Dangerous Lives, Dangerous Visions 1

This is the first zine in a series of six. It was published in 2002 and premiered at SHareCon 2002. It had 251 pages. It was edited by Flamingo with help from her friend CrowRow (Rosemary).

Cover Art — “Be Careful What You Wish For” by Suzan Lovett

Edited by Flamingo with help, as usual, from her indentured servant, CrowRow.

Printing by Bel-Jean Printing, Beltsville, Maryland

Published October 25, 2002 by Flamingo.

Cover art by Suzan Lovett
INTRO by Flamingo (Below TOC)
The Warning Warning by Libbie Burns
This Reminds Me of a Movie I Saw Once by Blue Starsky
Interlude 1 by Flamingo
Diamond Dogs by Ioannia
Interlude 2 by Flamingo
Haven by Suzan Lovett
An Open Letter to the Tenants of VenicePlace by Constance Collins
Interlude 3: Nicknames Starsky called Hutch
Devils Food (133K) by Animasola
Interlude 4: Basic Black and Pearls.
Merry Christmas, Perkowitz (35K) by jat sapphire
Interlude 5: Nicknames Hutch called Starsky
Art: Latex by L. A. Pinn
Honor Thy Father (56K) by Kathy (Windrain10)
Remnants (161K) by Rosemary
Interlude 6: Hutch wisdom/Starsky wisdom
Solitary Man (9K) by Jessica Celliers
Bound to the Law I (76K) by DawnWind
Art (1) by L. A. Pinn
Art (2) by L. A. Pinn
Interlude 7: Partner Wisdom
Only a Change of Worlds (95K) by Nikki Harrington
Interlude 8: Moonshine
Because I Could (29K) by TJ
Interlude 9: Hutch wisdom/Starsky wisdom 2
Dreaming In Color (13K) by Ioannia
Art: Nap by Virginia Sky
I Wish I Was Homeward Bound (127K) by jat sapphire
The Last of Life (31K) by Dana Austin Marsh
What Survives Is Gold (17K) by jat sapphire
Interlude 10: Huggy Bear Wisdom

I thought it was bad when I was formatting a zine just days before Z-con. Here I am on Wednesday, less than 48 hours away from the start of SHareCon 2002, and I’m formatting another zine. With luck it’ll go to the printer’s tomorrow and they’ll deliver it to the hotel on Friday. Do I have everything ready for the con? You gotta be kidding me. The motto in this house is, if it weren’t for the last minute, nothing would get done!

Starsky & Hutch fandom has been around since the mid 1970’s. Whether the fandom was gen or slash, people got into it because of the intense love relationship between the partners. That intense relationship, usually what draws us to get involved in this fandom, has often caused the guys to be tagged “the perfect couple.” But fans today are used to a wide diversity of fiction. SH, to many, doesn’t seem to offer that variety. We have only 1 rape stories that I know of, not many Alternate Universe tales, few partner-betrayal stories, and very little bdsm, or death stories. While some might consider this a good thing, writers interested in exploring different themes have not always found an open atmosphere for those stories in SH.

During its original run, Starsky & Hutch was considered the most violent show on TV and had some of the most challenging story lines then aired. Some stations refused to air the episode about the gay cop, John Blaine (Death in a Different Place). SH was ahead of its time dealing with how poorly the justice system dealt with rape, child abuse (when teachers could lose their jobs for reporting it!), difficult racial themes, and other socially relevant fare that pushed the limits. The guys had plenty of conflict between them, being highly competitive, even battling over women right up to the last episode. They fought. They disagreed, sometimes violently. Almost thirty years later we’re still debating whether Starsky deliberately shot out the gas tank on the fleeing kidnapper’s car in The Psychic, since he thought they had killed Hutch. During The Plague, Starsky never once expresses concern that the plague could cause thousands of deaths–he’s only concerned that Hutch will die. Oh, yeah, these guys loved each other. But they were hardly the perfect couple.

Fans today are used to complex, conflicted, and diverse pairings such as the criminal Sonny and the federal agent Vinnie from Wiseguy, Mulder/Krychek from X Files, the Blake 7 crew, the controversial relationship of the Master and Apprentice from The Phantom Menace, and others. We’ll always have “perfect couple” stories, but sometimes you’re in the mood for something . . . a little different. Maybe sweeter, sharper–harder to swallow.

The zine has a little of everything: an AU, a triad, death themes, bdsm, non-consensual sex, parody and humor, stories that break down the wall between fiction and reality, and a few other surprises. Even the perfect couple shows up from time to time. And some of the best-known writers in the fandom are here–some you will recognize, and some are writing under new pseuds. Bamboo shoots couldn’t get me to tell! (Hint: try money.)

I don’t know how my friends put up with me when I’m throwing a con or putting a zine together, and this month I’m doing both. Rosemary, the Pagan in the Basement, is really a saint in disguise. If she asks you for housing, you’d be a fool to turn her down, and after this month, I’m sure she’ll be shopping around. My best bud Kath Moonshine always has the best ideas, the answers for my hassles, and the cleverest solutions. I’d be lost without her. Maybe someday I’ll develop the sense to just do what she says. And my partner, Anne–well, that woman really IS a saint. An SH martyr, imprisoned in a world not of her choosing, but willing to serve none-the-less. Though I think she and Ro are considering finding a new house together. That’s okay. I’ll find them.

Enjoy the zine. Let me know. I’d love to pass on encouraging words to the writers who’ve worked so hard on these stories. There will definitely be a Volume II, already pretty packed, and more than likely a Volume III if the stories keep flowing in like they have been. And an SH zine dedicated to AUs will be finished shortly (as soon as I can find the time to finish my story!).

Flamingo