Guest of Honor
| Synonyms: | GOH, celebrity guest |
| See also: | Fan Fund, Convention |
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The Guest of Honor (often "GOH") is a person at a convention. It is usually an actor, writer, showrunner, or other person that fans would like to meet.
At procons, and some non-profit fancons, these celebrities are paid for their time. Some guests volunteer their time, but their airfare, lodgings, and bar bill are paid for by the con com.
Some cons also invite "Fan Guest of Honors." These guests are BNF fans who are well-known for their fanworks and fanac.
The con com of smaller, fan-run conventions is who decides on who is to be a GOH; much rarer is a contest designed to decide who the GOH should be. See attached image for the Eccentricon con in 1987.
Celebrity GOHs are expected to autograph items, give presentations and conduct Q&A sessions. Sometimes the celebrity guests participate in panels, games, the Saturday evening entertainment, judge costume shows, announce awards, and more.
Fan-GOHs are sometimes asked to be on a number of panels and/or do a presentation of some sort, and sometimes the fan-GOH is simply expected to mingle.
People have different reasons for agreeing to be a guest of honor at cons. Some of them include:
- they genuinely enjoy being with fans
- like fans, they look forward to seeing other writers, actors, and other people who attend
- they want/need the money generated from their fee
- they are required due to contractual obligations from agents, procons, and other employers
- it can be a way to visit a certain part of the country or world, and not have to pay the airfare
- they want to promote their latest project, sell their latest book or artwork
- they want to support fellow guests of honor
- they have a message to give to fans
Fans also have expectations of what constitutes positive and negative qualities in themselves and other fans. See Good Fans and Bad Fans.
Examples of Use
Guest of Honor Behavior
The terms "good guests" and "bad guests" are very simplistic, but they do illustrate some attributes and behaviors fans expect from guests of honors at conventions.
While some behaviors are pretty straight forward, fan interpretation and tolerance for some of them may vary. For example, guests' sexual comments and behavior may be abhorrent to some fans while others find it funny or enjoyable.
Some examples: Isaac Asimov's "Dirty Old Man" behavior.
Good and Bad Guest Behavior
While some behaviors are pretty straight forward, fan interpretation and tolerance for some of them may vary.
For example, guests' comments and behavior may be cringe to some fans while others find it funny or enjoyable. [2]
Some examples: Isaac Asimov's "Dirty Old Man" behavior.
Attributes of Good Guests
- does special favors for fans [3]
- shows up for their anticipated appearances and panels, bonus points for being on time
- appear to enjoy themselves [4]
- answers questions with respect and patience, even repetitive, mundane, and silly ones [5] [6]
- takes off some clothes [7]
- joins fans on the dance floor [8]
- participates in club gatherings and room parties [9]
- poses for photos
- listens to fan theories and requests for future canon development [10]
- lets fans kiss them [11]
- hugs and kisses fans' babies [12]
- compliments fans' appearances [13]
- is kind to fans who are drunk [14]
- tells fans "secrets," hints about upcoming canon goodies, and behind-the-scenes stories
- appreciates the gifts fans gave to them [15]
- remembers fans' names [16] [17]
- mingles with fans at the bar [18] [19]
- is complimentary towards fanworks shown to them [20] [21] [22]
- steps in to help fill time or programming, improvised when needed [23]
- participates as judges in costuming contests and auctioneers at auctions
- participates in skits, games
- treats fans with respect, pays attention to them as individuals [24]
- goes to your house and eats a chicken dinner [25]
Attributes of Bad Guests
- are pompous, do not show humility [26]
- creates awkward moments [27]
- makes fun of fanworks (turkey reads), are disdainful of certain kinds of fanworks [28]
- charges too much money for fees
- charges money/excessive money for autographs
- insists on flying first class and asks for too many special favors
- drinks too much at the open bar and bankrupt the con committee
- drink too much and are unpleasant [29]
- says bad things about other actors [30]
- is disdainful of fans' questions
- tells fans things they don't want to hear, gives disappointing answers to their questions [31]
- does not connect with fans, and instead spends most of their time in their rooms or elsewhere
- leaves early
- is sexually inappropriate (though definitions of this can vary)
- is boring [32]
From the Point of View of the Guest
1974
D.C. Fontana:Now, the question arises as to how you, the fan, should treat celebrities who have donated their time, talent, and efforts to make your conventions successful and fun, or a miserable disaster that will sour them on fans forever.
Courtesy. This should be obvious, but some fans forget their manners when confronted with an actor, director, or writer. For instance, it is not polite to ask for an autograph -- and not have a pen or pencil ready. It is not polite to shove, push, or crowd around someone signing autographs. It becomes uncomfortable and dangerous for both celebrity and fans. It is not polite to congratulate someone on a show they haven't done. Get your credits straight first.
It is not polite to pop a flashcube in someone's face or shove a microphone at them and start asking questions -- especially when the celebrity is on his or her way from one place to another. Nor is it polite to monopolize a celebrity's time (whether at a convention, a play, or a private gathering) to present your own ideas or ask questions. There are other fans just as interested as you are.
Consideration - which, of course, goes hand in hand with courtesy. It is not considerate to call a celebrity's room or to disturb a celebrity guest in his or her room in any way. A hotel room is generally considered off limits -- the one place a guest can relax and have some quiet. (Believe it or not, conventions and the demands they make on a guest are extremely tiring. It is hard to be "on" all the time.) Beyond, this, it is not considerate to call a celebrity at home, even if the phone number is listed. It is intolerably rude and ignorant to place a long distance collect call to a celebrity. (This has happened.)
Legal liability. Because of the legalities involved in reading script or story material not submitted by a literary agent, fans should not (REPEAT, NOT) personally present or mail scripts, series ideas, stories, or other such material to producers, writers, or actors. [...]
[...]
Perhaps the most important thing to remember is that celebrity guests are human beings. They can get tired, hungry, frustrated, and irritable. They appreciate courtesy and thoughtfulness. They require a certain amount of privacy and "time out" to recharge their batteries, especially at conventions where fan demands are heavy. They prefer a friendly hello and smile to being stared at. They are fallible. It is possible, in fact probable, they do not remember details of STAR TREK episodes. Fans should not be aghast at this, but they should remember it has been five years since STAR TREK went off the air as a live series. All the STAR TREK people have done a great deal of work on other TV shows, movies, books, plays, etc. Few of us have studied STAR TREK as dedicated fans have. Don't be disappointed if a celebrity guest doesn't remember minute details of a show done five to eight years ago. When you do ask questions, remember celebrities like to know you're interested in what they're doing now, not only in what they did on STAR TREK. Actors, writers, directors, and technical artists prides themselves on the versatility of their talent and would be pleased to tell you about new projects. [33]
1984
David Gerrold:A free trip to England. All I have to do is stand up and talk to some people. Sure. I'll do it. I check the date. There's less than three weeks to go. I send the convention a telegram. "Yes, I'll do it. Phone me and we'll make arrangements." They do and we do. Because the convention is in aid of Muscular Dystrophy, I refuse a speakers' fee. Round trip air-fare to London is already a big expense for a small convention. (One guest at one English Star Trek convention, once upon a time, demanded a first-class ticket. One member of that particular con committee had to take a second mortgage on his house to cover the additional expenses. I don't want to be that kind of guest.)
[...]
Very quickly, I discover that the English fans are a breed apart. They are intelligent, thoughtful, responsible, playful, fun-loving, courteous, literate and simply delightful human beings. It's like being at the world's best party, you can float from conversation to conversation to conversation, and every one is worth being a part of.
I'm invited out to enough dinners to solve the hunger problem for a small nation. I'm offered enough beer to drown an Irishman. And all I have to do is stand up and talk about Star Trek for a little while. I'm beginning to be afraid that I can't do enough to repay these people's kindnesses.
It finally crystallizes in one small incident that, for me, clearly demonstrates that these fans have a totally different attitude toward their guests than you or I are used to.
[...]
In America, rude comments [by fans] are ignored, shrugged off, endured — in general, tolerated. In this country, we put up with it. The English don't. [34]
References
- ^ a fan recounts a 1977 gathering at Marion Zimmer Bradley's house in Friends of Darkover #4
- ^ "At the height of the zaniness John Karlen began saying he wanted to kiss Roger on the mouth. Asking Roger, "Are you afraid to discover what you really are?" And appealing to the audience, "Should I kiss him?" We were all shrieking, "Kiss him!" Finally, he did -- on the cheek. But a minute later, Roger suddenly grabbed him, and kissed him right on the mouth! Then Karlen was screaming, "I was only kidding! I want you to know I had my mouth closed!" We were practically in hysterics." -- about the 1997 Dark Shadows Festival, from con report; archive link by Wilusa
- ^ "Walter had brought the trailer to the new movie. But before it could be shown, the aisles had to be cleared because of fire laws. There were so many people there wasn't even "standing room only." People were asked to leave, but Walter said he'd do the whole thing all over for them after the first group had left. What a nice thing to do!" -- comments about the Creation Con: New York City: March 26-28, from WKFS Journal (Summer 1982)
- ^ "Shatner appeared. In my own admittedly prejudiced view, it was a very good performance for Shatner: he was upbeat, enthusiastic, and playing to the back of the ballroom. He toyed with the questions from the audience without putting down the questioners, and seemed to be enjoying himself all the while." -- comments by Vel Jaeger by Star Con Denver (Spring 1989), printed in TREKisM #61
- ^ "Both Doohan and Takei were eager to please and considerate, smiling patiently when faced with questions like "Do you get on with the Klingons off set?", "What are dilithium crystals made of?", "Where are the toilets on the Enterprise?" and a comment that the Star Trek scripts are just as important to literature as Shakespeare." -- about the 1974 The British Star Trek Convention, comments from a much longer report by Hellie Vintner, from a amateur publication called "Star Trek Lives?"
- ^ "What I caught in the attitudes of the four guest speakers (who appeared while I was there) proved an interesting lesson in humanity, Hyde, Kelley, and Lenard, dressed simply and casually, catered to fans' wishes as best they could with a refreshing air of easiness, autographing, answering mundane questions, kissing some overzealous young ladies; in short, warmly and decently treating their admirers like human beings, 7:00 pm." -- from Burt Libe in Star Trek Today #8, about an experience at Space-Con #2
- ^ a shirtless Gareth Thomas, at Scorpio (1989)
- ^ "I must admit that the only way I could get near George was to boldly go where 249 girls had gone before and drag his writhing body off the dance floor. A Saturday night disco had been arranged for which you had to leave the bar, go outside and pay 60p to come in again (still, after the initial £8.00 I should think they had given up counting). George, who could be regarded as science fiction's answer to David Cassidy, was an overwhelming success among the Trekkies" -- about the 1974 The British Star Trek Convention, comments from a much longer report by Hellie Vintner, from a amateur publication called "Star Trek Lives?"
- ^ "Friday night, thanks to the efforts of several wonderful people, we had a small party in my room attended by both Mssrs. Thomas and Darrow. GT was the first to arrive and the last to leave and they were both there for a lot longer than I expected (I was in denial that they'd show up until they were standing there, shaking hands with each other and joking around. My only coherent thought at the time was "Oh my God, they're BOTH in my room at the SAME TIME! OH! MY! GOD!!" I am the Queen of Cool.)" -- from a fan in from Rallying Call #16, about the 1995 Visions
- ^ "... two "circulating" Republic Pictures guys talked to fans at various tables and got earfuls on what we wanted to see in a movie (V & C together for most of it, no lava and roses, all of the Tunnel people)." -- comments about A Distant Shore, printed in Of Love and Hope v.2 n.32 (1995)
- ^ "Jim and George were all you said they'd be. Really, truly SUPER guys... and I did get my kisses from them; twice from George! What a dear he is! So natural and friendly and bouncy!" -- about the 1974 The British Star Trek Convention, from Star Trek Action Group #10
- ^ "During the question and answer session, I looked over and saw my three year old daughter and five-year old son with their hands raised and I questioned them about what they planned to ask De. "For a hug!" they both replied." -- from The DeForest Dispatch #26, remarks about the Seattle: September 1-2, 1990 Creation Con
- ^ "Our own Shelley Butler raised her hand to ask a question (about the rumor that Kirk is to die in STVII) and Bill said, "You the redhead, Stand up." (We were in about the tenth row, near the center.) So she stood up, and he said, "What a glorious-looking woman." !!!!!!! In front of 500,000,000 Star Trek fans! Naturally she was about to melt into the floor or, preferably, into his arms!" -- from Come Together #3, regarding William Shatner at the January Creation Con in Los Angeles
- ^ "I find Gareth an interesting man to listen to even when I disagree with him. One thing I've noticed about Gareth is that although he drinks an amazing quantity, he rarely gets drunk. The distinction was brought sharply home to me very late one night when he was accosted by a fan who really was drunk. He was polite and courteous for nearly a quarter of an hour before finally managing to escape." -- about Neutral Zone, by Judith Proctor at Lysator Digest V97 #63 (Marcy 20, 1997) and Avon Club Newsletter #67
- ^ "When it was my turn for an autograph, I handed [Nichelle Nichols] a small box and she eagerly grabbed it like a small child at Christmas. She loved the stained glass butterfly ornament and got a big laugh out of the little yellow tribble with eyes I made for her." -- from Nyota #14, remarks about the 1989 Indianapolis: June 10-11 Creation Con
- ^ "I was delighted. Paul Darrow remembered my name from earlier on (Gareth did too at the autograph session) - whether this is just an amazingly good memory (because there were a lot of fans there), or simply the kind of courtesy that always tries to remember fans in order to regard them as individuals rather than as a mass to be kept at a distance..." - comments by Judith Proctor in Avon Club Newsletter #62, about the 1995 Visions
- ^ "Walter Koenig still remembered my name." -- comments about Love of Trek, from Diane Doyle in WKFS Journal (June 1983)
- ^ "The last time I saw Jan [Chappell] was at Space City in the summer of 1988. She was sitting in a quiet corner of the bar; quiet, that is, until I plopped myself down in one of the overstuffed armchairs beside her. We talked for almost 45 minutes, and we compared notes about American conventions and how much they had changed since those younger, innocent days of a few years past. There were many parts of that weekend that I now choose to forget, but that relaxed, uninterrupted conversation with Jan is one of my happier memories." -- about Space City (1988), from Joe Nazarro in Freedom City Gazette (Winter 1990)
- ^ "Gareth likes fans. Fans like bars. By a happy coincidence, Gareth also likes bars. You'll find him there at any convention and it's not just because he likes to drink. His philosophy is that it makes it easier for any fan who wants to meet him in an informal setting. He sees himself as being there for the fans, rather than vice versa." -- about Neutral Zone, by Judith Proctor at Lysator Digest V97 #63 (Marcy 20, 1997) and Avon Club Newsletter #67
- ^ Michael Keating at Scorpio (1986), holding art by Leah Rosenthal
- ^ "Shelley stalled for time as she fussed with her portfolio, then displayed a print of Kirk sitting in the white bed. "I draw very provocative drawings of you," she said. "I see that you do," [Shatner] said." -- from The K/S Press #13, regarding showing art to William Shatner at a August 1997 Creation Con, see Kirk On a White Bed (Spock at Gol)
- ^ "Paul walked up behind us, saw it and reached over and took it out of her hand. "I'll auction that one," he said with a definite twinkle in his eye." -- describing Paul Darrow's reaction to Scorpio by Suzan Lovett at an unnamed con, from a post to the Virgule-L mailing list dated April 10, 1995, quoted with permission
- ^ "And then the actors, out of their pockets, when they found out what was going on, many of them pitched in. And George, and I think Walter even helped too. It wound up that there was supposedly this big banquet that was already paid for, and of course wasn't there. George and Walter wound up buying — I think it was mostly paid for by George, though — wound up buying food, and put out a spread of cold cuts and sandwiches and salad stuff so people would have something to eat, out of their own pockets. And they knew they weren't going to get paid. And other of the actors chipped in for this and that." -- a fan described some of their experiences at the disastrous 1982 ("Ultimate Fantasy" aka "The Con of Wrath"), quoted from Marnie S. from Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Kandy Fong and Marnie S (2012)
- ^ "...what was unusual was the interest that the guests took in each and every person who attended. Paul made a point of speaking to everyone and when he saw me standing in a room full of people he had already met, he came over to me and said 'Hi, I don’t think we have met yet.'" -- from Avon Club Newsletter #18, comments about the 1984 Scorpio
- ^ "Sharon and I organized a con in 1974 in Kalamazoo called KWest*Con and we got Harlan Ellison as our pro GOH [professional guest of honor] speaker. We had to pay for his flight and room and board, but we didn't have to pay an honorarium... We brought Harlan to Sharon's house and fed him a chicken dinner." -- from an interview with Paula Smith in a 2010 interview for Transformative Works and Cultures
- ^ "Enter, Lord William the Great in full godly stride, with air of spoken supremacy, nearly drowned out by resounding cheers and deafening floor-stomping which rivaled the 1906 quake. Lord William, playing up the whole pompous "ham" bit, white zoot suit and all, putting on airs, tolerating his feudal slaves, had succumbed to repeated requests for their chance to feast upon His Great Image, humoring them, talking down to them in his carefully rehearsed speech that droned on and on. Perhaps someone might advise Ye Lordship his bloated antics and counter abilities convey an image of goof rather than respected actor (though many fans have sight, they do not see)." -- from Burt Libe in Star Trek Today #8, about an experience at Space-Con #2
- ^ "Everything was going fine until Grace Lee Whitney (Yeoman Rand), also a guest at the con, decided to pull a prank. We saw her behind Bill's back. She held up a finger to her lips to ensure our silence as she quietly tiptoed behind him. In what was meant as a tease to her fellow actor, she suddenly grabbed him around the waist. You could see the utter shock on his face as he instinctively reacted by grabbing at her hand. What few of us realized was that he had taken her thumb in a karate move and was about to break it when he realized who was there. He laughed it off and made nice with her, but you could tell that he was genuinely furious with her! After she left, he resumed his talk, but it wasn't the same; she had ruined something intimate and real between Bill and his audience." -- about an experience at Schuster Star Trek Conventions/1976 (September) New York City Schuster Star Trek Convention, from Nancy Kippax, Reminisce With Me/The Big New York Cons, Part II, 2008
- ^ . "..Mr. Gerrold picked up a copy of Thrust and said he found such literature 'annoying to say the least.' He then flourished the cover -- there were small children in the audience and, despite being asked to refrain, he continued to do so -- and gave 'mock readings' in a derisory tone, accompanied by jeers from one sector of the audience. Later, he apologized for having given 'offence' (his word). However, on Sunday, the same behaviour prevailed. Mr. Gerrold used words like 'filth' and 'perversion' with regard to zines, in particular K/S Relay." -- from a personal statement by Rosemary Wild in Universal Translator #23 regarding an experience at UFP Con, see more at David Gerrold's 1984 UFP Con Report
- ^ "Clippercon, in Baltimore. I agree with Dorothy and Judith that [redacted] was definitely not at his best at that con. The problem —as usual— was alcohol. I've seen a lot of [redacted] (including private, small-group parties with him)... Alcohol makes him lose his sense of discretion -- and then he tends to make what Judith describes as "snide remarks about other members of the ST cast." Now, at a private party with a few people who can be trusted to keep their mouths shut, this may be tolerable; but at a large con with several hundred present, many of whom are young and new to fandom, it is definitely ill-advised." -- a comment in K/S & K.S. #20 (June 1986)
- ^ "I have seen all the actors in person, except for Shatner and Nichelle Nichols, and the only one of them whom I have never heard to make anything remotely resembling a snide remark -- about anybody -- is Nimoy. (Nimoy is also the only member of the bridge crew about whom I have never heard anybody else in the cast make a snide remark, either." -- a comment in K/S & K.S. #20 (June 1986)
- ^ "Kate's answer didn't fill me with pleasure either. I realize she, and anyone asked this question, was being put on the spot; maybe she was even caught off guard regarding something she hadn't even thought about. I also realize she has to be as careful how she identifies herself with gay/lesbian as any gay/lesbian has to be, because of the media and her tenuous position as she perceives it. I think she could have answered more diplomatically for all concerned, however. Patrick Stewart and others have managed to answer that question by highlighting the importance of tolerance, etc. Even giving a kind of non-answer would have been preferable to saying, as she did, that Star Trek deals with so many issues already, and this one is just 'too delicate.'" - from Come Together #17, comments about Kate Mulgrew's presentation at the Pasadena: March 17-19, 1995 Creation Con
- ^ " I was stuck at a table with Michael Praed. Beautiful to look at, lovely voice, but oh my dears, maybe his friends could all chip in and buy him the Big Box o' Witz for his next birthday. He talked about ice cubes for 20 minutes. You know, we laugh about the scarcity of ice in the UK but he was serious, droning on and on about how he was looking forward to getting a Maytag refrigerator. At the end of this monologue, he held up a glass and said, as if delivering a profound though, "You know, if you asked for a glass of ice in the UK you'd only get 1/4 of this." And he set it down with great dramatic flair and waited for applause." -- from Rallying Call #16, commenting on the 1995 Visions
- ^ from The Care and Feeding of Celebrities
- ^ from David Gerrold in an essay, David Gerrold's 1984 UFP Con Report, which was printed in Starlog Magazine
