My Dinner with Greg Edmonson . . . by Cedric

TALK STORY

My Dinner with Greg Edmonson . . .

POSTED BY: CEDRIC
UPDATED: Tuesday, June 27, 2006 13:43
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Tuesday, June 27, 2006 12:38 PM

. . . and a general report on my weekend at ApolloCon and the LoneStar Shindig:

Last Friday was Joss Whedon's birthday, and Firefly/Serenity fans around the world celebrated with shindigs and charity screenings of Serenity. Joyce, April, and I started our celebration last Thursday night with a Serenity Now/Equality Now showing at the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin. The theater was sold out, and I'm sure a hefty amount was raised for charity.

On Friday, we motored down to Houston for the LoneStar Shindig, which was held in conjunction with ApolloCon, a literary science fiction convention. The Houston Browncoats had brought in two Firefly-related guests for the convention: yours truly and Greg Edmonson, the composer of the Firefly soundtrack. This was my first time to appear solo as a guest performer at a convention, and it was also a new experience for Greg Edmonson, who is still getting used to the idea that his work has fans. Having watched all the behind-the-scenes features, I recognized the composer in the hotel hallway even before Houston Browncoat Sarah introduced us. When she said I was Cedric, a look of recognition crossed Greg's face, and he said, "Oh, from the Bedlam Bards!" I tried not to faint.

Though I was somewhat nervous about performing solo in an unfamiliar environment, I had a fantastic time this weekend. In addition to getting to hang out with Greg Edmonson during our joint autograph session and private dinner afterwards, I had the honor of sharing the stage with Peter S. Beagle (the author of The Last Unicorn) and filk star Steve Macdonald, a performer of such caliber that it was hard not to be intimidated in his presence. It would be easy to hate someone with that much charm, talent, skill, and ability. Despite that, he and I had a great time jamming in the con-suite during the wee hours of the morning. Indeed, we shared a number of jokes about being twins separated at birth.

One of the odd things about doing a convention was that I was actually scheduled to spend more time talking than singing or playing. In fact, I was only obligated to about an hour and a half of performance, whereas I was scheduled for four hour-long panel discussions, including one on why Firefly is still flying. That proved to be a very popular panel, with no fewer than seven panelists and a completely packed room of audience. Fortunately, the talented Lee Martindale did a great job of moderating; she kept the conversation going and made sure that each of the guests got a shot at each question. At the end of the panel, the last question involved making a prediction about whether there would be more Firefly/Serenity. The author panelist who spoke before me said she hoped there would be but really didn't expect it. Indeed, most of the panelists were pretty cautious. When my turn came up, I said, "Will there be more Firefly? Hell, yes!" I went on to make the argument that flandom is still growing, and that someday there would be so many Firefly fans that reviving the franchise would be inevitable. When I finished speaking, I'm pretty sure I heard an amen from one of the other panelists.

Another odd thing about playing a convention is simply how well-treated I was, especially by the Houston Browncoats. (At a faire, I'm just another performer. At a convention, I'm treated like a star, even though I really don't think I am one.) The Browncoats greeted me with a convention survival care package, which included not only basic toiletries, but also a LoneStar Shindig tee shirt (in my size!), a collection of chocolate, and a six pack of beer! They also laid in a supply of Diet Coke for me and made sure to feed me frequently. The organization provided a buxom, vivacious young brunette to serve as my CD girl; she was apparently so thrilled by the honor that she wrote "Buy CDs" in big letters across her chest. Yeah, really. The Browncoats also sent me home with a collection of shiny Firefly swag. I made out like a bandit, yet they couldn't stop thanking me for being there! The coolest thing I was given, though, came from Houston Browncoat Lauren ( www.texasartcat.com), who made a special autograph sheet for people to sign when they came to get my autograph. It featured an excellent hand-done painting of Serenity, with the opening measure of "Saffron's Wedding Dance" cleverly incorporated into the ship's wake. Greg Edmonson, who had been initially quite shy about giving autographs, received a similar work, and we started off the autograph session by signing each other's art. He commented that he was planning to put the autographs up in his studio, where he'll see them everyday as he starts work.

Greg proved to be an incredibly engaging and down-to-earth guy. In fact, when he gave me his autograph, he addressed it "To my Fellow Composer." I envy the ease with which he handled every fan who approached him; somehow, he managed to get each of them talking about themselves. Indeed, when April, Joyce, and I took Greg and Suzanne out for some tex-mex, I had to work to occasionally steer the conversation around so that we could learn something about our gracious guests. Finally, at the Firefly panel, after all of the other panelists had credited the high quality of Firefly with its continued survival, he turned things around and said, "Really, it was you guys. The fans have made this happen."

Gods, hearing him talk about Firefly was enough to make anyone choke up. He readily admitted that he cried when Joss Whedon told him the show had been cancelled. He very diplomatically skirted around saying anything critical or catty about the fact that he was passed over for the Serenity soundtrack, though he did give a little smile and say he'd love to be onboard for the sequel. I asked him at one point if there was a trick to seamlessly blending different cultural elements in a single piece of music, since I feel that On the Drift had not handled that as well as I'd like. He shrugged and said, "It's a lot easier to do in a symphonic format than in a song." He was also kind enough to stick around to hear my portion of the Friday night concert and afterwards told me that he couldn't tell that I was unaccustomed to performing solo.

When Greg talked about getting the job to do Firefly, I realized that he could claim to have been a fan of the show longer than nearly anyone in the world. Interestingly, he commented over dinner that he's never watched the DVDs because he makes a practice of never seeing how his music has been used in the final product. (I told him about learning at DragonCon that Morena Baccarin had never watched the DVDs, and I echoed what one of the fans there had said to her, "You should watch them. You did some great work.") All in all, it was amazing to meet an artist whose work I've admired so greatly and then discover that he's a really excellent, sweet person.

Another great joy of going to ApolloCon was that the makers of Done The Impossible allowed me to take a screening copy to the convention. The flans were very excited to see it. At one point during the open filking, one of the conventioneers looked at me and exclaimed, "You were in that movie I just saw!" In fact, there were a few Browncoats I recognized from Dragon*Con (and DTI) at ApolloCon, including Kaylee4Simon. (Hi, Karen!)

The Shindig was also my chance to premier my Browncoat costume, which drew a number of compliments from the ladies. (Apparently, a brown duster is quite slimming on me.) Joyce got oodles of compliments on her Kaylee-esque vest and the parasol that she'd painted in the wee hours of the morning just before convention. I still regret not getting April back from dinner in time to enter the costume contest, as I think that her Inara dress easily outshone the winner's. (I had the obvious pleasure of posing for pictures between her and Lauren, who had recreated one of Inara's other gowns. It's not every day that I get to have two beautiful women, dressed as Companions, with super-long red hair on my arms. I hate my job . . . )

To sum up this account, all I can say is that I had an amazingly good time at the LoneStar Shindig and ApolloCon. Both crews showed me awesome hospitality. I enjoyed the warm welcome I got from other guests, including authors like Lee Martindale, Dusty Rainbolt, and Peter S. Beagle (who kindly treated me as a fellow musician, and who sat next to Joyce for a good portion of the concert). By Sunday, I felt comfortable enough to crash a panel that I felt like being on. (It was the kilt panel, and I was wearing my Utilikilt. How could I resist?) Likewise, the other musicians greeted me with open arms, and Steve MacDonald showed kind regard for a lesser talent. My only regret is that there were many fun things I simply did not have time to enjoy, including lots of great movies in the media room, a very shiny Firefly LARP, and a whole room of tabletop gaming that I had to just pretend wasn't there. In short, ApolloCon was a blast.

"Some things stay with you, 'til the day you die."
On the Drift: Music Inspired by Firefly and Serenity, now on sale at
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bedlambards/from/celtic

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Tuesday, June 27, 2006 12:45 PM

PENGUIN

<---- Is extremely jealous!

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Tuesday, June 27, 2006 12:49 PM

CEDRIC

Quote:
Originally posted by Penguin:
<---- Is extremely jealous!

So are you jealous because I dined with Greg or because I got to pose with two red-haired companions?

Maybe I should post a copy of that pic before you answer . . .

"Some things stay with you, 'til the day you die."
On the Drift: Music Inspired by Firefly and Serenity, now on sale at
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bedlambards/from/celtic

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Tuesday, June 27, 2006 12:49 PM

CLIOMUSE

Thanks for the lovely report. I wish I could have been there. Greg's music helped make the show spectacular, and your's helps keep the 'verse in motion!

I am a fan of one of the Firefly panelists, Shanna Swendson, so I have been looking forward to a report since she mentioned the panel. She writes great books, btw.

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Tuesday, June 27, 2006 12:52 PM

PENGUIN

Quote:
Originally posted by Cedric:
Quote:
Originally posted by Penguin:
<---- Is extremely jealous!

So are you jealous because I dined with Greg or because I got to pose with two red-haired companions?

Maybe I should post a copy of that pic before you answer . . .

"Some things stay with you, 'til the day you die."
On the Drift: Music Inspired by Firefly and Serenity, now on sale at
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bedlambards/from/celtic]

Both!

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Tuesday, June 27, 2006 1:43 PM

CEDRIC

Quote:
Originally posted by Cliomuse:
I am a fan of one of the Firefly panelists, Shanna Swendson, so I have been looking forward to a report since she mentioned the panel. She writes great books, btw.

Being on a panel with her was a real pleasure. So many people made so many great observations that I'm reluctant to quote the things she said about Firefly, for fear of misquoting her. But I remember thinking that she hit the nail on the head with many of her comments.

"Some things stay with you, 'til the day you die."
On the Drift: Music Inspired by Firefly and Serenity, now on sale at
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bedlambards/from/celtic

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