Why I Continue To Support Slanted Fedora

 In light of the lawsuit notice that has cropped up all over the internet
lately, I feel it is right for someone to stand up with Slanted Fedora and I
am someone who will do that.  I am a novelist and most weekends for the past
three years, I have been on the road selling my novel and my surplus "Star
Trek" cards at various "Star Trek" conventions around the country, but
mostly on the East Coast.
 My first experiences with conventions came back in 1987 when I would go to
my local "Star Trek" convention in Rochester, NY.  It was a Creation
convention.  For almost the first ten years of my convention-going life, a
convention was making a choice between waiting in a very long line (or
series of lines when I started traveling to Creation shows outside
Rochester) for autograph(s) or listening to people who I was interested in
speak.  It tended to be a one or the other thing because the lines for
autographs were horrendous and slow after the speeches ended, so as a youth,
doing both was impractical.
 In 1998, I stumbled across a convention listing advertising the Fab Four
convention by Slanted Fedora.  Figuring that it was likely the last time in
my life I would have a chance to meet, listen to and get in person
autographs from James Doohan, I went (I've since only seen Doohan one other
time).  The experience blew me away.  Not only did I get to meet three
members of the "Star Trek" cast (Walter Koenig was ill that weekend), but
there was a surprise guest, Beverly Washburn, an extra from "The Deadly
Years."  It was an amazing experience for me.  I had the chance to listen to
all the speakers and because the guests were signing throughout the day, I
didn't have huge lines to wait in.  I shopped, listened to (and talked with)
the celebrities and I got everything I wanted signed.
 The next year, I began attending "Star Trek" conventions as a dealer in an
effort to clear away some space in my apartment, as my card collecting had
created something of a surplus and a mess.  At that time, I decided I was
only going to sell what interested me and since I have only dealt in "Star
Trek" merchandise.  I travel wherever I can drive to (which is an extensive
range for me) and most of the shows I have done over the last few years have
been Slanted Fedora shows.
 In all of my relationships, I put honesty as a paramount quality.  In both
business and personal relationships, I believe honesty and direct
communication are the best ways to live.  There were times in 2002 that I
felt like I was on a sinking ship with Slanted Fedora.  Following the New
York City problem over Patrick Stewart, Slanted Fedora took a big hit.  For
a time, based on that incident, I lost my trust in the company.
 However, since that time, the fans of "Star Trek" and of conventioning have
been privy to the exact opposite from Slanted Fedora; we have received
brutal honesty and unwavering candor as to the state of the company and
conventioning.  I've spent the last year on the road with Slanted Fedora
doing a series of shows that took place in three different cities over the
course of a single weekend.  They were tough shows, but they afforded the
fans a rare opportunity to get amazing contact with such celebrities as
Robert Picardo, Ethan Phillips and Peter Mayhew.
 They also allowed those who attended a chance to get something back that I
got back early on in the process; trust.  The events were fun, inexpensive
and they delivered exactly what they advertised.  People came, they had fun,
it was clear fandom was alive.  Were they my best shows ever?  No, certainly
not from a business perspective.  But they were fun and they provided a
forum for Slanted Fedora to be straightforward, honest and deliver and they
lived up to it.
 Every convention company has had financial problems at one point or another
and the resurfacing this week on the internet of a lawsuit filed months ago
has a real stink to it.  While those who "signed" the notification (and a
copy was sent using Creation's mailing list) claim that they were doing it
either to dissociate themselves from Slanted Fedora or because the Kansas
Attorney General asked them to (a claim that has already been revoked in a
subsequent press release), the reasoning sounds dubious at best.  At worst,
it's simply mean.
 Ralph Nader talks about the Democrats blaming him and his campaign for
their loss of the election in 2000 by observing that the Democrats are under
the misguided impression that the votes they didn't get (that he did) were
somehow entitled to them.  He's quite correct when he says they are wrong:
the people choose how to vote and if they don't like choice A it does not
mean choice B is entitled to all of the other votes.  People vote for
whomever they feel will give them the best services they desire.
 Similarly, the baffling thing about those who would resurface this lawsuit
would be the impression that Slanted Fedora and its conventions are the
cause of all their woes.  This is clearly not the case, as one of the
signers to the posted letter run a local convention, one promoter runs
excellent smaller shows in a territory that Slanted Fedora has stayed out of
(Vulkon does amazing shows in Cleveland and Florida, but it usually has 2 -
3 guests + signing guests as opposed to a Slanted Fedora show which usually
has 10 + signing guests), and the giant Creation has completely abandoned
the East Coast.
 We are left then with the idea that either some of the show promoters were
"signed" without their consent or one (or all) of these companies simply
want to hurt Slanted Fedora by resurfacing this two month old suit, perhaps
under the idea that their business might improve.  This is specious
reasoning which helps no one, least of all the fans.  Creation continually
cancels advertised shows on the East Coast, clearly indicating it is
unwilling or unable to risk putting on a show that has the expenses of an
East Coast convention (their justification in the past has been that x
number of tickets sold after only 30 days, therefore the event would fail,
so they cancel it, which goes on the assumption that convention-goers are
constantly plugged into their site and are willing to commit instantly to an
event over six months away).
 Simply hurting the other guy does not make the one left standing right.
 I choose to stand with Slanted Fedora.  I believe that the convention world
is big enough for more than one company.  I have friends at Vulkon and I
love doing their shows.  In fact, my best business weekend was done at a
Vulkon show and I still believe that fans who attended their Frakes/Keating
weekend got the most convention bang for the buck I have ever seen.  But the
types of conventions are almost incomparable: for about twice the price of a
Vulkon show, Slanted Fedora provides five times the guests.  The last
Slanted Fedora show (in Kansas City) was an amazing success with access to
all of the guests and all the attendees seemed to have a great time.
 The convention going world is better with Slanted Fedora as a part of it.
It continues to bring conventions to the East Coast at reasonable prices
while still respecting other promoters (i.e. not invading Vulkon territory
and scheduling their Washington, DC event around the local conventions).
It's a shame they don't return the courtesy.
 Since the difficulties of a few years ago, Dave Scott has taken the time to
rebuild, come clean and be direct with the fans.  The new "Mission
Statement" section of his website is a perfect example of the candor he now
treats us to.  Just as whatever affairs Clinton may have had as President
were not as problematic as the cover-up (as opposed to simply saying "It's
none of your business " or "I'm not going to talk about that with you"),
failure to deliver on certain guests in the past was not as troubling as the
misleading in relation to that.  That time in the development of Slanted
Fedora is past and I believe in the new direction Scott is taking Slanted
Fedora in.
 So long as Slanted Fedora continues to be truthful to us, the fans, I will
continue to vocally support them.  The fans are better off with someone
willing to risk something to bring new and big (or any, for that matter)
"Star Trek" guests to the East Coast.  It's nice to be around someone who
believes "Star Trek" may be ailing, but it's not dead.  If you agree, go to
a Slanted Fedora show.  You'll be glad you did.
 -W.L. Swarts


Check out my website at:
http://www.home.earthlink.net/~wlswarts/index.html
or buy my debut novel at:
http://www.openbookltd.com/cgi/profile.cgi?index=0738855286&partner=wlswarts