Bird of Paradise (Starsky & Hutch zine)

Bird of Paradise is a 254-page explicit slash Starsky and Hutch novel by Gloria Galasso. The story is also a coded crossover with OCs who most fans believed were based on Led Zeppelin One of the zine's illustrators said in 1984: "...at last you've seen Plant in S&H" -- from APB #33 . According to the author, however, the OCs (Derek Quinn and Allyn Sterling) were instead based on real people in a lesser known band.Gloria Galasso. Email to gardeners list. April 13, 2010.
Bird of Paradise is a section out of another, much larger, corpus of work called The Leviathon.
The zine was edited by Penny Warren.
"Bird of Paradise" was proposed as a zine in 1980, and despite periodic updates (and often a lot of radio silence), wasn't published until 1985, though at that time was to a very limited audience. It is possible it was not officially published at all, or it may have ended up as a story passed around to other fans through the mail. The "review" by Terri Beckett in March 1985 in APB #35 was actually a "preview," and while fans talked about "Bird of Paradise" in that letterzine, the discussion was about the premise, rather than because fans had actually read it. The plan was for this edition to have art by Freda Hyatt, something Hyatt and others wrote about extensively in letterzines. 
In 1990, it was published with a different page count and different artist named Cynthia Mellon. The art, probably excellent, appears to have vanished. 
"Bird of Paradise" was later rewritten as original fiction with the same title and published in 2013 under a pen name, G.J. Paterson. Gloria Galasso. Email to gardeners list. November 5, 2013. At that time, the author stated that "Bird of Paradise, started life as a TV script and then became "an unpublished Starsky/Hutch novel." Gloria Galasso. Email to gardeners list. November 5, 2013. 
In 2013, the author said that the original fiction version's characters were modified and "no longer has anything at all to do with Starsky and Hutch." Gloria Galasso. Email to gardeners list. November 5, 2013.
==Summary of the Fanfic: 1984==
==Summary of the Original Fiction: 2013==
Summary: 
 
==The Starsky and Hutch Element==
The kidnapping of Sterling's daughter occurs in Los Angeles, and Starsky and Hutch are called to the scene. 
Starsky sees a physical resemblance between Allyn Sterling and Hutch (both being golden beauties and all).
Starsky has many internal monologues about how he and Hutch are somewhat estranged; Starsky wishes he could go back in time to when he and Hutch had a simpler joy in each other and didn't have secrets. The Hutch in this story is hard and brittle. Starsky alludes to a drunken evening that changed their relationship, one which he and Hutch never talk about. 
Hutch is very much focused on, and disapproving of, Sterling and Quinn due to Quinn's heroin use, a habit Quinn has had for seven years.
In the story, Starsky and Hutch have sex, as do Starsky and Sterling.
==Different and Evolving Renditions==
It appears to have been available in some rendition as a pass-around story. A fan in 1990 mentioned that it "will be good to read again in actual zine form.": "Good news that 'Bird of Paradise' is finally on the wing. That new editorship has achieved an effective launching... I have my original order/receipt for a copy -- almost a historical document -- dated 1981. Will be good to read again in actual zine form." from Tell Me Something I Don't Know! #21 (September 1990)
In 1982, the author describes it as being part of a much larger work: "BoP is a section out of another, much larger, corpus of work called The Leviathon which is already over fifteen hundred pages long and spans the working history of a major rock band over fifteen years... BoP originally ran right at 400 pages at a line and a half. Even allowing for the use of double space on the re-write (the 'zine will be single spaced. Indentation will have to suffice to separate paragraphs) the story in already one third longer than the original." from S and H #30 (February 1982) 
In 1985, the zine was published with 325 pages and illustrations by Freda Hyatt. This may have been a very, very small print run and may have only been available to UK fans as fans in the US (some who'd paid deposits years earlier) appeared to be in the dark about its publication. 
In 1990, it was reprinted, this time with 254 pages and with different art. The artist of this edition was Cynthia Mellon who was mentioned as doing the illos way back in 1980.
==Notable for Being Long in the Making==
This zine is well known for a number of reasons, one of which how long it took to be published.
In 1985, a fan wrote a tongue-in-cheek history of Starsky and Hutch fandom for The Paul Muni Special convention program book. In it, she poked fun at two zines that stood out in her mind: 
==The Road To Publication: Some Postcards from the Trip==
===1979===
 
===1980===
From Datazine #1 (January 1980): 
From S and H #6 (January 1980): 
===1981===
From an ad in S and H #27 (November 1981): 
===1984===
From a letter by the creators of the zine to fans who had sent SASEs and/or deposits: 
===1985===
From Freda Hyatt, the illustrator for the 1985 edition: 
From the author, Galasso: 
===1987===
From a fan in Tell Me Something I Don't Know! #4 (July 1987): 
===1989===
From a fan in Frienz #5 (August 1989): 
===1990===
From a fan in Snitch #18 (August 1990), an ad: 
From Tell Me Something I Don't Know! #21 (September 1990): 
==Image Sample Gallery==
File:birdof.jpg|front cover of 1990 edition
File:birdart1.jpg|a sample page, Cynthia Mellon, portrays 
File:birdart2.jpg|a sample page, Cynthia Mellon, portrays Derek Quinn and Starsky (Starsky is supposedly the taller, dark-haired man)
File:birdart3.jpg|a sample page, Cynthia Mellon, portrays Derek Quinn 
File:birdart4.jpg|a sample page, Cynthia Mellon, portrays Derek Quinn 
File:bop2.jpg|a sample page
File:bop1.jpg|a sample page
File:bop3.jpg|a sample page, Cynthia Mellon
File:bop4.jpg|a sample page, Cynthia Mellon, Derek Quinn offers himself sexually to the jail guard
==Comments By the Author 28 Years After the 1990 Zine Was Published==
The author comments on the pro book this zine became:
==Fan Comments==
===1985===
===1994=== 
===2000=== 
===2002=== 
===2005=== 
===2009===
===2011===
 
==References==
Category:Starsky & Hutch Slash Zines
Category:Led Zeppelin
Category:1982 ZinesCategory:Crossover Zines