
Chris Garcia’s Hugo-winning hair
I have a girl-crush, the equivalent of a bromance, with Chris Garcia although I fear it may be unrequited!
[hand to forehead, leaning back in a melodramatic pose]It all began a couple of years ago…
[queue timey-wimey music and calendar pages reversing rapidly]I started Dark Matter after editing one edition of a local science fiction club’s newsletter. Â After moving to Melbourne I searched the webz assiduously for a connection to the community, hence membership of an SF club and editing an issue of the newsletter. Â After one issue my services were no longer required but my passion had been ignited by this tantalising glimpse of the enormous potential of the club’s newsletter. Â I decided to launch an independent fanzine!
Issue one came and went fairly quickly, and then the letters of comment rolled in. Â I was ASTOUNDED. Â I didn’t expect to receive any letters of comment at all. Â I remember sitting at my computer with my mouth open, doing my impersonation of a fish.
Chris Garcia not only sent a letter from for issue 2, but he continued to send letters in response to most published issues.  I went poking around and looked at his fanzine, Drink Tank.  This is a diverse fanzine with articles ranging from Handicapping the Hugos, annual commentary of the pre-award line-up, to discussing classics of SF (note: the links provided are for more recent issues but they’re intended to give you a taste of the flavour of Drink Tank).
Fast forward a few months to mid-2011.
Hugo nominations were announced. Â This guy who’d been sending letters of comment was nominated for best fanzine. Â SQUEE! Â I – kind of – knew a nominee! Â How awesome was that? Â And he seemed like a nice guy, too.
Then Chris won! Â Wow, I – kind of – knew a Hugo award winner! Â I basked in the dimly reflected glow of awesome.
Galactic Suburbia made some comments about Chris’ acceptance speech and the potential for the acceptance speech being nominated for a Hugo for the following year (possibly in this issue but I haven’t listened to it recently so I’m not sure). Â I didn’t immediately search for Chris’ acceptance speech on YouTube, so it slipped my mind.
Drink Tank #300 came out shortly after Chris’ win. Â Issue 300 was HUGE, with contributions from an amazing array of people. Â I thought to myself that this epic issue was almost inevitably going to win in 2012. Â [Have I mentioned that I’m epically awful at picking winners? Â The only winners I’ve picked have been the bloody obvious like Neil Gaiman’s episode of Doctor Who.]
The months rolled past.
Chris and I became friends on Facebook probably around the same time I joined the Fan-Eds Facebook page.  We’ve chatted a little – he’s a lovely guy.  I find hipsters cringe-worthy in their antipathy for enthusiasm: Chris Garcia is a refreshing antidote to hipster wannabes.
In August I read a letter from Chris gently encouraging people to live and let live in the face of much vitriol aimed at Dark Matter and I in someone else’s fanzine. Chris’ letter left me in tears of gratitude, gratitude that someone stood up for me. Â The seeds of a bromance had already been sown but now they took firm root in my heart. Â (No other word conveys quite the same meaning even if the term doesn’t quite fit gender-wise.)
This year, Chris’ 2011 acceptance speech was, indeed, nominated for a Hugo Award and after reading the letter mentioned above I went looking for clips.
This acceptance speech is heartfelt, conveying Chris’ depth of feeling more eloquently than fluent words. Â His years of contribution to fandom were acknowledged and rewarded with this award, which he took to heart so gratefully. Â I personally fell in bromance with him even more at this point, both for his honest emotion and THAT HAIR: he’s a human teddy bear!
A few days ago on Facebook I heard that Chris was planning a hair cut this weekend.
‘NOOOOOOOO!’ I cry. Â ‘Besides,’ I add, ‘THAT HAIR WON A HUGO.’
Someone pointed out that it was Chris, not his hair, that won.
‘But the hair was sitting on his crown [a role reversal if ever their was one] at the time!’ I reply. Â ‘IT’S LIKE LUCKY HAIR,’ I add, arguing for the survival of The. Most. Awesome. Beard.
Sigh. Â I believe I’m campaigning for a lost cause. Â Chris is talking about cutting 6 inches off – SIX INCHES. Â That’s 15 cm to the metrically inclined. Â I don’t think his beard is that long, so I’m assuming he’s talking about his pony tail. Â I’m not sure what’s happening to the beard…
Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here today to mourn the passing of an amazing head of hair and beard. Â But before you shuffle on to the next link in your surfing chain, check out Drink Tank, the creation of Chris and his much-beloved hair. Â With contributions from some other people.