Legacy Interview with Robin Hood

Interviews by Fans
Title:	Legacy Interview with Robin Hood
Interviewer:	Legacy
Interviewee:	Robin Hood
Date(s):	2007
Medium:	print, CD
Fandom(s):	Star Trek TOS, slash
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In 2007, Robin Hood was interviewed for the zine Legacy.

See List of Star Trek Fan Interviews.

Some Excerpts

I got into K/S in 1982. I read the Phoenix books (The Pride of the Phoenix (1977) and The Fate of the Phoenix (1979) by Myrna Culbreath and Sondra Marshak), then read David Gerrold’s name in the back, wanted more and wrote him. He sent me to the Star Trek Welcommittee, they told me of fandom—genzines—and I went looking for genzines. I ended up at my college [college name redacted] heard about a Sci-Fi club and went. I met a woman, amongst the very strange costumes that looked almost normal, sidled up to her and asked about zines. She told me about genzines and ... those zines. I asked questions, of course; she told me about Alexis Fegan Black and the rest was history. I found Alexis and I left a paycheck there when I walked off with my box of zines. In those days zines were forbidden fruit, delicious but verboten; you talked about stories, art, etc. looking over your shoulder; you got together with friends, discussed whether or not you should invite a friend into the group and you spent the majority of your time writing letters, and waiting for answers.

What with Creation Cons beginning, hiding zines beneath our tables with permission, throwing yourself across boxes of zines that you had put on the table and attempting to hide from TV cameras, I must say [being a K/S fan as the movies were being released] was a great time, new, fresh, one hell of a hobby. Gossip with other intelligent editors and fans, and movies, and the old series to wallow in.

Having dropped a paycheck at Natasha’s, she mentioned that I could write a story or two for zines and get them free. Being a cheap bastard, I began to write, started on a typewriter, quickly graduated to my brother’s Apple pie. It took me a while to understand the concept of “saving” my file, a loooong time, and since his wife was getting tired of me in their office for several hours a night, I bought a computer and got serious. At the same time I have been sending out “pre” orders and unluckily was stung by losing $3.00. Incensed, I pissed and moaned for a few months and with encouragement from Natasha, I decided that a zine could be produced, not look too bad, and delivered on time. In 1984, I did just that.

I found out after a while that Mirror Stories and AU stories didn’t go over quite as well as FT’s. But each had their devotees so that I didn’t want to cut them off completely, hence Scattered Stars, where the universe is just a tiny bit off, not so far out that I couldn’t recognize our boys. And Within the Mirror, I prefer our boys after they’ve come back to our universe, but most readers seem to like the down and dirty mirror universe. In fact I had a story for FT that was so rough that I decided to make a new zine for it, and I went on from there.

Remember that in 1984 copy machines were a bit primitive and [Sandra Gent who published Matter/Antimatter] insisting on perfection, offset printed her zines and artwork. After paying $1600 to get the front cover of FT 1 printed and more for the zine itself, I looked for another printer.

At a large con in New York, in the Penta Hotel (very fancy and not expecting Star Trek fans at all) I stood behind my table talking to friends. Remember this was early in my career and I was nowhere as tough as I am presently—i.e.; watching desperately for TV cameras, the smut police, the holy rollers, etc. I spied Mark Lenard and his manager heading my way, their eyes focused on my table. Now in the old days, we kept explicit covers in boxes well concealed. I kept mine on the table in a box. Seeing their approach, I, of course, threw myself across the explicit box and smiled up at them. Without turning a hair and this very large woman lying on a box as if it were a fainting couch, Mr. Lenard asked me questions. Were these fanzines? Were they Star Trek zines? Were they...Kirk and Spock zines? Were they those type of zines? After deciding that I’d never meet him again, I told him the truth. He and his manager listened politely and when I finished, he blushed and quietly asked if Sarek was in any of “those” zines? I choked, stood up off the table and again told him the truth. He asked if there was any Sarek art in them; thinking with my brain on fire, I had a First Time 2-3-4 or something like that I knew had a...nice picture in it, whipped it out and asked him to sign it. He left my table appearing quite pleased with himself. And from then on every time he saw me at a convention, he would nod and smile. He recognized me but had no clue from where.