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Phanny, v. 3, issue 4, Spring 1945

Page 15

15   PHANNY  15

Davis does quite well with a type of writing for which I haven't too much respect; partly, because it is much to easy to do, and partly because a type of pessimistic defeatism and escapism which I regard as mostly piffle. Too often,
such stuff is the merest drivel.   Davis is to be congratulated for writing his stuff well enough so that it doesn't merit that designation, and a little of it in the same vein is a welcome enough change -from the more personalized discussion-and-essay type 'zine which constitutes my major interest in FAPA.
TAKE-OFF! -- There isn't any doubt that Raym is pretty good at this business, but WHY? The stuff grows very tiresome, even when well done—as most of it is. How about forgetting Songs of Deutschland for a while Raym; ditto, parodied songs of all types? You are definitely in a rut.
NUMBER ONE. — Breezy, easy, and Willie all the way. If we must have single sheet
publications in FAPA, let's let Willie, Russ, and Laney do 'em.    First, because the single sheeters they turn out are always in the form of addenda to more pretentious publications, and because they always have something on the sheet. --
Look, Willie, if your  explanation of TAG-LINE MUSINGS? is as effective as your explanation of SAPPHO, you will have to write it in Medieval Martian, or Second
Dynasty Pnakotic.
PHANTAGRAPH. — (November and December)  Petaja's "They Watch," DAW's "The Black Bag," and Kornbluth's "Chant of the Black Magicians1" are fairly satisfactory. "The Black Bag" especially, should be of interest to Lovecraftian addicts.
AAGH! .—   No truer word was ever spoken. Wolfe would certainly be delighted to find his stuff here! Oh, yes indeed; very much! Can't imagine what I was thinking of when I rated this "C" — must have been the quotation.
FAN-DANGO (3-a)    See Comments on NO. 1. Laney's case for an "illegal mailing"
is fairly clear. The Music Poll should have listed Hill-Billy and Cow-boy ballads and old-time dance-music of the squeaky fiddle variety; these would
naturally tie for last on every list. Also, Chamber Music,  which, for all my lack of appreciation of the finer points of music, I like very much. There seems to be too much sniping.  Lanev devotes some 300 words to sniping, and this is followed by;
THE SCIENCE FICTION SAVANT.  — which is devoted to Raym' s charges of sniping
by Laney. I would greatly prefer to see this sort of thing restricted to private letters.   Raym, of course, has a right to state his case.  A more suitable
title for the sheet might have been chosen. 
THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY AND BEFORE. The suggestion that the figures on escape velocity are away off the beam sounds like Fortean day-dreaming to me. If a V-2 got away, which I very much doubt,—then I'm rather certain it attained the normal escape velocity. Or -was this just a bit of satire, DAW; frankly, I
don't know, but it is hard to believe you are serious.
McSNOYD'S BULLETIN. Well, I suppose it serves a purpose, but hasn't this particular feud gone far enough now?
PHANTASPHERE.-  This, combined with the two issues of PHANAGRAPH, might almost have constituted a fen magazine. That was a hare-brained urge, DAW. Not that
I object to additional titles and zines; it is just that I wish you would put out ONE publication worthy of the name; and I will not fall for the line that one page of superior material is better than twenty pages of guff, for the very
good reason that it doesn't apply, simply because a majority of the larger 'zines have as much good material in them as a full year of PHANTAGRAPH, and very often, much more. "Novas in Clover" is interesting, and well worth publishing but why devote a whole new title to it?
"BECAUSE OF CIRCUMSTANCES ..."—Well, there is no doubt that you can turn put legible stuff this way, so now go ahead and work up a little more for the next issue.    Incidentally, you could actually write it satisfactorily, if the note at the bottom of the last PARADOX, page one, is any sample. If you do continue
to letter, rather than write, I suggest that you either (a) rule light pencil lines on the stencil as guide lines, or (b) use a ruled sheet underneath for a guide.

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15 PHANNY 15 Davis does quite well with a type of writing for which I haven't too much respect; partly, because it is much to easy to do, and partly because a type of pessimistic defeatism and escapism which I regard as mostly piffle. Too often, such stuff is the merest drivel. Davis is to be congratulated for writing his stuff well enough so that it doesn't merit that designation, and a little of it in the same vein is a welcome enough change -from the more personalized discussion-and-essay type 'zine which constitutes my major interest in FAPA. TAKE-OFF! -- There isn't any doubt that Raym is pretty good at this business, but WHY? The stuff grows very tiresome, even when well done—as most of it is. How about forgetting Songs of Deutschland for a while Raym; ditto, parodied songs of all types? You are definitely in a rut. NUMBER ONE. — Breezy, easy, and Willie all the way. If we must have single sheet publications in FAPA, let's let Willie, Russ, and Laney do 'em. First, because the single sheeters they turn out are always in the form of addenda to more pretentious publications, and because they always have something on the sheet. -- Look, Willie, if your explanation of TAG-LINE MUSINGS? is as effective as your explanation of SAPPHO, you will have to write it in Medieval Martian, or Second Dynasty Pnakotic. PHANTAGRAPH. — (November and December) Petaja's "They Watch," DAW's "The Black Bag," and Kornbluth's "Chant of the Black Magicians1" are fairly satisfactory. "The Black Bag" especially, should be of interest to Lovecraftian addicts. AAGH! .— No truer word was ever spoken. Wolfe would certainly be delighted to find his stuff here! Oh, yes indeed; very much! Can't imagine what I was thinking of when I rated this "C" — must have been the quotation. FAN-DANGO (3-a) See Comments on NO. 1. Laney's case for an "illegal mailing" is fairly clear. The Music Poll should have listed Hill-Billy and Cow-boy ballads and old-time dance-music of the squeaky fiddle variety; these would naturally tie for last on every list. Also, Chamber Music, which, for all my lack of appreciation of the finer points of music, I like very much. There seems to be too much sniping. Lanev devotes some 300 words to sniping, and this is followed by; THE SCIENCE FICTION SAVANT. — which is devoted to Raym' s charges of sniping by Laney. I would greatly prefer to see this sort of thing restricted to private letters. Raym, of course, has a right to state his case. A more suitable title for the sheet might have been chosen. THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY AND BEFORE. The suggestion that the figures on escape velocity are away off the beam sounds like Fortean day-dreaming to me. If a V-2 got away, which I very much doubt,—then I'm rather certain it attained the normal escape velocity. Or -was this just a bit of satire, DAW; frankly, I don't know, but it is hard to believe you are serious. McSNOYD'S BULLETIN. Well, I suppose it serves a purpose, but hasn't this particular feud gone far enough now? PHANTASPHERE.- This, combined with the two issues of PHANAGRAPH, might almost have constituted a fen magazine. That was a hare-brained urge, DAW. Not that I object to additional titles and zines; it is just that I wish you would put out ONE publication worthy of the name; and I will not fall for the line that one page of superior material is better than twenty pages of guff, for the very good reason that it doesn't apply, simply because a majority of the larger 'zines have as much good material in them as a full year of PHANTAGRAPH, and very often, much more. "Novas in Clover" is interesting, and well worth publishing but why devote a whole new title to it? "BECAUSE OF CIRCUMSTANCES ..."—Well, there is no doubt that you can turn put legible stuff this way, so now go ahead and work up a little more for the next issue. Incidentally, you could actually write it satisfactorily, if the note at the bottom of the last PARADOX, page one, is any sample. If you do continue to letter, rather than write, I suggest that you either (a) rule light pencil lines on the stencil as guide lines, or (b) use a ruled sheet underneath for a guide.