Steampunking Our Future: An Embedded ... - cdn.oreilly.com

14 | STEAMPUNKING OUR FUTURE: AN EMBEDDED HISTORIAN’S NOTEBOOK
“So,” I responded. The beer was surprisingly good, one of those that goes down
fast in the right way. “To you, it’s fine however people label your work, but you don’t
see it as limiting you?”
“Yeah, exactly,” he nodded. “Also I often find myself pushing in other directions.
I haven’t deliberately done anything to be anti-steampunk, but the Grordbort
stuff includes a lot of pulp elements and a sort of 1940s and 1950s type of
science fiction. That was always an inspiration right from the start. As an artist,
especially as a visual artist—for me anyway—you always want to do something
different; to surprise yourself, to learn more. I don’t necessarily try to go forward
in time because Grordbort is seated around the 1930s and the sort of futurism from
around that early part of the century.”
“But with a sense of Victorian imperialism at the same time, right?” I interrupted.
A bad habit, I know, but we were chatting and drinking and well, there was
a lot of the 19th century in Grordbort as well. “You’re pulling from a bunch of
places.”
“Totally,” he replied. “It’s got so many elements and that’s why I haven’t revolved
Grordbort’s around times and dates so much—I haven’t brought in too many
other historical events. It’s almost like it’s an alternate vessel all together.”
This harkened back to my conversation with Mark Thompson about Henry
Hoke (see Vintage Tomorrows, Chapter 10). There’s an interesting kind of temporal
thing going on here. Not so much messing about with a particular past—which
is part of the innovation steampunk brought to science fiction in the second half
of the 20th century—but assembling history like fusion cuisine. This approach
produces flavors that feel familiar but are intentionally hard to pin down.
“It’s freedom,” Greg said.
“You know,” I said, gently pushing my cleared plate aside, “part of what I enjoy
most about steampunk is exactly that freedom. I think of punk as a verb in this
context—it’s taking something and messing with it. Punk is a thing you do to
something else.”
“It’s good that you say that because I always wondered what the punk part of
steampunk or cyberpunk was,” he admitted.
Greg was far from alone here. If I had a nickel for every time I heard this, I’d
have a lot of nickels. Steampunk is a catchy term. What’s more, like many such
terms, it has a familiar flavor; it feels just right enough that most folks don’t stop
to question it. If/when they do, the “-punk” part tends to raise eyebrows a little:
“Wait, these really polite weirdos in spats and goggles don’t really look like rabid
Sid Vicious fans…”