Corduroy Starsky
| Fanfiction | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Corduroy Starsky |
| Author(s): | Sylvia Bond |
| Date(s): | 2008 |
| Length: | |
| Genre: | slash |
| Fandom: | Starsky & Hutch |
| External Links: | Corduroy Starsky |
Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Corduroy Starsky is a Starsky/Hutch story by Sylvia Bond.
It was published in Venice Place Chronicles #8 and is also online.
This story has a companion piece called Velveteen Hutch.
Author's Comments
Many years ago, I wrote a fanfic called “Velveteen Hutch,” which I talked about in this post, and which you can read on Flamingo’s archive. The story was, so they tell me, well-received, and the original publisher of that fanfic, Linda Cabrillo, wanted a companion piece even before the ink was dry on the first piece. That was some 15 years ago, and since then, I’ve had it in the back of my head that I would oblige her, which I have now done with a fanfic called “Corduroy Starsky,”...The distance between the two fanfics can be explained by other fandoms taking over, as I went deeply into Blakes 7, The Professionals (songvids), and Dark Shadows (many, many stories). Then Real Life had its full share as I got a pair of Master’s degrees, bought a condo, sold that, bought a house built in 1902, refurbished that and sold it, and then bought another condo, which is a lot of moving! By the time I got back to the companion piece, I had lost touch with Starsky and Hutch, and felt rather adrift that I couldn’t just call up the passion I once had for them, let alone remember the canonical details that bring every fanfic to life.
With my publisher’s handholding, I managed to write something that we both felt was not only a good companion to the first, but that also captured Starsky’s devotion to Hutch. I wrote it from Starsky’s point of view, which had a very different feel from Hutch’s because, naturally, Starsky has a different outlook on life than Hutch does. I always felt he was the more serious of the two, on the inside, while playing the clown to hide this. His recall of events is much more linear than Hutch’s, plus, he became very focused on not only when events happened, but what they meant. This was a strong contrast to Hutch’s stream of consciousness memory of the same timeframe, that is, from the time they met to the events that happened after Gunther and Lionel. I still feel that I didn’t do the boys justice, but what is there that is good I owe to several sources. [1]
The story was, so they tell me, well-received, and the original publisher of that fanfic, Linda Cabrillo, wanted a companion piece even before the ink was dry on the first piece. That was some 15 years ago, and since then, I’ve had it in the back of my head that I would oblige her.
But I figured that Starsky would be a different person in his mind, different on the inside than on the outside. He's much more intelligent than he likes to let on and he feels things so deeply, perhaps even more deeply than Hutch. And, what's more, Starsky thinks in long, complete sentences, so it was a much different challenge to write.
The distance between the two fanfics can be explained by other fandoms taking over, as I went deeply into Blakes 7, The Professionals (songvids), and Dark Shadows (many, many stories). Then Real Life had its full share as I got a pair of Master’s degrees, bought a condo, sold that, bought a house built in 1902, refurbished that and sold it, and then bought another condo, which is a lot of moving! By the time I got back to the companion piece, I had lost touch with Starsky and Hutch, and felt rather adrift that I couldn’t just call up the passion I once had for them, let alone remember the canonical details that bring every fanfic to life.
With my publisher’s handholding, I managed to write something that we both felt was not only a good companion to the first, but that also captured Starsky’s devotion to Hutch. I wrote it from Starsky’s point of view, which had a very different feel from Hutch’s because, naturally, Starsky has a different outlook on life than Hutch does. I always felt he was the more serious of the two, on the inside, while playing the clown to hide this. His recall of events is much more linear than Hutch’s, plus, he became very focused on not only when events happened, but what they meant. This was a strong contrast to Hutch’s stream of consciousness memory of the same timeframe, that is, from the time they met to the events that happened after Gunther and Lionel. I still feel that I didn’t do the boys justice, but what is there that is good I owe to several sources.
[snipped]
I owe a debt of gratitude to my silent resource Pepper Ckua and her brilliant Compendium that contains every factoid EVER conceived, written, imagined, shown, told, or filmed about Starsky and Hutch in Bay City. You would not BELIEVE it unless you see it, how complete and in depth this website is, how ginormous and richly detailed.
And then, of course, there’s Keri, my publisher, who has untapped amounts of enthusiasm for this project, and was wonderful to work with in a way that I remember fanfic publication being. Now, if she’d only hang her fanart…
Many thanks also goes to Linda from Idiots Triplets Press who suggested this story in the first place, and to my sister Caren who waited for it with no patience whatsoever. [2]
I thought Sky Blue and Black was the more sophisticated of the two stories [I wrote that year], but no zine wanted it on account of the level of violence in it, which, at the time, did not fit what Starsky & Hutch readers wanted. Red Hot Lovers was happy to print the story, but it got very little love.
On the other hand, Velveteen Hutch, a much simpler, easier to write story, hit the ground running. It became a fan favorite for years and years! I was a little surprised at the reception, honestly because, like I said, it was easier to write. Readers wanted the Starsky companion piece, which I wrote, finally, in 2008. It was called Corduroy Starsky. As this story came out at the tail end of the printed zine era, it didn't get much exposure.
The contrast between the reception of these stories taught me a lot about writing. The Starsky & Hutch fannish community was close knit and we all knew each other. It was like family to me. There's a story like mine behind almost every single fan fiction you will ever read. [3]
Reactions and Reviews
This is a magnificent story! I love the natural progression from friends to lovers that is so real and refreshingly light on angst (not that there's anything wrong with angst!). And the way they each know what the other thinks and feels and needs and know that they know that about each other. Makes sense to me. ;-) Great job!
[4]
I got a little weepy there for a couple of two/three hot minutes. I love these two guys. When I'm reading.... it feels like I'm watching a movie... I can virtually see them in my mind's eye, enacting out the dialogues, emoting with them in the scenario. How fun and weird is that! Don't mind me, I'm just a knucklehead fanboy deluxe at heart...... I really need to 'get a life! Thanks for sharing. [5]
This was fascinating! A beautiful story and a wonderful read, of course, but as a companion piece to "Velveteen Hutch" also just so, so intriguing. Seeing Starsky's perspective on things Hutch talked about in his tale is so revealing and at the same time deeply satisfying in some way. Especially in those moments where Hutch didn't quite know what Starsky was thinking, this feels like fitting in the last few missing puzzle pieces to finally get the full picture – wonderful! I particularly loved Starsky's view of the "playground ethics" at play in Hutch's almost-fight, and the way that seemed almost mundane to him, where to Hutch it was a matter of self-control and trust. Though of course, seeing which moments Starsky talked about that Hutch didn't, and that difference in perception of what's important, is revealing in the best possible way as well.
And just like in "Velveteen Hutch," all the big and little details you use to make everything feel alive and real are marvelous. Starsky's adventures as a young wannabe-gangster were so vivid, and though nothing like that has been part of my headcanon for him so far, the way you presented it here I can totally imagine things having happened like this. And everything about John Blaine was just great! In just a short amount of 'screentime,' it really brought his role as Starsky's mentor to life, while also giving it nuance and context.
My favorite thing, though, is definitely watching Starsky first figuring out Hutch, and then figuring out where the two of them are headed. He's so much more analytical and often simply aware than Hutch; it's a joy to watch him turn these things over in his mind and work them out. And also just a joy to see their cozy home life through his eyes, especially with him understanding far better than Hutch did how their relationship was headed for a change!
And then, oh, I love that each of them feels like he's the luckiest guy in the world to have the other one. If that's not the perfect happy ending, I don't know what is! Just wonderful; a delightful end to a delightful story. I'm so glad you decided to write this even after so much time! ♥ [6]