Friday 15 July 2016

Jeff Seiler: Dave Sim & Me (Part 1)

JEFF SEILER: 
I’m going to continue with the format of including my letters to Dave along with his responses, since he chose to communicate by fax, exclusively, in this time period and by writing his responses in the margins of the photocopies of my letters. It was a confusing way to correspond and this “experiment” did not last for long. This series of exchanges shows just how not-on-the-same-page Dave and I can sometimes be. These exchanges by fax took place between May 19th and June 5th, 2008:

5/19/08

Hi, Dave! Happy Birthday! 52 years: there, I got it right this time. Heh.

As I mentioned to you a week or so ago, Jeff T. gave me instructions for sending and receiving faxes via e-mail. This will make it much easier and won’t “impose” on K. [Ed: K. was my girlfriend at the time. She would send and receive the faxes for me at her office.]

You’re my first test subject, so I hope this goes through. You should know that the free fax sending is limited to twice-a-day, three pages each, and will always have an ad on the cover page.

By the way, your note to K. at the top of the last fax was well-received. I joked to her that she may very well be the only female in a very long time to whom you have written “feel free to tell me to knock it off.” Got a good laugh.

Be well and, again, happy birthday. [Ed: Well, I got his age right, but not the date. Meh.]

Jeff

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Jeff--

Came through just fine… Just finishing up my page-a-day for glamourpuss No. 3. Say hi to K.

Dave

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20 May 08

Hi Jeff -

Jeff T. was supposed to be setting up the eBay auction for the ad space on the back cover of glamourpuss No. 2 (as described on the back cover of glamourpuss No. 1).

This is kind of short notice so if you have to extend the auction from the[sic] May 24 to May 31 to fit your own schedule, feel free. I’ll need the ad by the third week of June at the latest, but anytime before that is fine.

Thanks,

Dave

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[Ed: Well, talk about your non sequiturs…]

5/20/08

Hi, Dave---I received your fax from earlier in the day and, man, am I confused.

Are you asking me to make an ad for glamourpuss #2? Are you asking me to set up the ebay auction that Jeff T. was supposed to be setting up? Or something completely different?

Nothing you wrote rang a bell with me. Sorry.

I’ll look for your answer soon.

Jeff Seiler

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Jeff--

The ad space on the back cover of glamourpuss No. 2 is for sale to the highest bidder. Hopefully, an advertiser will bit $500 or more to put their ad on the back of No. 2. I was announced on the back cover of No. 1 -- eBay auction starting May 24 and ending May 31...starting bid $500.

Dave

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Hi, Dave--This information is interesting, but I’m still confused as to why you faxed it to me. Your statement, “I’ll need the ad by the third week of June at the latest, but any time before that is fine” seems like some sort of imperative directed at me.

Are you asking me to pass on all of this information to Jeff T.?

????????????????????????

Jeff

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Jeff

1. I need someone to post an auction on eBay.
2. What I am auctioning is the back cover ad space on glamourpuss No. 2, starting bid $500.
3. Whoever wins the auction, I will need their ad by the third week of June.
4. Jeff T. was originally going to do this. Now I need someone instead of Jeff T. to do it.
5. I can ask someone else if you would rather [not do it].
Dave

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5/21/08

Hi, Dave--Okay, sorry to be so obtuse. Sometimes, I’m just in a concrete frame of mind. What I will do is go to eBay here in a few minutes and see if I, being just a microscopic bit more advanced than you when it comes to computer skills, can figure how to put the auction up. [Ed: Yes, Jeff, the great proofreader, does occasionally split infinitives.] If I can, I will. If I can’t, I will let you know and you can see if Lenny will do it. Or, Sandeep. Whatever.

[Dave’s inserted response: Not a problem. I’ll get Matthew or Sandeep to do it.]

Margaret is working on a letter to you that may or may not affect whether you want her to repost the petition. She has, in the meantime, let me know that I can put it up if I go to a certain site and can decipher the “WYSIWYG” instructions. She doesn’t mind if Rick or I do it, so I said that I would run it by you. Do you want me to try, in her stead, even with things between us two pending?

[Dave’s inserted response: I think the petition is fine right now, but I would like the new names posted. Rick S. said Margaret has to do that, for some reason.]

Rick S. and I both posted the [Chester] Brown/Sim faxes two days ago--he at his blog and I at the Yahoo group, under Files. I am strongly leaning to posting your faxes, with quotes and obvious references to Jeff T. deleted, since Jeff T. has said very clearly that he doesn’t want his faxes posted. I do think, though, that such deletions might be extensive and, thus, render your faxes confusing. I’ll reread them and check. More on that later.

[Dave’s inserted response: I think if you just post the arguments, that would be fine. Jeff T. has no say over my words and his arguments can be paraphrased or alluded to. {Ed: IIRC, I ultimately chose not to post the arguments between Dave and Jeff T., out of my immense respect for both of them.}

David C. has been reassigned [Ed: By the military] and no longer has the “block” on communications with you or the Yahoos. He and I have spoken and I am going to fax you his email [that he sent to me], as I think you might want to see it. I’m pretty sure he has signed the petition. Regardless, he told me to tell you he wishes you well.

[Dave’s inserted response: Is he willing to identify the commanding female officer publicly? {...pause…}]

[Ed: Here, Dave refers to the fact that David C.’s commanding female officer somehow found out about David C. being a fan and supporter of Cerebus and Dave Sim. She, essentially, told David C. to cease and desist all communication with Dave Sim or any of his supporters.]

[Continuing Dave’s inserted response: We can’t just keep ignoring these strategic blunders on the feminists’ part, as if they never happened.]

Jeff T., just so you know, isn’t pouting or saying anything bad about you. He’s currently in studio, recording 30 (!) new songs [Ed: With his band, Jazz Bastards.] Very busy.

[Dave’s inserted response: So. That’s very funny.]

I have not heard that Judenhass came out today, so I guess next week. I talked to one history teacher at a middle school who wants to order a classroom set of 25, or so. Chris at SuperGeeks will give him a 20% discount: I checked. I think you’re going to see word of mouth really bloom. I’ve been talking it up everywhere, including to a principal just today.

Okay, that’s your update for now. Take care.

Jeff

[Dave’s inserted response: I don’t think you understand exactly how extensive the shunning is, although I’ll be happy to be proven wrong (as always). In the meantime, I’ll just continue administering my therapy to those in need of it--which turns out to be pretty much everyone.]

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