Portrait of the Fanboy as a Young Artist

Courtesy of Carl-sub-e, a photo from an underrepresented era: the college years. This was taken in 1982 in Eugene in the house on High Street where he and I both lived for a year, along with my girlfriend, Molly, and her friend, Lisa. I loved that manual Olympia typewriter. Our friend David described typing on it as like sticking your fingers into a blender. I thought I was going to be a serious science fiction writer in those days, even though I was already almost totally blocked when it came to writing fiction. It took me nearly another twenty years to finally get a clue that I didn't have what it takes, helped along by the realization that fanzines could work for me as a niche for personal and non-fiction writing.

Carl also sent some pictures from the Carl Combine's trip to Seattle for the Norwescon in 1979, and I may post some of those later.

The Carl Combine in Old Seattle

So in March 1979 the Carl Combine traveled from Eugene to Seattle for Norwescon. It was my first science fiction convention. Our surrealist spirit guide was Carl-sub-pi, the irrational Carl:




( More Carls below ... )