I've spent the past few days at Azkatraz, a Harry Potter convention in San Francisco.
It's a pretty intense scene. Something like 1,000 (I'm speculating) Potterphiles in one hotel in downtown SF. You immerse yourself in it, and the whole non-Potter-related world just vanishes. I was going to say it's like being at Hogwarts, but really it's more like sticking your head in a pensieve and accessing the memories of someone who has only thought about Harry Potter ever, and nothing else.
Some random observations, before I hop a flight down to San Diego for Comic-Con:
-- Downtown San Francisco is almost indistinguishable from midtown Manhattan except that they have different stuff to put on your sandwich at Subway
-- The crowd at Azkatraz was very diverse agewise, but genderwise it skewed heavily toward women. I don't know why this surprised me, but it did.
-- There was a great panel on the history of Harry Potter fandom online, starring Melissa Anelli, founder of The Leaky Cauldron and author of Harry: A History. She made an interesting point, which is that because Harry and the Internet both became massive mainstream phenomena at around the same time, and because Harry fans are kind of amazingly determined and resourceful, they wound up establishing a lot of the rules and social forms of online fandom in general. Harry Potter fandom is now the template for all future fandoms.
-- Harry Potter fans are really nice and friendly and clever. They also stay up too late and drink way too much.
-- Snarry slash people (ie people who write fan fiction about Snape and Harry getting it on till the break o'dawn) are super-intense. Seriously that is one rich, rich subculture. Here, listen to "The Snarry Song," it's pretty great (it's also NSFW).
-- I can't say enough good things about the conference planning. It was ultra-professional, everything ran like clockwork. And I was cosseted. Cosseted.
-- Note to aspiring authors: it's difficult to get people to come to your reading when they haven't read the book in question and have never heard of the person reading it. People are just weird that way.
-- There are only so many delicious, refreshing Harry Potter-themed novelty cocktails I can drink and still feel like a man. There is no hangover like a Felix Felicis hangover.
-- The conference organizers did a clever thing, which was to hijack a channel of the hotel cable system and continually broadcast the Harry Potter movies for 72 hours straight. I watched Cedric Diggory die so many times!
-- I was on a panel about fan fiction and intellectual property law, with four lawyers. Intellectual property law is complicated and very, very murky. You think the lawyers know the rules? They don't. A lot of that law has apparently just never been made, because the relevant cases haven't gone to trial.
-- Chris Rankin was here, who plays Percy Weasley in the movies. He is in fact a nice and regular dude, who hung out in the evenings despite the incessant squeeing from fangirls. He also did a karaoke performance of "Summer Lovin'" from Grease.
That's not an observation. I'm just saying, it happened.
"Harry Potter fandom is now the template for all future fandoms."
Do Harry Potter fans harrass bloggers who haven't read the books or seen the movies to the point of absurdity? I think not. Score one for BSG fan innovation.
Kemper
Jul. 22, 2009 14:11:pm
at 14:11:pm
@Kemper: That's only because there's no one left on the internet that hasn't read or watched HP. :p
meredith81
Jul. 22, 2009 14:21:pm
at 14:21:pm
"... because Harry and the Internet both became massive mainstream phenomena at around the same time, and because Harry fans are kind of amazingly determined and resourceful, they wound up establishing a lot of the rules and social forms of online fandom in general. Harry Potter fandom is now the template for all future fandoms."
I love Melissa, but she's a youngling still. Much to learn, she has.
No, Trekdom in all its tortured iterations defined the Internet and fandom. You know why it's called "slashfic," you 'shippers? Kirk/Spock, is why. The earliest internet games were Trek games. Hell, usenet had an entire section devoted to the hatred of Wesley before Snape (and possibly JKR) were conceived.
Wrock is filk, AMVs are fanvids, charities were cool before you were born, and there is nothing here that your parents (or the people your parents shunned in school) didn't do first. (And a lot of that trail was blazed by *their* parents.)
Well, except the library concerts. And the book release parties. Kudos, and thanks for that.
Not trying to hate, just appalled at the lack of awareness. It's like not recognizing that there was a previous iteration of BSG that informed the current one.
Church
Jul. 22, 2009 14:25:pm
at 14:25:pm
Out of everything in that post, I just can't shake off the Snarry stuff. I guess I'm naive, but I never really imagined that particular niche standing out so starkly. Now I'm thinking about all the creative things they can pull out of the HP Universe Bag of Tricks for that sort of thing.
Not particularly on a Snarry level, but in general, I imagine Wizard Bondage would get extremely creative.
Dave
Jul. 22, 2009 14:27:pm
at 14:27:pm
@ Dave, cruise the fanfic for a while and you will find PLENTY of Wizard Bondage with all sorts of extremely creative twists. Just sayin.
hannef123
Jul. 22, 2009 15:02:pm
at 15:02:pm
Next year they should have Azkatraz at Alcatraz with "The Rock" 16th year anniversary cross over commemorative "I'd take pleasure in gutting' you, boy" bumper stickers. That'd make me want to go.
.
Oh and Meredith81, I've never read or seen any of the Harry Potter novels, but I don't use the internets much, unless you count my AOL as the internets.
yogi
Jul. 22, 2009 15:19:pm
at 15:19:pm
Am I allowed to call the Nerd World blogger a nerd? Because I'm a gonna. NEEEEERD!
Rorschach
Jul. 22, 2009 15:26:pm
at 15:26:pm
You can, but here it's not an insult.
Just...just sayin?
Cliff
Jul. 22, 2009 17:54:pm
at 17:54:pm
In case anyone wants to see the performance by guest Chris Rankin of Summer Lovin, I have it up on YouTube
Nicholas Moline
Jul. 22, 2009 18:05:pm
at 18:05:pm
Uploaded the better version of the karoke, with the right aspect ratio and more of the song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuAFwyIN2ko
By the way, it was great to meet you Lev and get you to sign a copy of Codex for me, I look forward to The Magician
Nicholas Moline
Jul. 22, 2009 19:06:pm
at 19:06:pm
That is an undeserved compliment. Calling Lev a nerd would be like calling Baltar brave before the final episode- it may be true but its also impossible to say until he proves it.
anon76
Jul. 22, 2009 22:07:pm
at 22:07:pm
I'd like to thank you for the respect you always show to fandom, and especially to fanfic, which gets little from mainstream media.
wneleh
Jul. 23, 2009 06:35:am
at 06:35:am
[...] Lev Grossman writes a blog post about Azkatraz. I met Mr. Grossman briefly. He’s right about the book readings. [...]
Lev Grossman on Azkatraz, and Percy Sings Grease
Jul. 23, 2009 07:01:am
at 07:01:am
there is two thinks that i felt reading your post:
a) why don't we have cons like that in europe? (god, i really am envying you guys!)
b) i am no expert on this, but isn't fanic something that is in this enormous extend unique to potter-fandom?
elektrojunge
Jul. 23, 2009 07:14:am
at 07:14:am
@elektrojunge -- they DO have them in Europe! They're not as often or as big, but it's called Accio and it is held in Denmark. There was also one in London in 2007. Plus, next year's con is in Orlando, Florida at the HP theme park, so it's a perfect excuse for a US vacation
Fanfic is definitely not exclusive to Potter fandom! It actually goes all the way back to Star Trek fandom in the 70s/80s (which is where the term "slash" came from), though many sources track fanfiction back even further - Star Trek just popularized it across a "fandom" network. The next big fandom to tackle fanfic (as far as I know), and start the trend online, was X-Files, then Buffy and then HP fandom is the one that made the trend explode. Name a fandom, and they have a huge amount of fanfic/pairings, particularly on social networking sites like LiveJournal.
clarely
Jul. 23, 2009 09:40:am
at 09:40:am
Just a small response... I just wanted to counter the claim that Wrock (Wizard Rock) is filk. Having done heavy research on both filk and wrock (academic, scholarly, elevated-degree research) and having been involved with filk and being a wizard rocker personally, I have to argue that they are, in fact, not the same thing.
The process by which filk is written is much different from that by which wizard rock is written. Much of wizard rock is original music, original lyrics, and just happens to be based upon a pre-existing plot line or universe. It falls under the larger heading of Book Rock, has spawned parallel genres (Twilight Rock, Princess Rock, etc), and Wizard Rock actually has its own heading in the Library of Congress. Filk, on the other hand, usually deals with some amount of pre-existing melody set with different text, and is a form of contrafactum rather than original composition. Filk is rather undefined depending on which sources you claim, but the process of 'filking' a song involves putting new lyrics or a new spin to an existing song. Some filkers write their own songs, but I would argue that those original compositions are not actually filk by definition.
Some wizard rock bands DO write the occasional filk song, but by and large, the genres are separate. The wizard rock phenomenon is pretty unique at its origins as far as its development is concerned. It started with a 'real' band called Switchblade Kittens back in 2000, who wrote a song called "Ode to Harry," which is not filk, and later Harry and the Potters formed a full band with original compositions (not filk). I know that when I write MY music, I write it completely. My words, my melodies. I am a songwriter who happens to write on Harry Potter themes. My friends in wizard rock are the same way. They write songs that happen to include a little Harry Potter. Those of us within the fandom and HP music communities consider Potter-filk and Wizard Rock to be two different and separate entities...and some people will actually get quite insulted if you get it wrong.
I think there's a need to be careful to not discredit Wizard Rock musicians by saying it's been done before, because it really hasn't...not to this extent. Filk has been done, yes, but again, Wizard Rock is not filk. Not in practice, and not by definition.
And in response to another comment - yes, Charities were cool before we were born, but the Harry Potter Alliance is a very easy way for people who may not have otherwise become involved to do something to better the world and to help those in need. The HPA works in partnership with other charities across the globe....and it makes a SIGNIFICANT contribution in Harry's name. A short conversation with Mr. Andrew Slack could fill you in on some of that. Maybe I'm ignorant to other fandom-sponsored charity organizations, and if I am, I'd love to be enlightened...but it seems like the Harry Potter fandom DOES deserve some credit for some amazing things that it seems you are reluctant to give.
I don't want to take glory from any other fanbase and give it to Harry Potter, but the HP Fandom does have some incredible and unique things going on that deserve recognition.
wrocknquidditch
Jul. 24, 2009 01:39:am
at 01:39:am
@clarely - THANKS for the hint =) I jsut found out that part of the RING CON 2009 is dedicated to HP ^^ Florida sounds nice but the odds are pretty low that I'll be able to go there -.-
elektrojunge
Jul. 24, 2009 04:05:am
at 04:05:am
[...] critic Lev Grossman made a hilarious blog post on TIME.com, describing his Azkatraz visit for everyone who did not have the chance to attend the [...]
Notes from Azkatraz
Jul. 24, 2009 08:40:am
at 08:40:am
Oh, Dave, you have no idea!
alaanafair
Jul. 24, 2009 14:51:pm
at 14:51:pm
Just so you know, Melissa actually started out talking a lot about the Trek fandom. However, the Star Trek fandom did not grow up with the young generation of Internet users who all started their own websites. A lot of copyright and communication issues arose on the internet because of the HP fandom.
Melissa did a lot for research on this for her book. She is not saying that one fandom is better than the other. She is just saying that they both paved different paths in the world of fandom.
kitkatpb116
Jul. 26, 2009 17:28:pm
at 17:28:pm
your comments are hilarious and charming, i, for one, would have come to listen to you at azkatraz. i just finished the magicians and LOVED it. will be ordering oodles of copies for my library.
k
katiemoellering
Jul. 27, 2009 15:43:pm
at 15:43:pm
[...] please enjoy the photos below and at Flickr as well as stories about Azkatraz 2009, and here, and here, and here, HPEF’s biggest and best Potter con yet. More [...]
HogwartsProfessor.com · Azkatraz 2009: Blast on the Bay!
Jul. 28, 2009 13:58:pm
at 13:58:pm
It doesn't serve any purpose to claim that Harry Potter fandom started it all. I teach a class on fan culture and, for example, we are looking at a Tarzan fan film from 1936! There has always been fan culture and Star Wars and Star Trek fandom set the scene long before HP., So, I love HP fan culture too but we can't make such false claims.
Dr. K
Sep. 13, 2009 19:12:pm
at 19:12:pm