Obsessed fan???

How a bizarre thinking that meeting in person one's heroes means being "obsessed fans", and I think it ridiculous claiming to be "big fans" though missing such events, perhaps close to hometown... There are people available to travel a long way (hundreds of miles, or sometimes thousands of miles) toattend those events.
Just to make an example, the person who murdered John Lennon was an "obsessed fan".
If we should count only on "obsessed fans" to organize a meeting with UFO actors nobody would ever succeed, neither ISOSHADO nor larger Associations (for example Fanderson).
But fortunately, also true "big fans" exist!
Paolo Malaguti
ISOSHADO Supervisor
www.isoshado.org






Well, there IS a difference between being a "big fan", and being
an "obsessed fan"! ; )

Jeff

--- In [hidden email], "Paolo Malaguti" <pmalaguti@...> wrote:
>
> Funny here...
> After so many events organised by us with Ed and Mike, there are
still so
> called "big fans", here in Italy, who still do not know the
Italian official
> fan club of the UFO series, for years chaired by Ed and Mike...
Moreover,
> they also do not know that "their heroes" have come to Italy
dozens of
> times... perhaps in a location close to their hometown.
> Lack of awareness explains many things, but "big fans" are
generally well
> informed...
> Paolo Malaguti
> ISOSHADO Supervisor
> www.isoshado.org


__________ Informazione NOD32 1988 (20070118) __________

Questo messaggio è stato controllato dal Sistema Antivirus NOD32
http://www.nod32.it


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Paolo,
   
I certainly meant no disrespect to you or any other UFO fan. My comment was meant to be taken humourously (a joke) and to make the point that everyone has their own definition or idea of what 'big fan' is. I also don't believe that every 'obsessed' fan is a stalker or killer. But perhaps 'passionate fan' is a more acceptable moniker. It's a real shame that not everyone has the time or money to devote as much effort to UFO fandom as you do. And apparently a person cannot consider themselves a 'big fan' unless itfits YOUR criteria. Isn't that awfully close to the definition of 'narrowminded'?
   
Jeff

Paolo Malaguti <[hidden email]> wrote:
How a bizarre thinking that meeting in person one's heroes means being "obsessed fans", and I think it ridiculous claiming to be "big fans" though missing such events, perhaps close to hometown... There are people available to travel a long way (hundreds of miles, or sometimes thousands ofmiles) to attend those events.
Just to make an example, the person who murdered John Lennon was an "obsessed fan".
If we should count only on "obsessed fans" to organize a meeting with UFO actors nobody would ever succeed, neither ISOSHADO nor larger Associations (for example Fanderson).
But fortunately, also true "big fans" exist!
Paolo Malaguti
ISOSHADO Supervisor
www.isoshado.org

Well, there IS a difference between being a "big fan", and being
an "obsessed fan"! ; )

Jeff

--- In [hidden email], "Paolo Malaguti" <pmalaguti@...> wrote:
>
> Funny here...
> After so many events organised by us with Ed and Mike, there are
still so
> called "big fans", here in Italy, who still do not know the
Italian official
> fan club of the UFO series, for years chaired by Ed and Mike...
Moreover,
> they also do not know that "their heroes" have come to Italy
dozens of
> times... perhaps in a location close to their hometown.
> Lack of awareness explains many things, but "big fans" are
generally well
> informed...
> Paolo Malaguti
> ISOSHADO Supervisor
> www.isoshado.org

__________ Informazione NOD32 1988 (20070118) __________

Questo messaggio è stato controllato dal Sistema Antivirus NOD32
http://www.nod32.it

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



         


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Dear Paolo,

sorry that I used the term "big fan" to refer to me. You are the truly
big fan, not I.

Cheers,
Enzo (from Belgium)

--- In [hidden email], "Paolo Malaguti" <pmalaguti@...> wrote:
>
> How a bizarre thinking that meeting in person one's heroes means
being "obsessed fans", and I think it ridiculous claiming to be "big
fans" though missing such events, perhaps close to hometown... There
are people available to travel a long way (hundreds of miles, or
sometimes thousands of miles) to attend those events.
> Just to make an example, the person who murdered John Lennon was an
"obsessed fan".
> If we should count only on "obsessed fans" to organize a meeting
with UFO actors nobody would ever succeed, neither ISOSHADO nor larger
Associations (for example Fanderson).

>
>Dear Paolo,
>
>sorry that I used the term "big fan" to refer to me. You are the truly
>big fan, not I.
>
>Cheers,
>Enzo (from Belgium)

Oh, well.... I guess the little debate grew out of a
misunderstanding. Enzo lives in Belgium, so it would have been really
difficult for him to attend our conventions :-)

I remember when I was where Enzo is, a while ago (the awakening...).
After receiving an old Italian VHS of a compilation movie as a
Christmas present, I started digging the web, and I found Marc's
site. On his page about collecting, I found Paolo Malaguti's phone
number; I called him, thinking that I was a big fan and that all UFO
was about was three Dinky models and Panini trading cards! But after
one month, I was at a dinner, sitting in front of Ed Bishop. It was
in Milan, after a widely popular TV program about the 70s. I risked
my life to get there from my city, because fog around Milan can be
incredible in January, but I discovered a truly new dimension.

I believe that Enzo is starting the same kind of trip... so beware!
Once you get the taste, there is no going back!

As to "big/obsessed fans" I remember someone on this list, a few
years ago, complaining about posting photographs of UFO actors. I
won't make any name, but he said that seeing how this actor/actress
grew old, made him sad. And we know that some Italian "fans" think
more or less the same: quite interested in die cast models, but much
less in talking with the persons who made UFO. I guess, this is why
Paolo M. is so sensitive about this issue.

Anyway, the real answer comes from UFO actors themselves. We managed
to invite a few "difficult" ones ("difficult" in the sense that they
do not like conventions that much, because of obsessed/obsessive
fans). And it happened just because Ed Bishop and Mike Billington
themselves guaranteed that we are very dedicated, but not obsessed.

Well..... there are exceptions! I remember Wanda Ventham staring at
me and saying "HELP!" just with her lips, because a weirdo was trying
to convince her that we are all manipulated by numbers printed on
food packages :-)

Cheers (and welcome to Enzo)
PB


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

> I remember when I was where Enzo is, a while ago (the awakening...).

For me, it is a bit further back... it was the late 1980's, when
I decided to look for some copies of UFO on VHS tape. I knew that
I had read about a UFO fan club a few years earlier in a Video
magazine, and I contacted them (Helen Weber). I had no idea that
there had been UFO fan clubs during the 1970's, nor that there had
been conventions in the UK. But I joined this club, purchased all
of the back issues to "catch up" with UFO fandom, and started
contributing myself. I then joined some online services (AOL,
Genie, CompuServe) to help advertise the fan club. Eventually,
I could see that the Internet would overtake these online services,
so I started up this discussion group (way back in 1994!)

Marc

Dear Paolo,
yes! But what a loss... I regret it so much! I feel so bad, for now it's
too late and that chance is lost forever!.. If I may ask, which
impressions do you retain of those great moments, when you could meet
our heroes themselves? Is it true that Ed was a lovely person and a
great man? Did they tell anecdotes about those marvelous days? If only I
had the chance to ask them something... I guess that in the great
ISOSHADO site there must be plenty of reports about these events.
I think you're describing an exact picture of my situation now! I think
I've got addicted... what a lovely addiction though!

>
> As to "big/obsessed fans" I remember someone on this list, a few
> years ago, complaining about posting photographs of UFO actors. I
> won't make any name, but he said that seeing how this actor/actress
> grew old, made him sad. And we know that some Italian "fans" think
> more or less the same: quite interested in die cast models, but much
> less in talking with the persons who made UFO. I guess, this is why
> Paolo M. is so sensitive about this issue.
I'd like to apologize with Paolo Malaguti for having been quite
sensitive too. It's just that I had no idea of the context and couldn't
understand well. Sorry about that.
Thank you very much Paolo! It's been nice reading your email. I hope to
have the chance to come to Italy during one of the ISOSHADO convention
in the future and meeting you in person.

All the best to everybody, and special thanks to all the big fans that
made these list and events possible

Enzo


> PB
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

--
Vincenzo De Florio
--------------------------------------------------------
Performance Analysis of Telecommunication Systems (PATS)
Dept. Mathematics & Comp.Science, University of Antwerp
--------------------------------------------------------
Middelheimln 1, Bld.G, Room G1.11, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium
--------------------------------------------------------
(T) +32 3 265 3905 +32 3 265 3777 (F)
(W) http://www.pats.ua.ac.be vincenzo.de.florio (Skype)
(M) [hidden email]

I am new to this group; so please forgive me if I end up rehashing
some previously covered subjects.

I have been a limited obsessed UFO fan simply due to distance.

UFO did not exist for South Florida television viewers until the mid
1970s. It ran every Saturday afternoon for only a year or two.

Fortunately, I caught it early enought to record every episode to
audio tape, and even shot footage from the TV on 8mm film.

Living in the united States meant that Sci-Fi was Irwin Allen's Time
Tunnel, Lost In Space, and Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea. Later
this was replaced by Star Trek (of every kind), and finally Star Wars.

But I was a fan of UFO from the first moment I saw it. It appeared so
well thought out. The model designs appeared to have the potential of
being used in real equipment later down the road.

With some modernization UFO could be a hugely sucessful major film in
the United States. The computer hardware must be updated of course,
SHADO could be set in the present day, and there is definately need
for some wardrobe improvements for the lead roles and average
citizens. Surprisely little improvements are needed for offical SHADO
uniforms over all of these years.

I was saddened to hear that UFO was out of production by the time I
started seeing it. There needed to be greater depth added to the
major character's lives. The show needed to become less about alien
attack strategies, and more about hiding your top secret job from your
regular life. Having Staker sacrifice his marriage and his son so
quickly for "the job" also sacrificed some potential story plots in
the process.

Gay Ellis most likely didn't reach the rank of Lieutenant, or was put
in charge of moonbase simply because she filled out the uniform well.
I was waiting to see her prove that she had ample skills to deserve
her place in a "man's world." They could have done so much more with
that character.

A developing project to bring the fight back to the alien planet
could have kept the series going for a couple more years. Let's take
a cruise through space with a spacecraft loaded with interceptors.  
How many story ideas could have sprung from visiting the alien planet?

My admoration for Gerry Anderson would be renewed by Space 1999 which
(once again) made to my television screen only after it was gone. But
no Sci Fi series (British or American) would take the place of UFO.

I would have enjoyed very much the chance to meet the show's stars. I
will instead enjoy reading about your encounters over the years. I
recently purchased the entire set of DVDs and watched them completely
over a span of a few days. It drove my wife crazy.

I look forward to comparing opinions of this fine show on this message
board. I ask in advance for your tolerance when it comes to limited
knowledge about other Gerry Anderson projects, or when I use phrases
that are American slang.

There is so much of British television that we never see here in the
states, so UFO is the last time I saw many of the actors. Although I
almost came out of my chair years ago when I saw Ed Bishop in
Twilight's Last Gleaming.

Thanks,

Richard  

--- In [hidden email], Vincenzo De Florio
<vincenzo.deflorio@...> wrote:
>
> Dear Paolo,
>
> > >
> > >Dear Paolo,
> > >
> > >sorry that I used the term "big fan" to refer to me. You are
the truly
> > >big fan, not I.
> > >
> > >Cheers,
> > >Enzo (from Belgium)
> >
> > Oh, well.... I guess the little debate grew out of a
> > misunderstanding. Enzo lives in Belgium, so it would have been
really
> > difficult for him to attend our conventions :-)
> yes! But what a loss... I regret it so much! I feel so bad, for
now it's
> too late and that chance is lost forever!.. If I may ask, which
> impressions do you retain of those great moments, when you could
meet
> our heroes themselves? Is it true that Ed was a lovely person and a
> great man? Did they tell anecdotes about those marvelous days? If
only I
> had the chance to ask them something... I guess that in the great
> ISOSHADO site there must be plenty of reports about these events.
>
> >
> > I remember when I was where Enzo is, a while ago (the
awakening...
> > ).
> > After receiving an old Italian VHS of a compilation movie as a
> > Christmas present, I started digging the web, and I found Marc's
> > site. On his page about collecting, I found Paolo Malaguti's
phone
> > number; I called him, thinking that I was a big fan and that all
UFO
> > was about was three Dinky models and Panini trading cards! But
after
> > one month, I was at a dinner, sitting in front of Ed Bishop. It
was
> > in Milan, after a widely popular TV program about the 70s. I
risked
> > my life to get there from my city, because fog around Milan can
be
> > incredible in January, but I discovered a truly new dimension.
> >
> > I believe that Enzo is starting the same kind of trip... so
beware!
> > Once you get the taste, there is no going back!
> I think you're describing an exact picture of my situation now! I
think
> I've got addicted... what a lovely addiction though!
>
> >
> > As to "big/obsessed fans" I remember someone on this list, a few
> > years ago, complaining about posting photographs of UFO actors. I
> > won't make any name, but he said that seeing how this
actor/actress
> > grew old, made him sad. And we know that some Italian "fans"
think
> > more or less the same: quite interested in die cast models, but
much
> > less in talking with the persons who made UFO. I guess, this is
why
> > Paolo M. is so sensitive about this issue.
> I'd like to apologize with Paolo Malaguti for having been quite
> sensitive too. It's just that I had no idea of the context and
couldn't
> understand well. Sorry about that.
>
> >
> > Anyway, the real answer comes from UFO actors themselves. We
managed
> > to invite a few "difficult" ones ("difficult" in the sense that
they
> > do not like conventions that much, because of obsessed/obsessive
> > fans). And it happened just because Ed Bishop and Mike Billington
> > themselves guaranteed that we are very dedicated, but not
obsessed.
> >
> > Well..... there are exceptions! I remember Wanda Ventham staring
at
> > me and saying "HELP!" just with her lips, because a weirdo was
trying
> > to convince her that we are all manipulated by numbers printed on
> > food packages :-)
> >
> > Cheers (and welcome to Enzo)
> Thank you very much Paolo! It's been nice reading your email. I
hope to
> have the chance to come to Italy during one of the ISOSHADO
convention
> in the future and meeting you in person.
>
> All the best to everybody, and special thanks to all the big fans
that
Thanks for your message. Hope you'll become addicted soon, as also
Paolo B. has highlighted in his message.
Sorry for my strong words, but you can't imagine how many e-mails
from Italian so-called "big fans", "true fans" or whatever ISOSHADO
receives weekly.
It's odd that they do not know either ISOSHADO or the fact that Ed
and Mike have been our President and VP and never attended one of
our meetings with actors in Italy, if they are true fans.
I hope you will enjoy our website featuring hundreds of picts and
reports on our activities!
Ciao,
Paolo Malaguti
ISOSHADO