What is filk? Hard question. Easy answer: the folk music of the
science fiction fandom. Thing is, it doesn’t always sound like
folk music, and it’s not even close to all about science fiction.
We’ve got singers and rappers, guitarists and accordion players,
keyboardists and bodhran-wielders. We’ll take sad songs about
space and ballads from the back pages of Mercedes Lackey novels, songs
that are strings of innuendo based on Star Trek, songs about gaming,
politics, Shakespeare, Kipling, cats, escapism. Songs to the tune of
one song, referencing three more songs, making jokes about a sci-fi
convention that happened back in the 60’s and speculating about the
furture of space travel. It’s music fit for Dothraki; it takes
what it likes and goes where it will–but it has also become the
bardic historian of fandom, and it’s one of the most inclusive and
accepting musical traditions of Western civilization. We want you,
your three banjo chords, and your truth. And by “truth,” I mean
excess emotions about comic books. This blog aims to educate the
uninitiated, bring new music to enthusiasts, and promote anyone who
wants to be promoted. For more information, see the link widget in the
upper left hand corner.
