aka779 (11/05/82)
Number 4 in our long-running series of filksongs comes from Act III, UP THE CREEK, as performed by the It's NOt Our Fault Players, of the Circle of Janus SF Club, at INCONJUNCTION I, in Indianapolis, July 4th Weekend, 1981. The song following takes place as the heroes and heroine are steaming up the river toward the fabled Tower, wherein live the fabled "pros", the members of SFWA (pronounced Siff-Wah). The three verses are sung, respectively and respectfully by Sir Richard Francis Burton, Mark Twain, and Alice Liddell WHAT DO THE SFWA FOLK DO? Copyright 1981, by Dr. Arlan Keith Andrews, Sr. [tune: What Do the Simple Folk Do, from Camelot] What do the SFWA folk do When they look down on me and you? There's Dickson with his Dorsai Frank Herbert and his Dunes Ellison who stays high Poul Anderson and the runes. How does Heinlein keep Lazarus Long? Why was John W. ?Campbell never wrong? Why do we read critics like Robinson and Knight? And what's that stuff that Offutt writes at night? Outta sight! What do the SFWA folks say While they are writing for pay? There's Hensley with his murders Sandra Meisel and her art Asimov who knows it all [all shout:] He's just too damn smart! Every pro's life must just be a ball Just look at Frederik Pohl! And I'll be T. L. Sherrred Is laughing in his hat He...gets an E for Effort ...Just for that! ...Just for that! Why do they get into print? Does it help in paying the rent?= I've heard that Larry Niven Just does it all for fun And who would pay good money For what Tucker's done? Why does Philip Farmer write books? I think that he does it just for looks: He does it to be famous For the glory of his name And THAT'S why SFWA folk write For the fame! For the fame! [Legen has it that Niven did not like his reference when it was sung to him at a SFWA party once...] --Arlan Andrews, Bell labs, Indy. Nov. 4, 1982, 10:06 PM EST.