Hourglass Productions
| Name: | Hourglass Productions |
| Date(s): | late 1970s, into the 1980s |
| Profit/Nonprofit: | profit |
| Country based in: | |
| Focus: | |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Hourglass Productions was a for-profit company based in Garden Grove, California.
The company recorded science fiction writer con panels, single-person interviews, filking, and con skits and then sold them to fans.
It appears that, in some instances, the company recorded pre-arranged, existing events at conventions such as panels. This is not mentioned in any of the ads or descriptions, nor does it appear the company revealed that these were recordings of events at cons. The latter would mean they did not give credit or promote the original venue, nor give a heads up for fans who may have already heard the presentation.
The First Filk Audio Cassette
This company released the very first filk cassette recording that was available to the general public. [1]
In the late seventies, it wasn’t like that [finding recorded filk music]. You could count the flk albums for sale on your fngers. Cassette recorders were available, but bringing one and a decent microphone to a flksing was a chore. You could join the flking at some conventions, but there were no cons specifcally dedicated to flk. Leslie Fish’s two LPs were still available [2]. Gary Anderson and others informally distributed cassettes. The frst published flk tape may have been Children of the Future, by Karen Willson, which Hourglass Productions released in 1978 or 1979. It featured multiple vocal and instrumental performers, and the insert credited sound engineers. [3]
Some Examples of Available Tapes
- "Marion Zimmer Bradley: A Personal Note" audiocassette tape (1978); live interview
- "Kathleen Sky: Comments on STAR TREK and Other Matters" audiocassette tape (1979); live interview by Stephen Goldin
- "Anne McCaffrey: Flight With a Dragonlady" audiocassette tape (1980); live interview
- Karen Wilson, filking, Children of the Future, originally released in 1978 or 1979, re-released in 1982
Some 1979 Comments With a Possible Interviewee
Jacqueline Lichtenberg wrote in Darkover Newsletter:
Probably at the Darkover Grand Council-East this July, I will be recording one of the Hourglass tapes "An Hour With..." Most of you probably have the MZB tape by them (see ordering information elsewhere in this issue). MZB is interviewed by Katherine Kurtz on that tape, and other tape interviews C.L. Moore. I have asked, after much thought, for Katherine Kurtz to interview me for the tape because MZB already knows me better than I know myself and so I don't feel any impulse to explain anything to her, whereas I have just met Katherine and am eager to tell her everything! [4]
Reviews
From a blurb in "Starship" #35:
A new entrant in the field of SF audio is Hourglass Productions. This new outfit has announced a very ambitious program of recorded inter- views, to be issued as tape cassettes. They list as either in-the-can or in-the-works, interviews of Isaac Asimov, Katherine Kurtz, Fritz Leiber, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Randall Garrett, Gregory Benford, Kathleen Sky, Stephen Goldin, Robert Silverberg, Larry Niven, Joan Vinge, C.L. Moore, Alan Dean Foster, Kelly Freas, Terry Carr, and Gordon Dickson. An impres- sive list, to say the least! A further [unclear word] is their use, whenever possible, of other authors (editors, illustrators, etc.) in the role of interviewer. Thus, Asimov is interviewed by Randall Garrett, Bradley by Kurtz, Carr by Susan Wood, and so on.
Hourglass sent me the Garrett cassette as a sample. The interview runs for an hour and is conducted by Vicki Ann Heydron. In response to questions, Garrett offers some very pleasant writerly reminiscences of his own career, his dealings with John W. Campbell, Bob Silverberg (with whom he collaborated as “Robert Randall”), Laurence Jannifer (with whom he collaborated as “Mark Phillips”), and so on. He does a brief reading of a scene from one of his “Lord D’Arcy” stories and talks a good bit about Lord D’Arcy, the genesis and growth of the D’Arcy series, his exchange with Rex Stout and the relationship between D’Arcy and his assistant Bontriomphe and Stout’s Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin. (Bontriomphe = Goodwin.)
He also goes into the history of his parallel world in some detail. I found some of the incidents of this “other” history very droll— the story of Richard III sending his navy up the Tiber to force his man’s selection in a Papal election was my favorite, and Garrett’s mention that he’s working on a full history book of this parallel earth brightened my day. It should be grand fun!
The Hourglass cassette comes complete with a photo of Garrett and liner notes. It is altogether a nice package, and promises well for the rest of the Hourglass line.
On the negative side, I must mention that the technical quality of the presentation was a trifle below par. Nothing grossly objectionable, but, for instance, the general quality and level of ambient background noise [5]— what they call in the recording industry, “room tone”— is very uneven. Now room tone is not undesirable in this kind of sound tape. In a musical recording, maybe. But for a voice tape, you want room tone. You may not notice it when it’s there, but you’ll notice it when it’s absent— as a kind of dead hush when nobody’s speaking. But it should be steady, and in the Garrett interview it seems to appear, rise, fall away, and occasionally disappear entirely.
The questioning, also, sounded very stilted to my ear, while Garrett’s answers, for the most part, came across as quite natural and spontaneous. Occasionally Randall does lapse into self-indulgence or self-promotion, including those moments when he and Heydron come on like a commercial. Is it true that you have your very own fan dub? Why, yes indeed, it is. And is there a post office box in Heyward, California, to which people can write to join your fan club? Yes, that is true, it is Post Office Box Number Zilch-Two-etc.
No no no no no. Tsk, Randall, and also pshaw.
Still, much more good here than bad. I do recommend that you try at least one Hourglass tape— pick your favorite author and try an hour’s worth. That’s for individuals. For libraries, schools that offer science fiction courses, and other such institutions, I’d think that a complete file of the Hourglass tapes would be a good investment.
They’re $4.98 apiece, plus 50 cents postage and (for California residents) 6% sales tax. The first six tapes available feature Katherine Kurtz, Fritz Leiber, Marion Zimmer Bradley, C.L. Moore, Randall Garrett, and Gregory Benford. Others are to be added, and you can get a catalog from the same address. [6]
From "Fantastic Science Fiction" v.27 n.11:
Hourglass Productions. An Hour With . . . Cassette tapes, $4.95 each; Larry Niven, Fritz Leiber, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Isaac Asimov, Harlan Ellison, Randall Garrett. $5.95: Karen Willson and Friends. Hourglass, P.O. Box 1291, Garden Grove, CA 92643 (include 504 each for postage). Most people form an impression of a writer in their minds as they read a book. Now, thanks to Hourglass, it is possible to hear leading SF and fantasy writers discuss their books, lives, influences and ideas on cassette tapes. These tapes are personal, intimate talks by the writers, giving insights into their attitudes and personalities. I was surprised by the diversity shown in the interviews. Isaac Asimov reeled off names, dates and story sales complete from memory. Larry Niven showed his personal fascination with the scientific background of his stories. Harlan Ellison told about his memories of the hard-working pulp writer phase of his early career. Karen Willson’s cassette is actually a musical concert consisting of her folk-style ballads and some of David Houston’s songs composed for his own novels such as Gods in a Vortex.
Send for the tape of a writer who has interested you and see how fascinating they are when speaking. A catalog of other tapes is available from the same address. I hope Hourglass prospers in its noble task. These are nicely produced cassettes that libraries, schools and SF readers will find informative as well as entertaining. [7]
References
- ^ Mike Hodel's Hour 25, 2001
- ^ Solar Sailors and Folk Songs For Folk Who Ain't Even Been Yet.
- ^ from "Tomorrow’s Songs Today: The History of Filk Music" by Gary McGath, 2015
- ^ comments in Darkover Newsletter #17/18 (spring 1979)
- ^ This is likely because many of these were recorded in open rooms as con panels.
- ^ Starship, Issue 35, Summer 1979
- ^ Fantastic Science Fiction, v.27 n.11, 1980