From: Kay.Shapero@f524.n102.z1.fidonet.org
Newsgroups: alt.music.filk
Subject: Filking...I'm new to the
X-Sender: newtout 0.02 Nov 17 1992
Date: 13 Dec 92  08:56:01

On <Dec 09 12:09>, Eric Troup (1:103/208) wrote to All:

 ET>read...but I'm a bit confused as to what exactly constitutes a 
 ET>filk
 ET>song.  They're not really parodies, because many of the songs I 
 ET>have
 ET>heard aren't humorous.  I'd like to start writing some of my own, 
 ET>but
 ET>figured I ought to have a better grasp of what I'm getting into.
 ET>Besides <Grin>, I don't play guitar.  I play keyboard.  I've 
 ET>heard
 ET>that's...er...a bit frowned upon as a "non-tradition" or 
 ET>something.

Hey, _I_ play keyboard (got a little bitty portable one that takes up less
room than a guitar and does several voices) and so do portions of Windbourne. 
 Filk away!  Here's what Nick Smith of the LA Filkharmonics has to say about
filk:

WHAT THE HECK IS FILK MUSIC? 

by Nick Smith (of LA Filkharmonics) 
  
Well, it's sort of like folk music.  It is a mixture of song parodies and
original music, humorous and serious, about subjects like science fiction,
fantasy, computers, cats, politics, the space program, books, movies, TV
shows, love, war, death. . . 
  
Filk music started off forty or fifty years ago, at science fiction
conventions, where people got together late at night to have good
old-fashioned folk music song circles.  Well, late night circles being what
they are, some folks got a little silly and started singing song parodies
about their favorite SF books and authors.  Fans started writing song parodies 
about themselves or each other.  Some started composing serious songs about
favorite topics.  Some authors started composing original songs for their
books.  If the author didn't list a tune, fans made up one.  Sometimes two. 
Sometimes several. 
  
Eventually, Filk songs wre written for just about every major science fiction 
or fantasy work.  Some of them were actually good enough that people wanted to 
learn them, or just listen to them more than just at conventions.  At that
point, song books and recordings started being made. 
  Over the last decade, Filk Music has reached the point where there are
entire Filk Music gatherings, conventions, recording companies, and
publications.  Filk Music includes song parodies, original songs, and slightly 
musical poetry.  It's a fun way to indulge in a little musical creativity,
especially if you are a science fiction or fantasy fan as well as musically
inclined.  If you are only a fan, but not musical, you can still listen.  Filk 
circles aren't pushy about requiring you to play or sing.  If you are only
musical, but not a fan, no one will hold it against you.  Remember, we're in
this thing for fun! 
  
[Written for flyer for distribution at California Traditional Music
Society Annual Summer Solstice Dulcimer Festival and other local Los
Angeles folk music events and stores.]

What Nick didn't tell you is that the name started out as a typo of "folk"
and was gleefully adopted by all and sundry as a term for what is after
all a somewhat unusual subset.

Kay Shapero, Moderator/Designated Topic Cop, FILK echo 

 


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