Dixseption, belatedly

[deborah_c]

So... last weekend was spent, for those that haven't been paying attention, at Dixseption, the UK's annual national filk convention. The last convention I went to was about 9 years ago, and I've never been to a filk convention anyway, so it was a little bit of a step into the unknown.

Having finally arrived in Southsea, courtesy of Minstrel, who very kindly took a diversion via Cambridge to come and get us, I was slightly surprised to discover I was sharing a room. Having wibbled a bit and got over the shock, braider turned out, as she'd told me, to be an excellent roommate. We arrived just early enough to make it to the opening ceremony, so we were able to get to that, and then to hear Minstrel's set, the first of the evening. By the end, though, I was pining for dinner, so nrivkis's husband Manny and I ventured out to see what we could find. The street running down the side of the hotel turned out to have a fine choice of restaurants, and we settled after a little wandering around on Indian food. After a short while, we were joined by autographedcat and mokatiki, and a very convivial time followed, along with an excellent, if slightly erratically delivered dinner. We returned to the con, where I mostly spent the rest of the evening talking to random people, although dipping into the remaining programme items. Having had not enough sleep for the previous night or two, I decided on an early night a little short of midnight, which would have worked better if Mary and I hadn't then chatted till 3am or so...

Saturday
Up, rather to my surprise, perfectly early enough to shower, dress and still make it down in plenty of time to get breakfast. The food was nice and in entirely adequate quantities, but I got rather upset by one of the waitresses being very insensitive, as well as finding the other restaurant staff rather unfriendly and officious. I settled in the lobby for a while to play with random children, until the smoke got a little too much for me, at which point I retired to the rather nice chaise longue on the landing half way up the first flight of the large staircase. This turned out to be a good vantage point, where I could talk to random passing people, read quietly, but still breathe (which I tend to find a Good Thing). The only annoyance was entirely forgetting about the dance workshop, to which I'd intended to go. pola_bear's set, at the end of the morning, was lots of fun, although I still haven't fully mastered the difference between the sounds that distressed English zebras and distressed Greek ones make :-)

By lunchtime, breakfast still hadn't worn off, so I grabbed a drink and, errm, some words leaked into my head. This came as a slight surprise, although maybe I shouldn't have been listening to folk songs... I scribbled them down in case they should come in useful later, anyway. It would appear this filking thing is contagious, even if you're Only The Piano Player! DJ was hunting for a pianist, so we went and had a rapid rehearse. Then, 5 minutes before the start of the open concert, she produced a rather lovely cabaret song (I must hunt for the music for this some time). I read through, then when I'd finished crying a bit, we decided we could sing it, and I think made quite a reasonable job of it, at least for sight reading... On the other hand, the less said about my playing of Queen's "We are the Champions", the better. I've always suffered badly from stage fright, which has the problem that once things start going wrong, they get worse really quickly...

I'd still been feeling a bit upset anyway from the morning, and was rather shaken by the mess I'd just made, so I drifted in and out for the rest of the open concert. I do at least try to fight back against my lack of self-confidence these days, though, and toward the end I thought I might just about cope with singing. Brian kindly slotted me in a couple of songs before the end, and I made my filking debut, having copied the lunchtime scribbles onto a more-than-postage-stamp-sized piece of paper so I could actually read it. My singing voice remains terrible, the more so for being terrified (I sang for less than two minutes, and my pulse was nearly 200 at the end!) but people seemed to like it. At the end filkerdave and bardling, who'd spent quite a large part of the afternoon generally calming me down and destressing me were kind enough to take me out to find chinese food. Ordered very slightly too much -- breakfast still hadn't entirely worn off...

We wandered back to the hotel, to discover that rather to our delight, while we were late for khaosworks' Guest-of-Honour set, the entire con committee were considerably later, having gone en masse to the other chinese restaurant, and taken rather a while to escape. I opted for a quick change of outfit in an effort to boost my self-respect a little (yes, I'm shallow, so sue me!), and then went to listen to what proved to be an excellent and generally entertaining set of songs. Then the GKs set, for which I drifted in and out -- every time I went back, they seemed to be singing love songs, which didn't quite suit my mood. Finally, I caught the beginning of Mich and Marilisa's set, which was wonderful. (I still haven't worked out whether the two of them are Divine or Strumpet, though...) Unfortunately, when they started on love songs as well, it was more than I could take, and I fled. kitanzi kindly came and rescued me, and we eventually retired to the bar once I could cope with company again, where she and autographedcat looked after me for the evening, until I decided that I should go to bed while I could still walk. Umm. Approximately... Fortunately Mary was still up and in a rather better state to steer me toward the room...

Sunday
And so to Sunday morning. I woke at about 8am, slightly to my surprise with no hangover... Despite this, though, I was very slow moving, and barely managed to make it down to breakfast before it was over at 10am. Still, I did manage to get a good cooked breakfast again, although tea came only very grudgingly (it was three minutes past ten, and they really didn't want to give me any, which I found unimpressive. Did I mention surly waiters? Oh, yes I did..) We'd not managed to find anyone going back to Cambridge on Sunday night, so I went to try and extend my booking. Unfortunately, while I could stay an extra night, I couldn't do so in the same room, so I had to go and pack anyway. They did at least move most of my luggage from the old room to the new one, which was nice, although I kept a bag of the things I needed for the day downstairs so I knew where it was...

Gwen had spotted and enthused about my corset the previous evening, and asked if I could wear it to the wedding, so I disappeared back to the room for a while to get appropriately dressed (it's nice to be appreciated!) I dropped into the main room (although I don't quite recall whose it was, and don't have a programme to hand), and then went to join the wedding party. I'd never before been to a handfasting, but it was a wonderful ceremony, and I was so pleased to be able to be their. Gwen looked radiant, Joe every part the handsome groom. I always find weddings remind me of my own commitments, and although things are a little difficult at the moment, it was definitely a good thing for me. I spent a lot of the ceremony in tears, but mostly tears of joy for them -- they're utterly wonderful people, and they deserve an equally wonderful life together.

Post-lunchtime (not post-lunch, breakfast was still quite sufficient) was the NMC set. I dashed up to my (new) room for a quick change of outfit (yes, again. I know, I probably came over as a bit of a clothes-horse), this time into ballgown (well, everyone else was being OTT, so why shouldn't I?) and sweatshirt (since we were being casual until the end of the set). Having thrown on an overcoat and scarf, I went down to join the others, where we attracted curious glances from people who wondered if we were really that cold...

... because the main room was hot. Very hot. Particularly wearing even one extra layer of clothes (I did at least take the coat off). Anyway... The set seemed to go well, although I think G&S wasn't entirely to the taste of everyone in the audience. Apart from finding that the pedal on the piano had a slight tendency to run away in the middle of pieces, and a couple of inadvertent changes of voicing when a flailing hand hit the wrong button ("where did that string orchestra come from?") my playing seemed to work OK, by and large, or at least wasn't too distractingly wrong... The choir sang excellently, and DJ's Xena song went down well.

By the end, I was thoroughly dehydrated, so I disappeared for a while to find neurofen and lots of water, then spent the next couple of programme items listening lying down on the floor at the back with my eyes shut, since I was still feeling moderately ill but really wanted to hear Terence's second set. Gwen's set was wonderful, and I'm completely in awe of her. (I particularly enjoyed "The Murder Ballad", and must try hard to steal itfind out the words some time.) The closing ceremony followed, in which I was very touched to find that someone had liked what I'd sung on Saturday enough to nominate me for an award. I helped with a little clearing up, then sat down and promptly fell asleep in one of the chairs in the lobby. Fortunately, I woke up just in time (feeling very stiff) to join a small group heading out in search of dinner (Thai, by way of a change), pausing only to bounce, wave and make faces at the group in the Turkish restaurant not quite so far down the street...

Back at the hotel, I wandered up to the circle, where Manny and Naomi were wrestling with a slightly recalcitrant daughter. I thought that they should get a chance to enjoy things, so Grace and I wandered back to the lobby, where we did circuits, played with various people, climbed the stairs, looked in mirrors, worked out how to climb downstairs again, investigated the contents of all the tables, wondered if Terence's guitar was edible, and generally had fun until about midnight, when she abruptly (and noisily!) decided it was bedtime. Having returned her to mum and dad, I rejoined the circle, even occasionally singing again. (This still comes under the heading of "interesting experiment", not "something I can do", but I'll keep working at it...) Eventually, at about 3.30 I admitted defeat and headed, very wearily, for bed.

Monday
And so, to Monday morning. I came down in the morning feeling decidely hungover, which seemed rather unfair given the complete lack of anything stronger than jasmine tea the previous day... We were ready to go by mid-morning, and said a very painful set of goodbyes to everyone who was left. Taking a small diversion so I could see the house where I lived in Old Portsmouth for my year off, we got back on the road, and had a fairly pain-free journey back to Cambridge, where I fed Minstrel and Rhodri tea and we watched Disney cartoons for a short while with R, who was home from school feeling ill.

So: all in all, an excellent weekend away, despite all the issues and baggage I took with me. I went feeling nervous, unsettled, an outsider; I came home feeling I had a new family. I made so many new and wonderful friends, who I'm missing terribly now I'm back in Cambridge. I do hope, however, that at least some of them will be back in future years, and indeed that I can get to more cons in the future... Thank you so much to everyone for making the weekend what it was, particularly to everyone who had the unenviable task of looking after me when I was down; you're all amazing people.

Comments

[ickle-yuki.livejournal.com]

The cons I've been to (Both Discworld ones) have been immensly enjoyable and I've made laods of friends at each. It is often a mixed bag emotionally I've found.

But they're worth it I find :)

I've never really bothered with filk stuff, I'm too lazy to spend the time I guess.

anyway, enough babble from me! Glad you had a good time. Now make sure you continue to goto other Cons ;) it'll be good for you ;)

Oh and you're better at the singing thing than I am, you *attempt* it, even that is something I cannot do, even alone!

[atreic.livejournal.com]

Err, what's a filk? (I'm starting to wonder if it's a word for what I've always done but didn't realise there was a word)

[the-gwenzilliad.livejournal.com]

1. Clothes horse? No *way*. I say, if you have the clothes, you wear them in any order and frequency you like! I myself made more costume changes at this convention than any other I've attended, including four separate outfits on Sunday, not counting nighties. :) And that corset is *gorgeous* on you. I love the construction of it, the colour, the patterning, everything.

2.
Lady Isobel and the Elf Knight

There was a youth, and well bred youth
He being a squire's son
And he did court an inkeeper's daughter
Belonging to Northcumberland

"Go get me some of your father's gold
Part of your mother's fee,
And we will away to some foreign land
And married we will be."

She went down to her father's stable
There stood horses thirty-three
And she picked out a milk-white steed
And he a fast-travelling grey

She mounted on the milk-white steed
He on the fast-travelling grey
They rode until they came
To the edge of the sea
Three hours before it was day

"Alight, alight, my pretty fair maid
Alight, alight!" cried he
"It's six foolish maidens
Have I drownded here
And you the seventh shall be."

"Take off, take off that silken gown
And hand it over to me
For I do think your clothing is too fine
To rot in the salt salt sea."

"If I do take off my silken gown
And hand it over to you
Why I do think it a very great wrong
A naked woman to view.

"I'll take off my silken gown
I'll lay it on the green
But before that I do, you false young man,
You must turn your back on me."

And when he turned his back around
And faced yon willow tree
With all of the strength this poor maiden had
She shoved him into the sea

"Lie there, liet here, you false young man
Lie there instead of me
If six foolish maidens have you drownded here,
Go keep them good company."

And as he rose and as he sank
And as he rose cried he,
"Oh, give to me your hand, my pretty Isobel,
And married forever we'll be."

She mounted on the milk-white steed
She led the fast-travelling grey
She rode until she came to her father's house
One hour before it was day.

The parrot was hung in the window so high
"Where have you been?" cried he.
"Oh, I have been away to Scotland's Bridge
Young Henry lies under the sea."

"Don't prittle, don't prattle, my pretty pretty Polly
Don't tell no tales on me
And you shall have a cage of the very finest gold
And be hung in an ivory tree."

There you go.

When you look at the song without the patter, it's really a fairly straightforward story. I like the twist at the end, which appears in most versions of this branch of the ballad, and the reason I use it to illustrate 'murder ballads for beginners' is that it has most of the characteristics of a classic murder ballad, including Handy Ways To Tell the Victim From The Villain. ;-)

I don't have the patter written down anywhere; it changes from performance to performance. I will tell you that because this audience seemed to really get the patter, I used more of it than I ordinarily do. Of all the songs I sang on Sunday night, this one was probably the only one that actually ran over the time Joe and I gave it when I rehearsed the set for him with a stopwatch.

Hugs and smooches, Ms. Lifesaver,
Gwen

[deborah_c]

four separate outfits on Sunday

Well, getting married was quite a good reason for that!

Thank you for the song. Yes, we really did get it, and I thought the commentary was wonderful :-)

[deborah_c]

Allegedly, the word is a contraction of "filched folk", although maybe it isn't. Canonically, it's a humourous rewrite of a folk song, usually along an SF-based theme. Except, umm, it now seems to encompass fantasy, and folk, and self-referential songs about filking, and, well, songs about totally random themes. Sung to, well, sometimes songs that aren't folk, and sometimes entirely random things, and sometimes original music. And people now write serious songs as well. So, a song, which may or may not be humourous, which may or may not be about something SF-related, and for which the words may or may not be derivative of something else, sung to some music. Generally. Unless it isn't...

(Someone is almost certainly going to point out that it doesn't have to be a song, although I can't immediately think of a counterexample, at least from the weekend. Much of P.D.Q.Bach arguably counts as honorary filk, though, without any voices being involved.)

I asked the same question, and the answer I got was "Filk is what I say it is". I think that's basically a more concise way of saying what I just did :-)

I'm sure other people reading this could, and probably will, give better answers, though.

[sdorn.livejournal.com]

Oooh, I like this etymology! "Filk" is a typographical error in a con program many years ago, and it became adopted as an accidental label. But "filched folk" will do very nicely!

[vaurien.livejournal.com]

In case nobody else explained, callylevy and little_cinnamon are half of Divine Strumpet. Rachel Shurmer and Talis Kimberley are the remainder. With Talis being clearly unable to do the set, the decision was made for the two M-girls to do a set together. Rachel was only coming for the Strumpet set anyway, having rather gafiated from Filk.

[deborah_c]

Oh, I gathered that, I just wondered if the two who remained were the Divine half or the Strumpet half...

[rachelhants.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you enjoyed yourself Deborah. I wish I'd known about this 'filk' thing though, it sounds like the sort of thing that both me and my parents would have enjoyed, and it's only about an hours drive perhaps from home too

[bardling.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you enjoyed yourself/the con, and yes, we were rather pleased to have such a warm, friendly and contributing new filker there. :)
Please come back next year...

As for clothes horse-ism... there're certainly enough filkers who enjoy trotting out their special/dress-up/unusual clothes at filkcons to make you not-one-of-a-kind in that regard, if you chose to view it as such. Personally, I rather enjoyed seeing some of your lovely outfits and did not think you exceedingly "change-y".
As for stage fright and nervousness/anxiety - you are so very much not alone with that particular affliction, and you fake not having it not at all badly while on stage! So yes, keep on filking and maybe the stage fright will let itself be tamed a little more each time as the familiarity with the company grows. Or maybe it'll just be relegated to the backseat by growing self-confidence over time. :)

[pocketnaomi.livejournal.com]

What she said, all of it.

And welcome to the family.

[kitanzi.livejournal.com]

Oh, they're all divine, and none strumpets (as far as I can tell, more's the pity!) *G*

[kitanzi.livejournal.com]

I very much enjoyed meeting you, and I'm glad I could come keep you company and talk things over with you on Saturday. I hope we can talk more, some time - hopefully when you're feeling less stressed! As for clothes-horsing, as ACat says "Being part of fandom means never having to say 'But where would I *wear* it?'" *hug* Thank you for hugs and comfort Sunday night when I was wearing out completely and falling asleep on the floor, too!