COCO CHANNEL Interview with Kit Ramage
| Interviews by Fans | |
|---|---|
| Title: | COCO CHANNEL Interview with Kit Ramage |
| Interviewer: | Karmen Ghia |
| Interviewee: | Kit Ramage |
| Date(s): | April 2001 |
| Medium: | online |
| Fandom(s): | slash, Star Trek |
| External Links: | An Interview with Kit Ramage; reference link |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
COCO CHANNEL Interview with Kit Ramage is archived at The Society for Slash Diversity and The Committee of Chekov Obsessives Comparing Historical and New Narratives in Ensign Literature.
See List of Star Trek Fan Interviews.
Excerpts
Kit Ramage: I've been a Trekkie since I was 9. I was hooked right away, but I was always at the edges of the fandom when I was kid -- I watched TOS, wrote some extremely embarrassing Mary-Sue fanfic until I was 10-12, went to the movies and watched TNG when they came out, but I didn't go to conventions or interact much with other fans unless they were already friends or family. It's only been since the mid-90's that I've been more involved.
Karmen Ghia: Did the internet play a part in getting more involved? And if so, then how? I ask because that's how I stumbled into all this in 1998 and now look at me.
KR: The internet played a big part in it. First, from reading the Trek newsgroups, then in posting on them. It made me aware of the whole online community, the variations in fandom, and it put me in touch with a lot of people I wouldn't have otherwise known about.
KR: I liked seeing what the writers did with regards to G/B interaction whenever Garak appeared in the early seasons, but it was never that important to me. I would have said it was one of the reasons I enjoyed DS9, but it was pretty far down on my list, below the non-Federation points of view, Sisko's close relationship with his son, and that he continued to grieve for his wife instead of having a frivolous romance every other week, the female characters being the most action-oriented, the darker tone to the show, the moral ambiguities, Bajoran religion and politics. I didn't expect to see Bashir and Garak ever get together, but as long as lunches were shared, chocolates exchanged, and the occasional intense eye-contact made, I was happy with the way things were. It only became important to me when the writers began to back off on the G/B relationship in the 4th season. I had to resort to my own imagination to fill things in, and I started writing.
KG: Well, I guess we can thank the TPTB cowards for that, at least. I know you've written about Garak's torturer past in a few stories. Do you think, being with and being loved by Julian, that his personality has changed enough for him to be worthy of Julian? A Voyager writer who likes my work will not read my G/B because, for hir, there are no good Cardassians. I don't take it quite that far, but I mean, I guess I have this problem with the level of cruelty we are led to believe Garak engaged in, and now - presto chango - he's okay and we can like him, without seeing him have a vision of Elvis or some other utterly horrendous, but nicely redeeming, event. Or am I just an unforgiving asshole? How do you reconcile yourself to that?
KG: Ah! Good news for moi! I recently read your story on the Doctor Fuhq Fest, _A Small Corner of Happiness_, and really really dug it. It's the first Sisko/Bashir slash I've ever read or even heard of, although I'm sure it's out there... somewhere. I'm all jealous; I could never write either of those guys that well. It was extremely well done, as usual, and, I might be wrong, sexier and more graphic than usual. Was this an isolated incident or the beginning of a new era in the Ramage oeuvre?
KR: Sexier? That's a subjective term (but nice to hear). Graphic? I think that has to do with the lubricant. Since I'm from the Cardassians-secrete-their-own school of thought, the subject doesn't usually come up in my G/B sex scenes. Describing its application, however, seems to make things a bit more explicit.
Is it the start of a trend? I don't know.
KG: Yeah, lube and stretching; I was way impressed. What inspired this story? Sisko and Bashir are very sexy guys, but I'd never have made the creative leap and put them in bed together. You're much hipper than I am, really.
KG: I think you've written for zines. How is that experience different from your experience on the web?
KR: Zines have a certain prestige attached to them, since there's some editorial control over what is and isn't accepted. A good zine has a nice, polished, professional feel.
On the other hand, what I like about posting stories online is the immediate response. When you submit a story to a zine, it can be a year or two before it's published, and you rarely get more than a couple of comments. When you post a story to a newsgroup or e-zine, you get feedback within a day. Instant gratification...it's very nice.