in USA (airmailed for 65¢) where subscriptions should be sent to Bob Pavlat, 6001 43rd Avenue, Hyattsville, Maryland. News of interest to sf fans always welcome. Cartoon and heading by Fandom’s Favourite, Arthur “Atom” Thomson.

NO REAL HEADLINE NEWS THIS ISSUE, but space will be filled somehow… Thanks for wild postcard, the Liverpool Group. Recently holidayed on Norfolk Broads – called in on Brian Aldiss who cabled for help ::: Congratulations to Ron Ellik and Peggy Rae McKnight… Recently engaged, and to Mike Moorcock and Hilary Bailey, married 29th September ::: Leading Light Ella Parker may soon be moving her Penitentiary ::: London fandom recently met one Dorothy Westcott who is moving out to Los Angeles to become secretary to 4SJ. ::: Arthur Thomson reports receiving postcard from Walt Willis labelled “Wish you were here.” Card showed Alcatraz. ::: Jhim Linwood visited Chris Miller in Sutton Coldfield 8/9 Sept to help dry out Chris who had been almost drowned in Lake District holiday mid-August. Following weekend 15/16 Sept Chris cycled 70 miles to Oxford to meet Brian Aldiss and Ken Slater. Tour of Oxford and viewing of Aldiss’ Danish colour slides followed. ::: Same weekend saw gathering in Stourbridge home of Dave Hale, who was visited by Bruce Burn, Nell Goulding and Alan Rispin. ::: Archie Mercer indicates that he has now entered a monas... the asphalt business. Thanks, Archie, for the beautiful cartoon, clipped from some national newspaper or magazine. This shows two executives studying a field sales map. Flags in the map show positions of various sales representatives. One line of flags runs out of the map and across the wall in true Bill Holman fashion. Caption reads "Where the devil is Mercer off to now?” ::: The German con towards the end of August at Unterwoessen was attended by some seventy fans including Guntram Ohmacht and Wolfgang Thadewald. Most of programme appeared to be devoted to Gerfan Club politics, with talk of merging two of the country’s biggest clubs, the SSFI and the SFCD. ::: Sept 5th BBC Light Programme’s Thirty Minute Theatre featured Arthur Clarke’s story, “The Songs From Distant Earth.” Clarke was interviewed last month on the early morning Today programme, virtually a repeat of his earlier Radio Newsreel interview in which he was credited with inventing Telstar. ::: Congratulations Jimmy & Peggy White on the birth of son, Peter. ::: Gregg & Jo Ann Calkins divorced. Gregg now in California. ::: Jean Linard and Charles Lee Riddle contemplating return to actifandom. ::: Panic Button 11 plans run of 2000. ::: Phew is.

PAID ADVERT

THE MORCON COMMITTEE –

bidding for L. A. Once More
in Sixty-Four –

Chairman, Al Lewis
Vice-chairman, Ted Johnstone
Treasurer, Bruce Pelz
Hotel Relations, John Trimble
Publicity, Ron Ellik

The Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society solicits your vote for the convention of the century – the twenty-second world science-fiction convention, in Los Angeles, California, over Labor Day weekend, 1964. The committee offering to entertain you that weekend combines a scope of experience as convention officials and attendees equalled by few; the third worldcon to be held in Los Angeles will be an extremely memorable event.

FAIRLY RECENT NOTES on the topic of Skyrack folding through lack of support in reporting news items led to receipt of several letters, from which selection is printed:

Franklin M Dietz, 1750 Walton Ave., Bronx 53, N.Y., USA: As a publishing giant you should know that statements such as the one you made in Sky 44 are definitely slanderous against the organisation and cannot be tolerated.

However, we’ve taken into consideration that this is your first deviation from conformity and thus feel that this time we may overlook the discretion. Underlying it, though, we feel a serious weakness in your end of the operation and feel it is about time for you to take all steps to control it before it gets out of hand.

It’s time for you to call a conference with your division chiefs and lay it to them on the line. Let a few heads roll if you feel this will shape up the laxness and get in some new blood to show the staff they’re not indispensable.

Otherwise, further slips of this sort will mean we’ll have to look for a new man to head our English division and you know what this will do to our stock. Even in our current bullish market, adverse news can have a serious bearish effect on particular situations.

So let’s get your division back into shape. Profit margins have always been excellent under your management, and we’d like to keep the confidence we have in your guidance.

Looking for the best from your gang… Yours, Frank.

((I’m still wondering whether he wants Sky to fold or not.))

Archie Mercer, c/o BSFA Library, 130 London Road, Cheltenham, Gloc:

You can fold Cry while the Gang stands by,
But Don’t Fold Skyrack,
You can fold Axe with the New York fax,
But Don’t Fold Skyrack.
For Skyrack is the fanzine with news from near and far,
We find it a necessity, to tell us where we are.
You can fold Smoke now the Locke’s gone broke,
But Don’t Fold Skyrack,
For Skyrack’s always in the groove.
But if it’s really got to go,
Keep it another ish or so,
At least until it’s publicised my move.

((Archie at this time had left Lincoln for the south-west))

NORTHLIGHT 14 (Alan Burns, Goldspink House, Goldspink Lane, Newcastle-upon-Tyne 2. 16pp. Undated) After a lengthy absence this collection of personal comments and views makes a welcome appearance. Whereas no man can supposedly be an island, editor Burns tries hard to make his zine one, steering clear as he does from the more conventional layout, presentation and type of fannish material. In its time N. has ventured into the feud field but now that its editorial policy seems to keep clear of such childishnesses, N. is a refreshing addition to the zinescene.

BABBIT (Mario Kwiat, box 4002-k, 44 Muenster, Germany. Sept 62. DM2) This 100-plus page anthology of work by Germany’s answer to Arthur Thomson bears an English introduction by Tom Schluck and is otherwise a well-blended mixture of the serious and humorous on Tattooed Dragon lines. Different types of media are employed and whilst I’m no art critic I’d say that Mario’s sense of proportion is occasionally a little out, but that his shading and line work are generally good. Personally, I can’t see anyone who is interested in art going without this collection.

THE BUG EYE 11 (2nd Annish. Sept 62. Hel Klemm, 16 Uhlands St., 413 Rheincamp-Utfort/Eick, Krs. Moers, W. Germany) Very interesting articles on present day trends towards nazism written by Thea Grade and Rolf Gindorf, lengthy letters on similar themes and a dissertation on lifts by Mike Deckinger. 40 pages and all in English. Germany’s answer to the “thoughtful” type of zine.

THE PANIC BUTTON 10 (35¢. 46pp. Fall 1962. Les Nirenberg, 1217 Weston Rd., Toronto, Canada). Self-styled “international magazine of humour and opinion,” a tag which doesn’t leave much room for disagreement. Supposedly a zine which you either love or hate, but I find in it much to interest me and much that I can leave alone. Full of wonderful prods, outrageous yet thoughtful, at all ever held sacred. Outstanding this issue is Nirenberg’s Do-it-yourself Dirty Story kit followed closely by penwork (or typescript, I guess) from Harry Warner, Les Gerber, Norm Clarke, Gary Deindorfer, Jerry de Muth and others.

G2 11 (April (!) 1962 ((That’s what it says)) Joe & Bobbie Gibson, 5380 Sobrante Avenue, El Sobrante, Calif., USA. 3/25¢ or 1/9d). Another “personal” zine with views on all sorts of odd subjects – like sf, for example. G-squared now has a European agent in overworked Colin Freeman. One thing about fanzines that ramble informally – they’re interesting.

Roy Kay, 91 Craven Street, Birkenhead, Cheshire is planning a new fanzine and mentions various ideas which should meet with general approval. He says that he is on the look-out for material, artwork etc. and would be interested in wandering columns, fannish articles and satire. The resultant collection might even make the zine, Chaos, live up to its name.

BERKELEY v LOS ANGELES. It looks as though American West Coast groups are going to have quite a tussle up to the time of the 1963 DC Worldcon, for both the Berkeley and LA people are bidding for the 1964 Worldcon siting. Just before the September Skyrack went out in all its bulky glory, Bill Donaho mailed an intended flier to me which boosted Berkeley’s claims. Unfortunately this was on U.S. quarto and had to be chopped down to a more reasonable Skyrack size, a task that could not have been accomplished before the Sky in question was mailed. So, accordingly, it was held over until this issue, and you should have it with you right now. Meanwhile, into the picture steps the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society with a paid advert which appears elsewhere in this issue. That the two notices should appear together was and has been completely unplanned and my apologies are extended to any party who might take exception to this state of affairs.

MORE ON THE CHURCH OF THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE WAY. Bob Lichtman challenges the report carried in Sky 44 and says: “I am not the minister of the Church in this area ((L.A.)) mainly because the Church has not been legally incorporated and can appoint/ordain no ministers as yet. If it ever does get incorporated, maybe I will be a minister of it. That remains to be seen. Anyway, as a result of your annoucement, I have been written into Coventry by Bruce Pelz and we have received a very far-out letter from a fan with stuff in it like ‘The slogan Fans are Slans will become true - fandom will be the fertile soil of the New Mankind’ and ‘I would like to establish a German branch and lead Germany to The Way.’” Yes, well we all have our troubles.

CADENZA 6 just in from Charles Wells, 12B Mens Grad Center, Duke Station, Durham, N.C., U.S.A. with the first ChiConReport to appear, and a jolly fine and interesting one, too. “Oh ho,” said Elizabeth, “So that’s where your money ends up! So that’s where fandom’s money goes to… Mrs Heinlein’s sideboard.”

ROUND THE MULBERRY BUSH DEPT: Eric Bentcliffe, 51 Thorn Grove, Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire ::: Tony Walsh, 86 Chelsea Gardens, London S.W.1 ::: Peter Mabey, Lurgan Guest House, 54 Wolsey Road, East Molesey, Surrey ::: Brian Jordan, 21 Harcourt Road, Sheffield 10, Yorks.

FROM THE ABOVE COAs it can be deduced that Eric and Beryl Bentcliffe have moved into their new house and will welcome fannish visitors; that Tony Walsh has taken a London job and is sharing a flat with George Locke; The BSFA may well be advertising shortly for a new Librarian and/or Library site.

EXPECTED RAVE LETTER on the ChiCon arrived from Ethel Lindsay shortly after Sky 45 published. Ethel is now back in England and has taken over UK TAFF administration. Retiring administrator Eric Bentcliffe thanks everyone for their cooperation during his stint in that capacity.

SF BOOK CLUB selections Sept 1962 – Feb 1963 line up as follows: Needle by Hal Clement, Guardians of Time by Poul Anderson, Aliens for Neighbours by Clifford Simak, Spectrum edited by Kingsley Amis and Robert Conquest, Drunkards Walk by Frederik Pohl and The Unexpected Dimension by Algis Budrys, with Eight Keys to Eden by Mark Clifton as a February “extra”.

THE MULBERRY BUSH (Part II). Ian McAulay, married 28th July, has taken a new job south of the border in Dublin and may now be found at Illyria, Sandyford, Co. Dublin, Eire.