# Interviewing Ramsey Campbell

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interviewing-ramsey-campbell/748204>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [March 7, 2016, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interviewing-ramsey-campbell/748204 "2016-03-07T14:55:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\
**Post date:** [March 7, 2016, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interviewing-ramsey-campbell/748204/1 "2016-03-07T14:55:06Z")

</div>

So here I was at Albacon in the audience waiting for the Guest of Honor talk with horror author [Ramsey Campbell](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramsey_Campbell) (there via Skype) when the con chair says to me, “This is going to be an interview. Chuck, you’ll be conducting it.”

This was the first I heard I’d be doing it. :eek:

I had about 30 seconds to get ready, learn the setup, and start the interview. I came up with one question – “How’d you get started in the field?” – and then desperately listened to him to see if anything he said brought another question to mind.

This was especially hard since, while I know he’s a major name in horror, I have read next to nothing of his work, and rarely read horror at all.

A couple of times, I asked the audience for questions. I only got one volunteer. :smack:

I was also granted some time when David Kyle\* was caught by the camera, and Ramsey noticed and chatted a bit.

Somehow, it all worked out. I was lucky that Ramsey was quite talkative, so each question could elicit a ten-minute answer. Several people have said it was one of the high points of the con. Though it was mostly due to Ramsey charm and storytelling, I do feel a bit proud of myself for keeping it running smoothly.

\*Kyle is one of the last of “First Fandom” – those who were active in SF fandom before 1938. He’s 97, in relatively good health, and a beloved name in the field.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\
**Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interviewing-ramsey-campbell/748204/2 "2016-03-09T06:47:43Z")

</div>

Good on you! Impromptu stuff like that can go either really well, or really really badly!

Query: what is the significance of 1938 for First Fandom?