The local Austin weekly, The Austin Chronicle, just put out a "Science Fiction" issue.
Now, I’m not such a spring chicken that I take the publishing institution of so-called "alternative" weeklies seriously. After all, I have published in two of them, including The Austin Chronicle. They are not journalism, and they are not fertilizers of bohemian creativity. They are ad revenue wrapped around restaurant reviews and movie listings (which are also ads).
Perhaps this is some sort of re-hash issue, like a sitcom clip show, because they didn’t seem to do any actual research into the Austin Sci-fi scene. There’s only the usual suspects, an interview with the Alamo programmers, brief mention of Graham Reynolds (which seems obligatory in every issue), and a couple of inane essays about "why zombies don’t eat each other" and somesuch.
There was also the obligatory article on local theater’s take on classic sci-fi radio: Intergalactic Nemesis, written by our favorite buddy, Jessica Reisman, who has published right here in revSF, as well as a novel and other less important accomplishments. Reisman was only quoted twice, and the second time the writer inserted explanatory brackets four times. I’m guessing that Reisman used the term "FTL" and the powers that be over at the Chronicle thought that was too nerdy.
Now, I love Reisman’s work, and I enjoyed Intergalactic Nemesis the first two times I heard it, but as the most celebrated product of the Austin local theater scene it’s pretty pathetic. Beating this ninety-minute production into the ground with repeated performances and constant promotion completely misses the point of vintage radio drama, which is: YOU CAN MAKE NEW EPISODES VERY QUICKLY!!
They would come out with a new Buck Rogers episode five times a week, but Salvage Vanguard Theater has been trotting out Intergalactic Nemesis for TWELVE YEARS now?!?
Even now, Decoder Ring Theater in Canada is producing comparable product that is every bit as funny as Nemesis on a weekly basis, which puts the hullabaloo in perspective.
So basically I’m crabby about all the fuss and no sequel in the works. Could you get right on that, Jessica? Thanks.
But what really chaps my mighty thews about this Chronicle issue is the complete lack of local scene reporting in what is ostensibly a local paper. We’ll forget for a moment that they didn’t mention Space Squid or the win a Wii contest.
That’s because I keep forgetting to send the local media comp copies.
But where are the local writers? We must have, what, ten sci-fi novelists in town? Including first-time novelist Patrice Sarath, who deserves some breathless reporting from the local papers.
Then there’s the local Armadillocon which is coming up soon.
And this very website, a veritable powerhouse of geek culture, which is 50% based in Austin.
And the influential writers groups!
Ah, hell.
I wasn’t expecting much from the Chronicle anyways.