Filk, before anyone asks, is folk music for science fiction folks.  It can be parody (like we don on amiright) or original material.  It can be funny or serious.

I've been toying with the idea of branching amiright into having filk content on the site for ages.  Generally it doesn't get very far past a little talk.

I'd really like to hear from anyone who writes it, reads it, even just knows what it is.

Right now I'm looking around to see if there are any sites that do for filk, what amiright does for song parody lyrics.  I want to know whether starting a whole filk section like the parody section on amiright is worth the effort, or if it's just duplicating what already exists out there.  I tried doing some searching on my own, and all I can find are a few organizations and some individual pages, nothing like an organized site where people can upload their lyrics and have them voted/commented on.

I was also thinking of doing some stuff with regular songs that we do with other sections of amiright.  Say, a section for songs that could be applied to a Star Wars universe or something. (I don't know, I'm sure people who do a lot of filk have better ideas than that!).

Right now I'm looking around to see if there are any sites that do for filk, what amiright does for song parody lyrics.  I want to know whether starting a whole filk section like the parody section on amiright is worth the effort, or if it's just duplicating what already exists out there.

Quick intro:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filk

Nothing in filk is particularly organized, but as much as I hate to say it, I'd wager you're probably duplicating effort. 

More importantly, filk's an old-school art, and rec.music.filk is alive and well on USENET.  If you really wanna grok the filk community in its fullness, spend a month or two lurking in rec.music.filk, and read every post.

Quick intro:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filk

Nothing in filk is particularly organized, but as much as I hate to say it, I'd wager you're probably duplicating effort. 

More importantly, filk's an old-school art, and rec.music.filk is alive and well on USENET.  If you really wanna grok the filk community in its fullness, spend a month or two lurking in rec.music.filk, and read every post.


usenet? ugh... I've used usenet on and off since the late 80s, and it's only gotten worse every year since I first began reading newsgroups. Spam, infighting, lots of off topic useless crap, etc.  I guess I can wade in though, since I'm not finding much on the filk sites I see. 

I consider myself pretty good at searching for information, and all I can find are small collections, some without any author credits whatsoever.  No real feedback, etc.  It's weird, the filk community is well knit from the stand point of organizing at conferences and even stand alone events, but no one seems to have started a centralized online lyrics repository.

More importantly, filk's an old-school art, and rec.music.filk is alive and well on USENET.  If you really wanna grok the filk community in its fullness, spend a month or two lurking in rec.music.filk, and read every post.


er, maybe I'm looking in the wrong place, but there's less activity in rec.music.filk than there is on the amiright messageboard here.  Not much really being discussed at all. 

I'm not a filk expert -- didn't even know what filk means until I read your explanation, Chucky.

Would any of these parodies qualify?

Science Fiction Themed:

Thus Break Eardrumustra
Dee Kelley, Jimmy, and Gene
Roddenberry's Lonely Star Trek Fans (album)
Space-Farts On TV / Space Full of Farts
Stalk Around Amok
Enterprise
Fine Drone Now, Boy! (Seven Of Nine's Theme)
GAGH
Hit With Pon Farr
Leonard Played Spock
My Eyes X-Rayed You
Pod Bay Doors Open, Gentle HAL
Q's Id
Runner Blade
Soylent Green
Space Alien Rhapsody
Superman Told Ya
Vulcans of Swing
Yoda Named I Am
Billy Shat Ner
Doctor Who's Machine
Eisley's Cantina
Father's Now Thy Dark Lord
Grovers Mill's Fame Grows

Fantasy Themed:

Gollum's Rhapsody
In Moria
One Ring Is Molten
Rand On The Run
Rivendell
Big-Balled Wizard
Cirdan The Shipwright
Harry Potter

http://home.att.net/~coriolan/hpfilks.htm

I posted a few Potter-themed ones there a while back. There are entire musical parodies done completely Potter-themed.

I'm not a filk expert -- didn't even know what filk means until I read your explanation, Chucky.

Would any of these parodies qualify?



yeah. basically they do.  I know I get a lot of stuff that is already in the "filk category"  Basically I'm thinking of expanding out and not requiring an original song to be required. Maybe I shouldn't call it filk, and just begin an "original lyrics" category.  Or maybe just start a few more categories in general?

yeah. basically they do.  I know I get a lot of stuff that is already in the "filk category"  Basically I'm thinking of expanding out and not requiring an original song to be required. Maybe I shouldn't call it filk, and just begin an "original lyrics" category.  Or maybe just start a few more categories in general?


Feedback is hard to give on original material. We are so used to parodying others music, we don't know what to do with originality. Take a look at what happens on the Comedy Song Recordings section, where you can actually hear the music and lyrics. It's not quite what it should be. It's hard to accept change, unless you need to buy some cheap liquor.