Del Floria's Interview with Cousin Avery 11
| Interviews by Fans | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Del Floria's Interview with Cousin Avery 11 |
| Interviewer: | Del Floria (Live Journal) |
| Interviewee: | Cousin Avery 11 |
| Date(s): | January 11, 2015 |
| Medium: | online |
| Fandom(s): | Man from U.N.C.L.E. |
| External Links: | full interview is here, Archived version |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Del Floria's Interview with Cousin Avery 11 was posted as part of a series at Del Floria's.
Also see: Del Floria's Interview with Avery 11, conducted in 2012.
Excerpts
How have your feelings about MFU changed over the years, or have they?
I abandoned MFU after Season 3's kitschy, comic style. Everything I had loved about the show had disappeared by then, and I felt betrayed. (Fortunately, Mr. Spock was there to help me get over my disappointment.) In the intervening years, my thoughts occasionally drifted toward MFU. I wished I could watch an episode or two again for old times' sake, but other than that, it was pretty much “out of sight, out of mind.”
I rediscovered MFU on the Internet in 2010, when I stumbled onto a Fanfiction site. I read some stories, mostly out of curiosity, and got blown away by the awesome talent of some of the writers. I remember Pat Foley in particular. And Uncle Charlie's “Working Stiffs” series. I read 800 stories in two months, and never looked back.
Today, I can say with certainty that writing/reading fanfic keeps MFU alive for me. The characters continue to grow, and their backstories are enriched with every story I encounter. Just last night, I read Cord Smithee's “Leather” for the first time, and found myself immersed in a First Meeting story I'd never in my wildest dreams considered. I love when that happens!
Addressing those who wear slash goggles, your opinion on who put those looks/those touches/that lack of personal space in the episodes, the writers or the actors? And, why were those mannerisms put in there?
I never saw the guys as gay during the original run of the series, so I was unaware of all the touching/close space the cousins talk about. I do remember thinking that RV had rather effeminate wrists, but that's about it.
I can't imagine any suggestion of homosexuality was deliberate on the part of the writers/ directors/actors. This was the 60's, and while Free Love was about to bloom in the hippie subculture, Gay Love was still pretty much taboo for discussion. Even now, fifty years later, there's societal resistance to love that doesn't fit neatly into the “right” box. I think what we see in those episodes is in the eye of the beholder.
TBH, it took me awhile to find a comfort level with Slash. I just didn't get it. As far as I was concerned, Illya and Napoleon were men in love with women. I read some Slash stories, and while I found many to be well written, I simply could not understand the lure. I asked a lot of questions, and probably annoyed a whole lot of cousins. Finally I decided that an AU could exist in my mind where the guys were gay. That way, I could write Slash in that reality, and then move over to my default universe to write Gen. Today, I'm equally comfortable writing for either reality, and I find them equally enjoyable.
This whole fannish journey has been a series of “firsts.” First time writer, first Gen story, first Het, first Slash. Suddenly I'm four years into the journey, amazed at how quickly time has passed. When I started out, I promised myself that I'd write at least one story in every genre—drama, comedy, adventure, erotic, horror, mystery, angst, H/C, AU, crossover — well, you get the picture. I've done that. And I've loved every minute of it. Next stop, tentacle sex (Just kidding!)