Our pal TPG sent the following report from The Guardian of London. Seems like a steam punk version of rock & roll has evolved over in the old country, which – even though promoted by the offspring of Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren – I must confess appears a little behind the cultural curve. Steam punk was the science fiction big thing some years ago, but then rather wore itself out. I even tried it myself – at the strict instigation of Tor books – and while kinda fun, it didn’t end well, although in one of the books I did feature a steam punk band with huge acoustic metal speakers.
"You can define steampunk as visions of the future that never was, as seen through the technology of the Victorian era, when things were made of pistons and steam rather than silicon and transistors," says Slater, who is dressed in a ruffled white shirt, pegged trousers and spats. "It's an aesthetic, a geek culture, a craft culture." It's certainly all those things; steampunks take pride in their ability to make 19th-century-style clothes and gadgets from found objects, creating intricate gizmos from brass, leather and rivets. A London-based American musician called Thomas Truax even makes his own instruments: there's one called the Hornicator, made from a gramophone horn; another, known as Mother Superior, emits steam when played.” (Click for the whole confusing story.)
"You can define steampunk as visions of the future that never was, as seen through the technology of the Victorian era, when things were made of pistons and steam rather than silicon and transistors," says Slater, who is dressed in a ruffled white shirt, pegged trousers and spats. "It's an aesthetic, a geek culture, a craft culture." It's certainly all those things; steampunks take pride in their ability to make 19th-century-style clothes and gadgets from found objects, creating intricate gizmos from brass, leather and rivets. A London-based American musician called Thomas Truax even makes his own instruments: there's one called the Hornicator, made from a gramophone horn; another, known as Mother Superior, emits steam when played.” (Click for the whole confusing story.)
