Uploaded June 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
We received this footage of Leslie Fish being interviewed for the documentary Finding the Future (2003; dir. Casey Moore, prod. Joseph Formichella, C. Moore, M. Pryor). Unfortunately there are still cuts, since the footage comes from an intermediate stage in the editing process, but it has quite a bit more purely Leslie material than the other video!
0:00 - "At the Worldcon"
0:30 - What is filk?
1:45 - "Toast for Unknown Heroes"
2:55 - "Filkers Dining Together" (incomplete)
3:40 - Visions of the future
4:10 - Scientists are government whores but otherwise science is nice
6:00 - Criminals and artists
7:10 - Corporate aristocracy
9:25 - Cheap computers
10:30 - SF fans are the best
12:15 - Gaming
12:55 - "At the Worldcon" (again)
13:30 - ???
At this point in the video it goes back to the beginning but from a different camera angle. It's worth watching though, because "Filkers Dining Together" is complete here.
13:35 - "At the Worldcon"
14:05 - What is filk?
15:15 - "Toast for Unknown Heroes"
16:30 - "Filkers Dining Together"
lesliefish.bandcamp.com
We received this footage of Leslie Fish being interviewed for the documentary Finding the Future (2003; dir. Casey Moore, prod. Joseph Formichella, C. Moore, M. Pryor). Unfortunately there are still cuts, since the footage comes from an intermediate stage in the editing process, but it has quite a bit more purely Leslie material than the other video!
0:00 - "At the Worldcon"
0:30 - What is filk?
1:45 - "Toast for Unknown Heroes"
2:55 - "Filkers Dining Together" (incomplete)
3:40 - Visions of the future
4:10 - Scientists are government whores but otherwise science is nice
6:00 - Criminals and artists
7:10 - Corporate aristocracy
9:25 - Cheap computers
10:30 - SF fans are the best
12:15 - Gaming
12:55 - "At the Worldcon" (again)
13:30 - ???
At this point in the video it goes back to the beginning but from a different camera angle. It's worth watching though, because "Filkers Dining Together" is complete here.
13:35 - "At the Worldcon"
14:05 - What is filk?
15:15 - "Toast for Unknown Heroes"
16:30 - "Filkers Dining Together"
lesliefish.bandcamp.com
![Jordin Kare - Moon Miners [HQ]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/VdFFfaZLqM0/mqdefault.jpg "Jordin Kare - Moon Miners [HQ]
Parody Violation track 9. Thanks to rocketman0739 for providing high-quality versions of these songs.
Download the album here: https://archive.org/details/filk_parody_violation
Lyrics (Diana Gallagher):
Lunar twilight, dying day.
Shadows linger on as sunlight slowly fades.
Darkness deepens as night is drawn,
And its so very long until another dawn.
A lunar miner stirs in his converted canister,
Rubs his eyes, and glances at the time
Another day, another shift, tons of rock to dig and lift,
Moving dozers through the shallow lunar mines.
4 a.m. or noon, makes no difference on the Moon,
Clocks are just for keeping schedules defined.
The rugged miners claim a man can go insane,
Seven days of sunshine and seven more to go.
And midnight madness mars the beauty of the stars;
Darkness is forever, Luna turns so very slow.
Then a hundred pairs of eyes are drawn to the skies
Scanning the horizon, anticipating Earthrise.
Eighteen months a tour, lunar miners must endure
Many hardships, for the work is never done
A hundred men, no more, mine a million tons of ore
Every year, to tame the power of the Sun.
But somehow they survive, their spirits kept alive
With hope for the future and a dream of Island One.
Lunar sunrise, darkness wanes.
Cold and gray, dawn crawls across the plain.
Blinding glare glistens on the crater rim
And its so very long until the sun goes down again
And its so very long until the sun goes down again
And its so very long until the sun goes down.")
![Technical Difficulties - Technical Difficulties 2 (Hallelujah Chorus) [HQ]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/W0xmnRVz1Q0/mqdefault.jpg "Technical Difficulties - Technical Difficulties 2 (Hallelujah Chorus) [HQ]
Please Stand By track 12. Thanks to rocketman0739 for providing high-quality versions of these songs.
Download the album here: https://archive.org/details/filk_please_stand_by/
Lyrics:
Hallelujah! hallelujah!
(Im/shes) a soprano! (Im/shes) a tenor!
(Im/shes)(not) an alto, (Im/shes)(not) an alto, hallelujah!
Technical difficulties cause headaches. Hallelujah! hallelujah!
For we have difficulties rehearsing.
(Im/shes) in Beltsville! (Im/shes) in Greenbelt!
Thats in Maryland! (Im/shes) in Boston!
For we have difficulties rehearsing.
Hallelujah! Okay Sheila, you come in now, hallelujah!
I cant learn this unless its on tape, hallelujah!
I can hear my note!
I learned this on the first time!
Hallelujah! hallelujah!
Technical difficulties cause headaches. Hallelujah! hallelujah!
And when we all are here to rehearse,
The difficulties seem to just get worse!
Its 6 oclock and Linda is working late.
Its 7 oclock (Im hungry! Im hungry) and TJ is hungry.
Its 8 oclock and time to eat!
So lets rehearse, I have to go to work soon!
Its 9 oclock and Im getting sleepy.
Its 10 oclock and Sheila is leaving.
Is this the note? (Forever and ever! / Im leaving! / Im hungry! / Hallelujah!)
Is this the note? (Forever and ever! / Im leaving! / Im hungry! / Hallelujah!)
Is this the note? (Make it higher, make it higher, hallelujah! hallelujah!)
Is this the note? (Make it higher, make it higher, hallelujah! hallelujah!)
Is this the note? (Make it higher, make it higher, hallelujah! hallelujah!)
Thats high enough! (Thats high enough, thats high enough!)
This songs too low, we need (a/my) capo!
Its lost again, forever and ever
You had it last! (No, she did! No, she did!)
You had it last! (No, I didnt! No, I didnt!)
Forgot the capo, well just sing in a different key
A different key!
A different key!
A different key!
A different key!
This song goes on forever and ever
Forever and ever (I hate this key)
Forever and ever (I hate this key)
Hey, I found it! Heres the capo! (Hallelujah! hallelujah!)
Is it over? Yes, its over!
Hallelujah!")
![Bob Kanefsky/Leslie Fish - Auctioneers Hymn [HQ]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/WLYDdPYFtIM/mqdefault.jpg "Bob Kanefsky/Leslie Fish - Auctioneers Hymn [HQ]
Tapeworm I track 4. Thanks to rocketman0739 for providing high-quality versions of these songs.
Download the album here: https://archive.org/details/filk_tapeworm_1
Lyrics:
O Lord, Thou hast made this con an auction runner’s dream.
And given time I’d sell it all, right down to the film room screen.
From charcoal sketch to color print, I sell them all, O Lord:
Predestined from the time the pencil hits the drawing board.
These artists are inspired with a gift I’ll never know.
They send their marvels down to me, and I’m pleased to have it so.
For though their artwork warms the soul, their humble gift to Thee,
I know what truly moves this shit are my auctions, Lord, and me.
I know Thy market’s very very wide, and the auction room is small.
But those who dare to come inside I hoodwink, one and all.
Their judgement crumbles to my skill; they bid at my command.
I hit them with a hundred tricks they rarely understand.
Behold these prints and sculpture work that fill the art show floor.
I’ll sell them all for the highest bid and leave them wanting more.
And fools they be who fail to see why I hold my auctions here,
For the art show room is a warehouse razed by the skill of the auctioneer.
Going, going, gone!")
![Jordin Kare - Dawsons Concom [HQ]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/WZm4ipJlRsc/mqdefault.jpg "Jordin Kare - Dawsons Concom [HQ]
Parody Violation track 13. Thanks to rocketman0739 for providing high-quality versions of these songs.
Download the album here: https://archive.org/details/filk_parody_violation
Lyrics (TTTO Dawsons Christian, Duane Elms):
Jayme Dawson was the chairman of the concom [convention committee] and the crew,
When they won the bid for Worldcon back in fall of 82
And that concom was the finest bunch from NESFA [New England Science Fiction Association] to LA,
And the con that they were planning was the same
On their way to sign the contract, then go out and have some fun,
They were jumped by three cheap lawyers, though they were no match for one,
And as they read the fine-print clauses, they discovered with alarm
Theyd just bought the general manager a farm
Well, they say that Jayme Dawson was a trufan to his core,
They say he took to fanac [fan activity] just like Patton took to war,
But they say he made his bargain in the hotel bar that night,
That he sold his soul to win his final fight
No fan living saw that battle, though the smofs [secret masters of fandom] were quick to leave,
But at the site they found a scene no mundane would believe
Three fat lawyers in their skivvies, with their briefs strewn all around,
But no trace of Dawsons con was ever found
There are stories of New Orleans [Worldcon 1988] and ConDiego [NASFiC 1990] too,
Of potatoes bounced at Westercon [1966] and costumes made of goo
But the tale that makes my beanie spin, cause I know what went on,
Is the tale of Jayme Dawson and his con
His gofers and his concom and his con
I was Program Ops for concom, working night shift, feeling fine
Running loads of Diet Pepsi to the consuite up on 9
I was standing in the doorway, watching femfen [female fans] with delight,
When the rent-a-cops appeared out of the night
Well, I thought our con was ended and our partying was done
(Never argue with a dimwit when the dimwit has a gun)
But the crowd was feeling rowdy and the cops were getting mean
When another fan appeared upon the scene
Well, I thought he was a filker, but he carried no guitar,
And I thought he was a gamer, but he looked too bright by far
So I tried to read his nametag, and I felt a sudden dread,
For the holder of his badge was glowing red
He pulled a bottle from his jacket, and I knew not what to think
When he walked up to the rent-a-cops and offered them a drink
But the genius of that single fan is shown by very few,
For he offered them a slug of Tully Dew
And that liquors proof was higher than all booze theyd had before
That liquors taste was smoother than the lines of any whore
And they drank it down by glassfuls as we watched and shook our heads
Till the rent-a-cops passed out upon the beds
Four rent-a-cops passed out on one small bed
Then as quickly as hed come, the stranger turned as if to go,
For the rent-a-cops were smiling, though at what well never know
So we walked him to the elevator, faces filled with awe,
Then the doors slid back and this is what we saw
There were thirty fen crammed in there, plus two mundanes at the back,
And we knew by their expressions that the lot of them had cracked
Then they turned to show their badges and we read them and we knew
The fate of Jayme Dawson and his crew
It was an Otis, and a grave for all his crew
Then he turned and punched for Lobby, but they all began to fade,
First their t-shirts, then their buttons, as we trembled there afraid
But there are twenty fen wholl swear with me, the last thing that they said
Was Beam us up, the parties here are dead!
There are stories of New Orleans and ConDiego too,
Of potatoes bounced at Westercon and costumes made of goo
But the tale that makes my beanie spin, cause I know what went on,
Is the tale of Jayme Dawson and his con
His gofers and his concom and his con
Yes, theyre bidding once again for Dawsons con!")
![Free Fall & Other Delights 14 - Dreamer [HQ]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/WprcwLOiHAQ/mqdefault.jpg "Free Fall & Other Delights 14 - Dreamer [HQ]
Sung by Cynthia McQuillin and Vic Tyler. Thanks to rocketman0739 for providing high-quality versions of these songs.
Download the album here: https://archive.org/details/filk_free_fall_and_other_delights
Lyrics:
Dreamer, your eyes are the mirrors of memory
In them your hopes are reflections of light
Though you must dwell in a world filled with strangers
Your heart is exploring the cosmos each night
Chorus:
Honor the dreamers and set them apart
For dreamers have mastered the rarest of arts
They spin the ideas of worlds yet to be
And weave those bright threads so that others may see
Dreams are the beacons that guide your lifes journey
As you wing your way through the darkest of skies
Where your vision leads you, we hasten to follow
But we see the world through the stars in your eyes
(Chorus)
Hold fast to dreams, they can help shape the future
We dare to hope while our visions still gleams
Time cannot stop us, nor sorrow defeat us
Tomorrow belongs to all those who have dreams
(Chorus)")
![Leslie Fish & the Dehorn Crew - The Wheel [HQ]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/WvOKXcYerkc/mqdefault.jpg "Leslie Fish & the Dehorn Crew - The Wheel [HQ]
Its Sister Jennys Turn to Throw the Bomb track 15. Thanks to rocketman0739 for providing high-quality versions of these songs.
Download the album here: https://archive.org/details/filk_its_sister_jennys_turn_to_throw_the_bomb
Find more of Leslie Fishs music at: https://lesliefish.bandcamp.com/
Lyrics:
Chorus:
Theres a wheel turning on muddy ground,
Gains an inch every time it goes around.
Come on, lets make another revolution!
Turn, turn, turn! Turn, turn, turn!
There are wheels that run through all of our lives,
And we sometimes see them clear.
When the night comes down, when the first snow falls,
You can mark the day or the year.
The circles end we can tell too easy,
The beginning is hard to see,
And the wheel whose seasons no one knows
Is the turn of the tide that can make us free.
(Chorus)
There are wheels that turn in the natural world,
And theres some in the heart of man.
Your wish moves them, your hand proves them,
So turn them the best you can.
When you see your wheel, you can add your shoulder
Or wait till its rolling high—
You can slow it down or speed it around,
But you cant make it stop, even when you die.
(Chorus)
Theres a wheel thats moving fast through our time,
And weve seen the track it made.
I believe you know where it has to go
And the way that the game is played.
So nights come down and the turn is hidden,
But it never stops rolling round,
So lay on your hand, cause were coming to land.
Just another strong pull and were on hard ground!
(Chorus)")
![UnReal Estate 09 - Absent Hosts [HQ]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/WxyvQhC9raE/mqdefault.jpg "UnReal Estate 09 - Absent Hosts [HQ]
Sung by Cecilia Eng. Thanks to rocketman0739 for providing high-quality versions of these songs.
Download the album here: https://archive.org/details/filk_unreal_estate
Lyrics:
Third planet, yellow star,
Tell us where your children are
We have come here from afar
To answer their invitation.
Long their message kept its pace,
Drifting on through endless space,
Seeking for another race
Till at last it found us.
Far your childrens plea was cast,
Since its launch much time has passed,
Here its trail led us at last—
Tell us where to find them.
Can we find them far away?
Did some leave before the day
That death came to this place to stay?
Tell us where to find them.
Dead planet, yellow star,
Was it just another war?
Did your children die before
We found their invitation?
From dust we come, to dust retire,
Life too soon will oft expire.
Poison winds and deadly fire
Are all theyve left to greet us.
Third planet, yellow star,
Tell us where your children are
We have come here from afar
To answer their invitation.")
![Jordin Kare - The Engineer [HQ]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/XIL2Ki0vBPI/mqdefault.jpg "Jordin Kare - The Engineer [HQ]
Fire in the Sky track 08. Thanks to rocketman0739 for providing high-quality versions of these songs.
Download the album here: https://archive.org/details/filk_fire_in_the_sky
Lyrics:
Some plans came down to the engineer
With lines so fine and dimensions clear
Showing gears and levers and angles and bends
And inside-out widgets with chrome plated ends
For a gadget to leave any craftsman dismayed
And its heart was a part that just couldnt be made
Well, the engineer sighed as he studied those plans
And he read the demented designers demands
Then he called in his techs and he said to his crew:
“This guy seems to think that theres jobs we cant do
And parts we cant build—so lets give him a thrill.
Well build his machine and then send him the bill!
“Now his tungsten well carve with a laser or two;
We can hold it with magnets or vacuum or glue.
His tapers well trim by computer control,
Triangular bits will drill all his square holes.
Well put it together and try to stay calm
Till we weld it all up with a small fission bomb.
“Now this micro-inch finish wont cost him too much,
So well plate it with platinum, seems a nice touch.
But the tricky bits here are these spheres within spheres,
The Klein bottle tanks, the irrational gears.
The left-handed blivets Ill buy off the shelf,
But Id better sneak in and make this part myself.”
The designer came down and his jaw it did drop
At the thing sitting there on the floor of the shop
The engineer grinned and he pointed with pride
To the parts that were whirling and glowing inside
For theres no job too tough and theres no job too queer
For an MIT grad hyperspace engineer!")
![Technical Difficulties - Technical Difficulties 1 (Dona Nobis Pacem) [HQ]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/XeXvzZWiQ40/mqdefault.jpg "Technical Difficulties - Technical Difficulties 1 (Dona Nobis Pacem) [HQ]
Please Stand By track 07. Thanks to rocketman0739 for providing high-quality versions of these songs.
Download the album here: https://archive.org/details/filk_please_stand_by/
Lyrics:
Dona nobis pacem, pacem, dona nobis pacem
Im a soprano. Pitch it higher, or Ill hurt my throat!
Goddammit, I am a tenor. I cant help that I was born a girl!
I am stuck singing whatever they dont. Either its too high, or its too low!")
