Dublin 2019 was my first Worldcon. In fact, it was my first con of any kind, and it kinda blew my mind. I tend to be a solitary person, but here were people like me: writers, nerds, artists, geeks, and fans by the thousand. The vibe, the buzz, the whole experience was just incredible. I saw, heard, and learned so much; I had to do that again. Two years and a global pandemic later, I did. A bona fide ‘con’vert, I joined the Glasgow in 2024 team as a volunteer, then attended Satellite 7, FantasyCon, and Bristolcon. All amazing, but there is something extra special about the ‘big show’. Perhaps it’s the scale, the diversity of threads, or breadth of activities. Maybe the globe-spanning membership, or stellar guest list. Possibly the titanic dealers’ room, or glitzy Hugo Awards ceremony. Probably, it’s all of the above, and I wanted to immerse myself in that worldwide community again.
The thing was, I didn’t really know anyone on the team, a handful of fellow Glasgow SF Writers’ Circle volunteers notwithstanding. I retweeted Gin2024 tweets, boosted Gin2024 posts, attended online events, but didn’t feel I was contributing. Then Glasgow’s Worldcon bid—running since 2018—was approved at Chicon 2022! ‘Glasgow in 2024’ had won its seat at the Worldcon table and became ‘Glasgow 2024’. Worldcon Glasgow was happening. But something else occurred around that time. I managed to sign up for a Glasgow 2024 project and—almost by accident—found myself not only signing a line but playing guitar and engineering the celebration of seasonal genre frolics that is Last Winter.
A call went out for singers, and singing/playing guitar is in my wheelhouse after decades spent in various bands. I had some audio editing experience and some video work under my belt from long ago. I stuck up my hand, and the gig was mine! Hurrah, right?
Conceived by PS (Pam) Livingstone, Last Winter—based on the Wham! festive classic—takes inspiration from the season and some of the seminal winter-focused SFF books and films that so many enjoy. The lyrics created by Pam, with contributions from Meg MacDonald and SJ Mackay, are loads of fun, cleaving—in the best fairy-tale tradition—to SFF’s gorier incidents, with reference to red-hot pokers, tauntaun stomachs, and the fiery demise of Esgaroth, to name but three. The rallying cry brought offers of guitar (from me), cello, ukulele, and saxophone, along with a host of singers. Over twenty people volunteered to contribute, anything from a line of vocals to instrumental work for the whole song. With my editing hat on, all I had to do was sit back and wait for the perfectly recorded, synced, and monitored clips to be uploaded.
Yes, of course, it wasn’t that simple, and yes, there were a couple of ‘reshoots’ and a number of top-quality ‘bloopers’. Yes, it was quite the technical challenge, and a considerable learning ‘opportunity’ in terms of using iMovie (other video software is available), but these slings and arrows paled next to the real heart of this experience for me and, I hope, for anyone that sees the video. After two months of daily working on this five-minute-forty-second celebration, wrangling clips and performances into place, every time I watched the project through—tweaking levels, detaching audio to double it, or cutting out bumps and scrapes—all I ever felt was enormously inspired by the care and effort, and yes, love for the cause that everyone demonstrated. I was meeting people, albeit remotely, and seeing them put themselves out there, expressing their love of genre and community, the institution of Worldcon, and another Glasgow Worldcon, especially. I hope my input reflects the huge effort of the contributors and of our inspirational author and musical director, Pam Livingstone.
The team had a blast recording the song and hope it still brings a smile to the face of anyone who sees it. (I’m reliably informed you will not lose Whamageddon by listening to our tune—it’s not that song!) More than that though, I hope it continues to bring home to SFF fans new and old that there is a wonderful team of dedicated and passionate volunteers at Glasgow 2024 committed to bringing you the best Worldcon possible in August 2024.
I still haven’t met or even spoken to many of the Glasgow 2024 team, but now I am completely sure that I belong as a part of this incredible institution, this worldwide fan community, that comes together year after year to rebuild this amazing thing that is Worldcon. Everyone can make a difference and a contribution to the Herculean effort that goes into running this massive event, an event organised entirely by volunteers in their own time.
So, “Come be a Weegie” in Glasgow, 2024. “We’ll make it something special”, and you’ll have the time of your life. (Ooh, cue for another song . . . )
Robin CM Duncan is a Scot born and living in Glasgow. A civil engineer by profession, he has written for decades, but seriously only for the last ten years. Robin’s debut novel, The Mandroid Murders, featuring Quirk and Moth was published in 2022, followed by its sequel, The Carborundum Conundrum, in 2023. Robin’s stories appear in Space Wizard Science Fantasy’s Distant Gardens, Farther Reefs, Lofty Mountains, and World of Juno anthologies. He reviews and slush reads for the BFS, writes articles for the BSFA, belongs to the Glasgow Science Fiction Writers’ Circle, and the Reading Excuses critique group, and was Deputy Area Head of Glasgow 2024 Presents. Details and bloggishness at https://robincmduncan.com, say hello at https://bsky.app/profile/robinski.bsky.social.
The 82nd Worldcon will take place in Glasgow, August 8–12, 2024. We can’t wait to welcome you to Glasgow and the SEC/Armadillo for a Worldcon for Our Futures.