Frienz/Issues 23-24

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Frienz is a gen and non-explicit slash Starsky & Hutch letterzine.

They contain letters, want ads, con reports, clippings, flyers, and occasional fiction.

Issue 23 (Autumn 1993)

Frienz 23 was published in Autumn 1993 (the deadline for the next issue was January 1994) and contains 20 pages. This is the last issue that was edited by Pat Massie.

cover of issue #23

Issue 23: Sample Fan Comments

The editor writes:

FRIENZ will be going QUARTERLY in 1994. And, this year, I will not be publishing a holiday issue. That is one reason this issue is a month later than originally promised. The other is that I wanted to be able to write an LOC myself. Also, in WINTER 1994, I would like to do a full sized SUPPLEMENT on S/H. What do you think? I would like LOC's, ESSAYS, a story or two, zine reviews, and whatever else we can think of. Obviously, there is a great interest in S/H in this fandom, and while I like to keep the LZ gen-oriented, I think many of you could use a topic to warm things up this winter. (See inside lz for more Info on Winter Sup.)....I told myself, when I began this LZ that I would do it for five years. That was in Autumn 1988. Wow! I feel very happy that I stuck with it (and, believe me, this year was a real fannish challenge), and that I delivered what I took money for. I haven't always been as regular a publisher as I would have liked, but I have communicated with you and have provided a forum for our fandom. I'm proud of my effort. And, I, too, marvel at times, as do my friends, [M] and [L], how I ever did it while I going through all my personal trials.'Grace, I guess. And, an extremely stubborn nature. Survivors have both it seems.

The editor writes:

I want to thank you all for your patience this publishing year while we attempted to straighten out some fannish problems. And, even though, we didn't print actual letterzine issues, we certainly had a great deal of communication between us I I have included in this issue a letter from the editor of GAZ. I as very happy to see that fans now have a place to make official complaints regarding zines, zine eds, and problems. S&H has weathered a difficult period, and our fandom survives. With the publication of TL&TS it is also growing, with buyers of the zine expressing interest in FRIENZ. I was truly impressed with how quickly Idiot Triplets Press produced their zine. And, I am very happy to be a part of its distribution.

A fan writes:

When I first subscribed to this l/z, I wanted to read about characters, the actors. I still feel the same way we have gotten off the track lately and spent much of our time discussing fandom itself and its problems, but I hope we can now go back to the main reason we're together -- the enjoyment of Starsky and Hutch.

A fan complains about other fans asking her to read their fiction-in-progress:

I've had more works in progress thrust at me or told to me than I care to remember. I must have a "tell me about your new story" kind of face. It's just not fair! I mean, I'm always at a loss as to what kind and considerate thing I ought to say to avoid these works in progress. By the time I realize I should have said, "I have to go to the bathroom, or, my car is double parked, or, I'm wanted in surgery," an authoress already looms over my left shoulder, and I hold her precious cargo in my reluctant hands.

And yet, though I try to read her manuscript with concentration, echoing in my mind is the drumming certainty that I am trapped. I have to come up with something to say, something nice. Her ego needs maturing not jack hammering. The last thing she wants is the truth. The rhythmic pounding of an encroaching migraine threatens, as I speed read the opus for a page, a paragraph, a sentence that grabs me, delights me, or, at least, doesn't put me to sleep. Comments like: "Gee, nice margins!" or, "What a frequent use of hyphens, and in such unusual places!" seem somehow insincere.

Comments on a plot in which one of the guys is set upon by nasty evil men who do nasty evil things to him all told in pulsating detail. But, though held hostage, beaten, raped and traumatized, he gets over it in three days, simply by having sex with his partner: "Have you ever considered researching a topic before writing about it? or, "Issues that you describe in your story often take years, and not hours to resolve." seem somewhat stern. "Have you ever considered a career in drawing?" seems sort of harsh.

Or, the offered plot is one in which S&H are lovers. They have sex for 69 of the 72 pages of the story. The comment, "What plot?" seems sadly discouraging. Or, the unique and original storyline is: It's their first time. But, they aren't really gay. Still, they couple as though they had read a manual or taken a university level course, or had had a helluvva lot of practice. "The sex is wonderfully penetrating; the plot is not." seems satirical. "Where have I read this before?" seems short tempered. While, "I really like the way you use commas." seems silly. I've found that "My goodness! That was really something!" gives none of my real feelings away.

As does, the ever reliable, "I like the part where S and/or H (or whoever the slashified duo is) comforts H and/or S." Guiltily insincere, I slink away seeking solace in a Singapore Sling and twelve Tylenol.

About this fandom:

I am very happy that there is an S&H fandom still alive and well. I am sorry to see it in such an uproar though. I guess I will add my two cents worth to the melee. I was first introduced to slash in ST fandom and my initial reaction was "no way!". However, curiosity got the better of me and I read some. I found that I enjoyed some of it. An with anything, some stories are well done and others are not. I am first and foremost an H/C fan. I have always been, even as a child I remember watching various TV shows for that special affectionate moment when my favorite character was injured. I guess by some standards that is a childish viewpoint and shows how immature that I am (and I am that!). But, I have a live and let live attitude about "/". I like a good H/C story and if it is slash it will not keep me from reading it. I will not turn away any S&H reading because usually I run find something that I like in a story. I also like the exclusivity that the S&H relationship has in slash stories, maybe that comes from being an only child. (I also was born and raised in San Francisco, maybe "/" is in the water. HA!) I do get jealous when some one, either male or female, comes between the characters. Now this may not be the healthiest attitude in reality, but S&H is after all a fantasy world and I guess I can have it "my way" there... I hope that everyone will agree to disagree and continue to enjoy S&H, I will always be a fan no matter what happens in "fandom".

A zine is cancelled:

First, the bad news. As the contributors already know, the proposed zine ONCE MORE WITH FEELING is cancelled. The reason? Not enough submissions. No, really, people, three stories (however worthy) do not a zine make. My thanks to those few who did write something, or who took the trouble to enquire.

A fan wonders:

Maybe it is the memory of the flack the slash-fans endured in the early days that makes them so vocal and strident now?

A fan speculates on anonymous letters:

You could write those, it was observed, and then, under your own name, reply to yourself, keep up an ongoing conversation.

Babe?:

To be honest, I cannot recall a single instance in the series when either one of them said "Babe". As the word has been used extensively in S&H fiction, I presume it must have been said at least once or twice in the series itself. Enlighten me, folks. I also have to confess that its use in fiction has bothered me from time to time. Probably a purely personal reaction, but it doesn't ring true. I have trouble imagining either of them saying it, which may be why I've blocked it out of the series!

Afan describes a Starsky & Hutch London Fan Day in April 1993:

Saturday morning I took the Underground to the White Hart Pub for the SH Fanday. Sara and I heard sirens and watched emergency vehicles, only then learning that another major bombing had occurred. Two bombs, actually. Fans trickled in all morning saying the underground and busses had all been stopped. Once came from Stratford - by taxi. Two others finally got there by mid-afternoon and really needed the lunch saved for them. Last April there was a major bomb during our Fanday, too. Hmm. NOTHING deters fans from discussing old and new TV shows and zines, and characters, and stories. We had a great time sharing. Bombings are futile as they only make people mad, more stubborn, and less prone to work things out. I heard people say we carried on after Hitler's blitzkrieg in WWII, we'll carry on after the IRA.These SH Fandays are a delightful way to get fans together to share ideas and interests. I have been lucky enough to have been to four or five of them, even on the 4th of July, a nice way to bring two countries closer together. Starsky and Hutch have brought a lot of people close together, who never would have known one another without the joys as a mutual interest. That kind of love is always beautiful. SH fandom is definitely alive and well in the UK.

Issue 24 (March 1994)

Frienz 24 was published in March 1994 and contains 20 pages.

It is the first issue edited by Jean Holmes who promises to keep it running up until at least issue #28.

cover of issue #24, cover by Tabby Davis
  • TOTM: Plot (see Tabby's essay) episodes, stories. Or, the kinds of things you look for, avoid. What is plot?

Issue 24: Sample Fan Comments

A fan responds to the fan who did not like to read other people's unfinished fiction:

It was enlightening to learn your feelings about being approached by writers at Cons. I wonder if all editors consider it an imposition to be asked to read unsolicited works. I'd think the easiest way out would be to politely say you'll read it after the Con when you get home then write her; that would let you off the hook of having to stroke any egos personally. I agree it would be difficult to know what to say on the spur of the moment if a story is lousy, so agreeing to read things "later" would seem like the simplest way.

A fan casts her vote:

I also like the idea of a "Winter Supplement," particularly since it's slash. We slash fanatics really have no lz outlets to discuss our passion so something like this would seem great. Any chance it could turn into a quarterly feature (hint hint), depending on the response to this first issue, of course? I think the slash fans would enjoy having somewhere they could write their feelings freely, without fear of offending anyone.

A fan doesn't care to read your sex scene:

I don't want a sex-scene that reads as if it was lifted directly from THE JOY OF GAY SEX. I'd rather not have a sex-scene at all. Plenty of emotion, affection — yes. The mechanics of sex are not, for me, the stuff of great literature. Write it erotic, not technical. And if you want me to take it seriously, then it has to be just a part of 'what happens'.

A fan comments on fandom:

[L's] letter talks of 'starting a new chapter in SH fandom'. Guess that's actually something we've been doing for years; like most things in which human beings are involved, fandom, too, evolves. New chapters ... not to be equated with any break from all that has gone before in the growth of this fandom ... this past decade-plus, starred with a LOT of very special memories and associations. Some things we probably wouldn't miss? - like, say, anonymous letters? Me — I promise always to sign my real name in correspondence with my fellow-fans.

Regarding "Babe":

...'babe' occurs in zines rather than in the series. It also occurs - often - tn the extensive collection of creative song-tapes which has grown up around the episodes; perhaps those are an influential factor.

A fan asks:

And now here's a very tentative, final thought. (I'm not even sure whether, at this stage, it makes any sense to mention it...) I wonder if it is crazy for me to consider embarking on the production of another zine?? The possibility really began with an enthusiastic and persuasive offer from a transatlantic source of help with some of the practicalities...encouraging! I would probably need to have it done some time this year. If anyone feels interest in such a project for a new SH zine, I'd be very happy to hear. The title would be RENASCENCE.

At least two BNFs who've written slash in the past have been quite grumpy about it in the last few issues of the letterzine — one writes:

Overall, there is a preponderance of stories that use sexual relationship as plot. Whether this ultimately challenges fan writing, whether it promotes new approaches to plotting beyond the recent rash of "dark" investigations into rape and SM, I can't say. Coming up against utter sameness in plotting though, I can say that the last zine I read all the way through was Code 7 #1.

A long-time fan writes:

To all my dear S/H friends, and I have many. I have tried to believe in the concept, believe me I've tried. But I cannot, for the life of me, see how S. and H. could form a lasting homosexual relationship and keep their jobs. (I know somebody will tell me I'm wrong). For me, what they do, how they do it, their work, and their dedication to it, are paramount. It's the reason for their existence, the way we came to know them, why the series was so enjoyable. I've been grateful for the subsequent expanding of horizons in fan-fiction, but despite that, the characters remain, for me, the ones we saw on the screen. I feel sometimes my imagination must be limited, but what I saw there was a close friendship, based on a long-time working partnership that threw them together for all those hours per day. A friendship that endured, and would have endured, despite any changed circumstances. That was all I needed to love S&H, folks, so forgive me for not being able to go the step further that seems to be important to many of you. Your tolerance, and acceptance of what must seem to you a reactionary p.o.v. is appreciated. I'll continue to enjoy - and perhaps occasionally marvel at - the widely diverse portrayals of S&H in fanfiction. And I'm very glad that we've resolved the l'zine "problems". The exchange of opinion:;, and discussion have always been an important part of fandom for me. Thanks to Pat for her patience and perseverance in sorting things out and putting us back on an even keel.

Regarding plot, or lack thereof:

The show's success owed pretty nearly everything to the playing, not only of DS and PMG, but the regular supporting cast, plus all the other excellent actors and actresses who appeared in the series. It's been said that there were only a handful of standard plots, which were rotated among the various similar- styled shows—not too hard to believe. At the time we originally watched the show, in those far-off days, would I be wrong in thinking we were not so concerned with plots, we simply looked forward to seeing our heroes week by week. We got more discerning later on, and undoubtedly fanfiction helped to focus attention on plots. We began to see that many of the series plots left a lot to be desired. Much of the fiction, even in the early days, had plots as good, or better than the^ episodes. So, yes, plots do matter, although in fiction it is possible, as Tabby points out, to do without them. But it needs a very good writer to dispense with plot altogether. Easier,perhaps, in a short piece, or a vignette, where the characterisation is all.

Editing, do we need it?:

I'm sure someone else must have told you by now that 'whaddya mean - I'm not a good kisser?' was a wonderful little A5-size zine which appeared in '86. The stories were all based on S&H's first kiss. It was published by the same press who did 'Lifeline—another great zine. I know WYM was not edited and I believe 'Lifeline' was not edited either. As both zines held quality stories I wonder if all this editing that goes on is quite necessary.

A fan's beginning:

I was definitely a fan of the original series, but at the time didn't know fandom existed. I finally found it. just as SH fandom was becoming virtually exclusively slash, Meaning, everybody but [M F]. This gave me the advantage of picking up a good collection of classic '&' zines fairly cheap from people moving on to other fandoms, mostly Pros. The drawback was that the all-slash writing coming out then didn't really appeal to me; I just couldn't relate it to what I'd loved about the series, which I saw as two cops who had an exceptional partnership and friendship. Their being cops was a major factor --I mean, let's face it, how exciting would the series have been for us if Our Boys had been, say, insurance salesmen? I didn't so much object to the slash premise as such, but moat of the writing focused exclusively on bedroom action. In which case they might as well have been insurance salesmen...

The slash was boring:

That's why I basically dropped out of the fandom at that time: I didn't find the slash stories morally objectionable, I just found them boring! I am delighted to see the fandom staging something of a comeback (this is a new experience for me!), with so many new people coming into it, and many of them predominantly '&' fans. With any luck this will lead to more '&' fanfic, a trend already started with the '&' section of THE LUCKY & THE STRONG and Nanci Casad's novel The Mind Enslaver. For that matter, I've been very pleased to find the writing quality of the newer slash much improved as well. I picked up a copy of IT'S LOVE, CAP'N at ZCon and was very favorably impressed, as I told Monica in an LoC. And I don't recall noticing any 'throbbing shafts' or 'tight, hot tunnels,' the stock terms which I found ubiquitous to the point of nausea in the early slash. (Now if we could just retire meanly muscled.' Not that they aren't, but the term's been over-used. Again in my individual and non-professional opinion.) Both ILC and the slash section of TL&TS had stories with lots going on besides their love life, which made them much more interesting to me.

ZebraCon comments:

While I enjoyed zine-hunting and meeting other SH fans at ZCon, I was very disappointed in the shortage of SH programming. I had submitted three different SH topics, so it wasn't that they didn't get any input What say we try for more SH representation at MediaWest this year? Two of the topics I had suggested are: 1) Not Just Another Buddy Show--What Made S&H Unique? and 2) New Souls for the Faith, or, What Episodes and Zines or Stories Would You Use to Introduce a New Fan to S&H? If anybody would be interested in doing either or both of these, drop me a note or postcard. My experience with MediaWest has been that if you present them with a panel, complete with title and at least 3 panelists you're pretty well assured of a spot on the schedule.

References

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