tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11303103.post111723664149789553..comments2024-03-18T03:45:38.190-05:00Comments on Lou Anders: Muggle SFLou Andershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00694362734492222851noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11303103.post-1119282100528763362005-06-20T10:41:00.000-05:002005-06-20T10:41:00.000-05:00Daniel,First, I'm very gratified you are enjoying ...Daniel,<BR/>First, I'm very gratified you are enjoying <I>Live without a Net</I>. By all means tell me if you do post, and let me know your final thoughts either way. I'm very proud of the book and glad that it is continuing to send out ripples. <BR/><BR/>Second, yes it was indeed the Soft Boys. I <I>missed</I> that tour, so have not seen him reunited with his old band for the first time in 20 years and am way jealous. I have seen Hitchcock (with or sans the Egyptians) about 20 times, in LA, Chicago, Atlanta and San Francisco) though, and he's always amazing. I used to live just outside of (LA-standard) walking distance from Largo on Fairfax in West Hollywood, and Robyn would play there (often unannounced) with friends. Those shows, when he wasn't pushing a CD and was just goofing off, were among the very best.Lou Andershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00694362734492222851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11303103.post-1118973252804961682005-06-16T20:54:00.000-05:002005-06-16T20:54:00.000-05:00Robyn Hitchcock? Saw him in Toronto a few years ag...Robyn Hitchcock? Saw him in Toronto a few years ago with the reunited...Soft Boys? He's an entertaining guitarist. His fingers are always dancing on the neck, even when not hitting any notes.<BR/>Lou, like I said I would, I FINALLY picked up Live Without A Net. Only 4 or 5 stories in so far and it's flooring me. Honestly, I feel it should be required reading for aspiring SF writers. Another title could easily have been "Think outside the box". Eventually, once I'm done, I'll probably post some thoughts on each story on my blog. I know the books been around for 2 or 3 years, but... I got a Blog, might as well use it. Maybe someone will read it and check out the book.<BR/><BR/>DanielDanielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12382864442210333287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11303103.post-1118441391108572852005-06-10T17:09:00.000-05:002005-06-10T17:09:00.000-05:00Hey Sean,I'm pleased you liked the China interview...Hey Sean,<BR/>I'm pleased you liked the China interview. I'm doing another interview next week with musician Robyn Hitchcock, though I don't have a pub. date from <I>the Believer</I> for that one yet.<BR/><BR/>I put "entertainment" last partially because it's so subjective (though vital). Sometimes, immersing myself in dry, academic discussions of SF is great fun. I do think China is just about the most <I>important</I> genre writer to come along in decades. He himself has said to me that he finds movements are always described after the fact, not by those in the heart of them, though he said this before he and M. John Harrison proclaimed the "New Weird." Personally, I've always suspected that was a joke that ran away from them. And I'm not unmindful of the tongue-in-cheek nature of some of what the Mundanes are saying. <BR/><BR/>Again, setting goals for your own writing, great. Setting limits on someone else's. Not good.Lou Andershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00694362734492222851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11303103.post-1118384562819278632005-06-10T01:22:00.000-05:002005-06-10T01:22:00.000-05:00Fantastic thoughts on the genre and the manifesto!...Fantastic thoughts on the genre and the manifesto! I found your blog by googling your name after reading that great interview you did with China MIÉVILLE. <BR/><BR/>I agree with so much of what you've written. My only quibble is to put the 'entertainment' point first. When I pick up a book, if it looks like it's going to be a fun read, I read it. Sometimes I'll slog through something that's not so entertaining, but generally I save the hair shirt readings for nonfiction.<BR/><BR/>You're hope that the ripping yarn can be mixed with the social commentary ala Moby Dick is exactly right on and renders these manifestos irrelevant in my opinion. That said, my opinion ain't worth much. The Dogma manifesto lead to some interesting work. Anything that is done by people passionate about the genre can probably only serve it in the long run.<BR/><BR/>I see these manifestos and countless other opinions about what SF should be the same way I see religions. If it works for you, then by all means, write some kickass SF that follows every rule you make for it. If it doesn't, then write something entertaining and compelling that breaks the rules. As a reader, I don't care what you're doing, just as long as you have reasons for what you do and they make the story good.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11303103.post-1118076213983044952005-06-06T11:43:00.000-05:002005-06-06T11:43:00.000-05:00DW,although they are tongue-in-cheek in their mani...DW,<BR/>although they are tongue-in-cheek in their manifesto, their subsequent postings etc... invite a more serious response.Lou Andershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00694362734492222851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11303103.post-1118076165839277012005-06-06T11:42:00.000-05:002005-06-06T11:42:00.000-05:00Hi Daniel,One reviewer called Live without a Net "...Hi Daniel,<BR/>One reviewer called <I>Live without a Net</I> "pure quill SF", and I find myself using that description repeatedly. Not everything in the anthology is hard sf, though the majority of it is. I'm very proud of it though, so if you do pick it up, please let me know your thoughts.Lou Andershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00694362734492222851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11303103.post-1118069753108964872005-06-06T09:55:00.000-05:002005-06-06T09:55:00.000-05:00They aren't dead serious about this. They promise...They aren't dead serious about this. They promise to "Not to let Mundanity cramp their style if they want to write like Edgar Rice Burroughs as well" and "To burn this manifesto as soon as it gets boring." Anything yet?<BR/><BR/>But it's still silly. College residence common room, rabid Mac users thinking too hard, just plain silly.DWBarkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02242808503348947165noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11303103.post-1117694277297366362005-06-02T01:37:00.000-05:002005-06-02T01:37:00.000-05:00This manifesto has got me rattled. Is hard sf the ...This manifesto has got me rattled. Is hard sf the only real sf? These types of arguments get to me cause I can't tell hard sf from anything else anymore. I think Neal Asher is fun, but is he completely off the mark with his stuff? And do you have to have a degree in science to write an entertaining sf story?<BR/>My incoherent thoughts on this on my blog.<BR/>By the way Lou, I've been meaning to pick up Live Without a Net for sometime now. At the risk of sounding stupid and insulting, do you consider the stories to be Hard SF?<BR/>Dan<BR/>http://rantaroscasejournal.blogspot.com/Danielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12382864442210333287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11303103.post-1117483064702294642005-05-30T14:57:00.000-05:002005-05-30T14:57:00.000-05:00Hi Trent,FYI - I was aware of the aspect of humor ...Hi Trent,<BR/>FYI - I was aware of the aspect of humor in the manifesto, but as you point out, humor can be serious....<BR/><BR/>For what it's worth, I'm enjoying all this discussion.Lou Andershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00694362734492222851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11303103.post-1117473056708045862005-05-30T12:10:00.000-05:002005-05-30T12:10:00.000-05:00Lou, I responded here:http://mundane-sf.blogspot.c...Lou, I responded here:<BR/><BR/>http://mundane-sf.blogspot.comTrent Waltershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16691824673281607781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11303103.post-1117381919527109902005-05-29T10:51:00.000-05:002005-05-29T10:51:00.000-05:00Heading out to see him piss later today.Heading out to see him piss later today.Lou Andershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00694362734492222851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11303103.post-1117375388015368542005-05-29T09:03:00.000-05:002005-05-29T09:03:00.000-05:00"...if Speilberg & Lucas et al. spent their time w..."...if Speilberg & Lucas et al. spent their time working up manifesto's..."<BR/><BR/>Lucas? If only. Maybe it would stop him from spending his time pissing all over my childhood dreams.Hal Duncanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13834365984949577306noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11303103.post-1117309077013466502005-05-28T14:37:00.000-05:002005-05-28T14:37:00.000-05:00Thanks.I think cynically that it won't be a big de...Thanks.<BR/>I think cynically that it won't be a big deal at all outside of a very small pool. Imagine for a moment what a different world if Speilberg & Lucas et al. spent their time working up manifesto's to impact the genre and improve the world...Lou Andershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00694362734492222851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11303103.post-1117297346423956872005-05-28T11:22:00.000-05:002005-05-28T11:22:00.000-05:00Extremely timely and accurate post. It's like all ...Extremely timely and accurate post. It's like all the Singularitypunk is drawing from the same fifteen or so pieces of tech (Matrioshka this, strongly superhuman that).<BR/><BR/>What people keep forgetting is that there have always been and will always be movements; one after the other after the other, eating each other's entrails and releasing the resultant droppings into the wild.<BR/><BR/>It's just not as big a deal as the manifesto types are making of it.razorsmilehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17741327069258643030noreply@blogger.com