Tag Archives: Sci-fi

Brian Blessed Q&A – SFX Weekender 2012

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“The greatest danger in life is not taking the adventure…”

The loudest man in sci-fi (or any other genre, for that matter) was guest of honour at last week’s SFX Weekender in North Wales. P.G. Bell was there to record the action and we’re very pleased to bring you Brian’s complete Q&A session, conducted on Saturday 4th February, in front of a capacity crowd.

Brian explained his passion for science fiction, outlined his plans to bump off old friend Patrick Stewart and revealed why he calls Her Majesty the Queen “Knuckles”.

Most importantly, he publicly announced two very important projects for the first time – one in the realm of science fiction, the other based firmly in science fact. Seriously, this is pretty big.

He also uses some rather salty language at times, so be prepared!

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 44:24 — 40.7MB)

If that’s not enough for you, stay tuned for our full review of the SFX Weekender experience, including a gallery of this year’s cosplay event and interviews with the participants. PLUS! Full Q&As with Sylvester McCoy, Eve Myles and Colin Baker! Coming soon to Impossible Podcasts!

Review – Browncoats Mix Tape – Adam WarRock

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What happens when space cowboys meet gangsta rappers? Something amazing, that’s what! Resident über-nerd Olivia Cottrell dons her headphones and brings us the lowdown on a highly unlikely mashup…

The internet is a wonderful place for creativity. Especially in terms of fandom: all kinds of talented, creative people use the genre shows, comic books and video games that they love as raw material to express themselves in media that you would never expect in a million years. So it is with the small but growing genre of ‘nerdcore’ rap artists – musicians who (truer to the roots of hip hop and rap than their more mainstream contemporaries) use the genre to talk about the things that are important to them. It’s just that these things happen to be the aforementioned comic books, TV shows, and video games. While doing so, they often articulate wider points about life in general. So it is with Adam WarRock’s newest offering, The Browncoats Mixtape, based on Firefly.

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Article – Science & Fantasy, Part 1: The New Magic

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Splashdown according to Jules Verne...If you think you’re a science-fiction fan, you might have to think again.

Sir Terry Pratchett ruffled a few feathers recentlywhen he claimed that only ‘people who don’t know what science-fiction is, say that Doctor Who is science-fiction’.

To claim the adventures of Matt Smith and Co. are closer to fantasy than sci-fi might feel like stating the obvious but I’m willing to go further and claim that most of what passes for science-fiction in today’s media actually belongs to the genre’s trickier, more nebulous cousin: science-fantasy.
Before we go any further, let’s define our terms. The Collins English Dictionary defines science-fiction as ‘a literary genre that makes imaginative use of scientific knowledge or conjecture’. Those last four words are key. Yes, the writer has to tell a good story, yes the characters should be well rounded and believable but if the narrative doesn’t mine the challenges and pitfalls of science as sources of drama, it ain’t science-fiction.