Interesting Interview: Rusty Mason

I have to apologize right up front.  I thought I had interviewed Rusty Mason before now.  A good Sherlockian friend of mine, I was horrified when I realized I never had him be a part of this interview series!  

Many people know Rusty as Steve Mason's son.  To paraphrase The West Wing, he's "the guy the guy counts on."  Overhauling and upkeeping massive websites for The Crew of the Barque Lone Star and The Beacon Society as well as drawing over 500 episodes of Baker Street Elementary should put him on anyone's radar.  But Rusty is a guy that's definitely worth getting to know on his own as well.  Beer connoisseur, fan of every sports team in the Lone Star state, 221B Con supporter, my Broadway show companion, and a dude that knows a lot about Sherlock Holmes to boot, here is this week's Interesting Interview: Rusty Mason!

How do you define the word “Sherlockian”?

I don't think there is a benchmark for a Sherlockian, so for me it is hard to define. I think it is up to the individual person to determine if they are a Sherlockian or not. That being said, I do believe there are two types of Sherlockians: those who have discovered other Sherlockians and those that have not. 

How did you become a Sherlockian?

Like most people, I read a story or two when I was in school, but I was not hooked then. I started to get serious through my dad, Steve Mason, over a decade ago. He asked me to revise our local society website and help with the art for a little webcomic. From there it just took off.

What is your profession and does that affect how you enjoy being a Sherlockian?

I do information management work as a contractor for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. We work on Superfund record management and FOIA. My work does not affect me being a Sherlockian, other that giving me enough time off to travel across the country to Sherlockian events held throughout the year.

What is your favorite canonical story?

I would have to go with the “Five Orange Pips." The fact that our local society, The Barque Lone Star, gets it's name from the story give it a little personal touch. 

Who is a specific Sherlockian that you think others would find interesting?

That is a hard question to answer since I find most Sherlockians interesting. Peter Blau, Brad Keefauver, and Burt Wolder are few that I could spend hours just listening to. If I had to pick one though, I would pick Don Hobbs. I am always amazed at his knowledge and ability to command any room full of Sherlockians. 

What subset of Sherlockiana really interests you?

I have always loved the adaptations of Sherlock Holmes. From the TV shows, movies, comics, and art, I just can't get enough of it. Growing up in the 80s and 90s, it seemed every cartoon that I watched as a kid had an episode related to the great detective. I am intrigued to see how established shows portray Holmes in the series, either the main characters dressing as him or have Sherlock show up in the episode.

How is your experience in Sherlockiana affected by being the son of another Sherlockian?

It's an adventure. He is the one that fully brought me into the world of Sherlock Holmes and a lot of things I have done have been because of him. From reworking our society's and the Beacon Society's websites to illustrating a webcomic for almost a decade, most everything I have done started as an idea from him. 

One of the things that I enjoy being the spawn of a Sherlockian is going to event across the country with him. For those that might not know, my dad hates to fly, so we drive to every Sherlockian event from Texas. Yes, that includes all the way to New York every year. We do make an event of most of the drive we take; going to sporting events or visiting other Sherlockians along the route.

At the Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown, NY

What are some Sherlockian anime that people should know about?

The first Sherlockian anime that I will always recommend is Sherlock Hound (1984-1985). It is a wonderful show that is based in a steampunk technology society with anthropomorphic dogs as the characters. The show is geared towards children, but I still find it quite enjoyable as an adult. The episodes are available on YouTube.

The second one I would recommend is Moriarty the Patriot (2020-2021), which is a different twist on a Sherlockian show since it follows the rise of Moriarty. Moriarty encounters Holmes in the series and a battle of wits between the two is an underlying plot point throughout the show. I enjoy the development of Moriarty's crew (Sebastian Moran/Fred Porlock) that one does not get there other media sources.

The final anime I would recommend is Sherlock Holmes and the Great Escape (2019). This is an animated film based off a children's book series from Hong Kong. The film follows Sherlock after he caught and sent a Robin Hood-like outlaw to prison. After the outlaw escapes, his daughter gets kidnapped and needs the help of Holmes to help find his daughter.

What book would you recommend to other Sherlockians?

Well, since I love adaptations/crossovers of the great detective, I will pick one of those. My all time favorite is the a crossover with the Marvel anti-hero Deadpool in the comic series titled Deadpool Killustrated (2013). The basic plot is that Deadpool teams up with Frankenstein's monster on a quest to kill off all literary characters. Sherlock Holmes discovers about the killings and creates his own team to go after Deadpool through different literary worlds. The climatic fight with Deadpool and Sherlock on H.G. Wells's time machine will always be one of my top battles.

Where do you see Sherlockiana in 5 or 10 years from now?

That might be one of the most difficult questions to answer. Look just at our own society, the past 5 years have changed so much. Five years ago, we held in person meetings once a month that had about 20-25 people on average attend. Today, we are almost fully online, other than the quarterly in person dinner. We have about tripled the amount of people coming to the current meetings from 5 years ago. The ability to have so many wonderful people helping out in the meetings and the opportunity to have guest speakers from across world is something that we could only dream of 5 years ago.

With the growth and use of technology over the past few years with Zoom and even Facebook, I can only say that the Sherlockian world will grow and thrive with the ability to reach out and communicate with other much easier that before. 

In the Town of Atlanta [YELL]

221B Con has been going on for over a decade now, but this past weekend was the first time I actually went.  I've heard all kinds of stories about the event, ranging from it being transcendent to it being not for a traditional Sherlockian.  Let me tell you, that no opinion I've heard over the years could adequately describe the event; it really is something that needs to be experienced.  (And of course, here I am trying to describe it to others, knowing full well that my words won't be enough to convey the atmosphere to anyone who hasn't been there.) 

(But before I get into it, I want to preface by saying that for lack of better terms, I will use "fandom" and "traditional Sherlockians" throughout.  I don't want to write a whole treatise about the different gradients in Sherlockiana so please forgive me for delineating all of us into such basic terms.)

221B Con always seemed like something that a lot of people enjoyed but it wasn't going to be my cup of tea.  A thousand people at the first event?  Cosplay and burlesque?  Fanart and shipping?  While this sounds like I was being snobby about it all, quite frankly I was anxious about going.  I worried that I would be too boring and old school for the new group of Sherlockians.  But Crystal Noll and Heather Holloway head the con, with Rusty Mason, Chris Zordan, and a team of other folks involved.  I love these four and finally decided that if they can be so involved with such an event, it was time for me to check it out.  

So off to Atlanta I went.  I even signed up to be on a panel, Education and Fan Creation, on Friday night.  When I got to the hotel, I only saw a few folks that I knew.  Many were still in transit, in their hotel rooms, or at Waffle House.  So I hung out with the few people I knew and time ticked by as I watched Sherlockians in their 20s and younger reconnecting with friends.  I had a pizza that wasn't great and we all waited for registration to open and the panels to start.

My panel was at 6 that evening, and it was... not wildly popular.  We were in the largest room and less than 10 people were in attendance.  But the other panelist, Sara, was a pro at cons and the two of us had a delightful conversation with the few people there about Sherlock Holmes and how we engaged our fifth- and seventh-grade students in literature from centuries past.  Sitting through the panel with Sara did a lot to soothe my anxieties about the con.

After my panel ended, I was free to enjoy everything else.  The thing about a convention, I learned, is that there are a bunch of things to choose from.  Sometimes you can't get to everything you want.  And sometimes there isn't anything that interests you.  In the first instance you do your best to see what you can, and in the second you hang out with folks in the lobby or sneak off to your room for a nap.

Brad Keefauver always has write-ups about the con, and you can get a feel for the frantic pace of the weekend by reading his post from this year.  I will say, my outside-looking-in view of the con has always been that it was a bunch panels of other fandoms, with a little Sherlock Holmes in there for us traditionalists.  I had that backwards.  Sherlockian programming is the backbone of this convention, and other things like Our Flag Means Death, anime, and other topics do have a place in the weekend, but are not the focus of 221B Con.

221B Con goers do love their media adaptations, though.  I don't know if I went to a single panel this weekend where the influence of movies, tv, radio, and podcasts weren't present.  And in retrospect, that makes sense.  The typical Sherlockian nowadays, no matter what age, is going to have been influenced by media interpretations.  Some of us may say, "I haven't enjoyed an adaptation since the Rathbone movies or the Brett series."  Guess what, there's a Brett vs Rathbone panel!  Of course, 221B Con came about because of the BBC's Sherlock series, but everyone there acknowledges that that series was a decade ago.  In fact, I don't think there was even a panel about BBC Sherlock this year.

Speaking of panels, some of my highlights from the ones I attended were:

Marilyn McKay telling us that 10% of the population had syphilis during the time of the Canon.  She then told us to think about who from the stories would've been suffering from that during the stories.

The Researching the World of Sherlock Holmes going deep into the nerdiness of rabbit holes during the research process.

The detailed slideshow that took us through the Mycrofts Through the Ages panel.

The cheer that when up when Toby was mentioned at The Great Mouse Detective panel.

Participants at the Sherlock & Co. panel patiently walking an older Sherlockian through what Discord is.

Scarfing down a delicious brisket sandwich from the food truck while Atlanta Radio Theatre Company put on a Jeeves and Wooster play.

The Why Do We Always Return to Sherlock Holmes panel ending in a group hug because everyone agreed that the stories brought us in the door but Sherlockians were why we kept coming back.

At the end of the ASH, BSI, and Other Sherlockian Orgs panel about scion societies, there was a line of people to sign up to be on mailing lists for scions that met via Zoom.

But there's more to 221B Con than just the panels.  The vendor's room was huge and as much a place to hang out as to purchase things.  While I'm on a self-imposed book buying hiatus, I couldn't pass up finally getting Major Holmes and Captain Watson.  I got to see the writer, Jeff Rider, on a few panels and really enjoyed the energy and knowledge he brought to everything.

And there's the planned socialization.  Friday night's big event was karaoke.  I chose to sit that one out and hung out in the bar with some folks.  But Saturday night was a dance party.  I got caught up in the spirit and somehow ended up dressed like Cameron Frye from Ferris Bueller's Day Off.  We hung out in the dance party for a little bit, but eventually ended up in the next room, relaxing on inflatables and drinking with just a handful of other folks.

And here's where the multi-fandom of this event really hit home for me.  At a Sherlockian event, I ended up having an in-depth discussion about The Muppets with someone I'd never met before, and we went DEEP with conversation.  See?  Just like at a traditional Sherlockian event, you start with Sherlock Holmes and build your connections from there.  Plus, they had a full-size TARDIS in that room!

Of course, just like any event, there are great times spent with friends and fellow Sherlockians.  Between dinner at the hotel that got better than that first pizza I tried (friend green tomatoes and a whiskey drink go pretty well together), and numerous trips to Waffle House, you are sure to spend time with people you like hanging out with.

221B Con: Not just a place for young Sherlockians

Were there things I didn't understand or didn't care for?  Sure.  But you know what, that's true for traditional Sherlockian events as well.  

Some of the fandom has strong opinions on Johnlock or other romantic pairings.  Some traditional Sherlockians have an Irene Adler adulation.  Whether people want to admit it or not, a romantic connection with Irene Adler and singing "We Never Mention Aunt Clara" is the same thing as shipping and fan fiction.  

Cosplay may seem strange to older Sherlockians.  It's the same thing as wearing a deerstalker or dressing in Victorian garb at other events.

But what about fanfic and all of the terms that outsiders don't understand?  It's fandom's version of terms that have become second nature to traditional Sherlockians like pastiche, Canon, and literary agent.

It was announced that next year will be the final year of 221B Con.  My only regret from this event is that I didn't get down to Atlanta sooner.  Because this event is full of energetic and intelligent Sherlockians.  And I can only hope fandom and traditional Sherlockians find more places to interact.  Because both sides of this hobby can benefit from the other.  

Interesting Interview: Ann Andriacco

This week's Interesting Interview is with the fabulous Ann Andriacco!  You've probably seen her at a million events, whether it's behind a vendor's table with her amazing creations, overseeing the Gaslight Gala during the January Birthday Weekend, or a million places in-between.  No matter where you see her, you can guarantee she's enjoying herself and if you're lucky to spend some time with her, your day will always be better!

Ann is a stalwart within The Beacon Society, now overseeing two large competitions each year.  She is married to the editor of The Baker Street Journal, Dan Andriacco, and it's plain to see that they both enjoy Sherlockian events, but enjoy each other's company even more!  Ann is a smart and friendly person to be around, and if you're one of the few folks out there who don't recognize this face, get ready to get to know one of the warmest people in our hobby!

How do you define the word “Sherlockian”?

I would define “Sherlockian” as someone who walks in the footsteps of Sherlock Holmes and inhabits his world.

How did you become a Sherlockian?

I read Sherlock Holmes in 9^th grade English class and my mom was a big fan of the Basil Rathbone movies. I would often sit and watch them with her late at night.

Then in high school I met a guy who was immersed in Sherlock Holmes named Dan Andriacco. (It was a blind date arranged by my brother.)

What is your profession (or previous if you are retired) and does that affect how you enjoy being a Sherlockian?

I have had several professions in life. I believe I enjoyed using the stories the most in teaching science to 7^th graders. I am big on process skills and often had activities which used Observation vs. Inference. My students had to collect data, analyze what they were doing, etc. Once, much to the principal’s chagrin, I had a crime scene set up in my classroom with yellow tape, an outline of the victim on the floor, and clues scattered about. (I was not aware that my room was used for the Education Commission meetings. It apparently was quite a lively discussion that took place that night.) The students processed the scene, collected items, did fiber burn tests, checked fingerprints, interviewed people, analyzed statements, and finally had to conclude what happened with their team. They were so involved (and came up with two different ideas) that we then had a trial to see if they could decide if there had been a murder and who the perpetrator was.

What is your favorite canonical story?

I think The Hound of the Baskervilles. It is creepy, gothic, and draws the reader in to the story. I say this after having visited Dartmoor and seen the area in person. I do feel sorry for the Hound, though.

Who is a specific Sherlockian that you think others would find interesting?

I would pick Glenn Miranker. At the “Sherlock Holmes in 221 Objects” exhibit in Bloomington he chose one object out of his collection and dove into where it came from, who owned it, how he tried to find out about it, etc. It all began with a stamp on the front cover and took him down a fascinating rabbit hole.

What subset of Sherlockiana really interests you?

Since I am an artist, I like the foggy streets, the atmosphere, the characters, and the period.

How does being married to another Sherlockian enhance your experience in this hobby?

We look at the stories and process them differently. Dan, being a writer, has a different mindset from mine. So, it is good to hear a different point of view. Plus, I don’t ever have to buy a book or go someplace to look something up! The answer is generally in our house some place. He does have a FEW books. I personally like Sherlock Holmes objects. For Christmas a few years ago, I bought him a miniature Persian slipper which then needed a fireplace, which then needed a wall which had to be wallpapered. Before I knew it, he had a miniature replica of 221B down to the bearskin rug and newspapers of the period scattered around. 

You've been head of The Beacon Society's Awards Committee for a few years.  What are some highlights from your tenure in this position?

I spent all my “careers” working with children and challenging them in some way.  I have been involved with writing contests in the past. It seemed a natural transition to take over the Awards Committee. We oversee the R. Joel Senter Writing Contest and recently added the Nancy Springer Pastiche Writing Contest as two of our projects. 

Joel Senter was my professor for a class at the University of Cincinnati when I was 19. We then met Joel and his wife Carolyn in the Sherlock Holmes world and a wonderful friendship began. It seemed right for me to help carry on his name and introduce others to his love of Sherlock Holmes stories.  (I was a Fine Arts major and Dr. Senter taught Psychology. It wasn’t in my field but sounded like an interesting class. When I did Statistics with another professor—also not in my major area—we used the book he had written for our class. I asked him to autograph my copy. He was shocked that I still had it!)

What book would you recommend to other Sherlockians?

I would choose the Canon itself. I enjoy the stories themselves. Find an area you really enjoy, whether it is analysis, chronology, pastiches, etc. But I can put a plug in for a writer I know named Dan Andriacco….and he did not tell me to say that. I am his last reader before publication, and I do enjoy his stories.

Where do you see Sherlockiana in 5 or 10 years from now?

I see younger Sherlockians coming in and falling in love with the stories now, and I see that continuing if we promote the world of Sherlock Holmes. And of course, It is always 1895.