Erwin S. Strauss

(September 1, 1948 – )

Erwin Sheehan "Filthy Pierre" Strauss, is a New Jersey fan formerly active in Libertarian SF circles. He is probably best known for playing music of every sort on a melodica at cons, but his involvement in filk goes back to the 1970s, where his Filthy Pierre's Microfilk was one of the first filk books published, well before published filk became common. He was also one of the main forces behind the East Coast Singalong style of filk. He wrote Jophan!.

He published an idiosyncratic APA, The Connection, whose contributors mix science fiction, libertarian politics and eccentricity.

While at MIT, he was a member of MITSFS and chaired Boskone 3 (which as an innovation, was the second Boskone to be held that year and the only one sponsored by MITSFS), and compiled and published the MITSFS Index. He invented the Voodoo Board. He also organized ConVoy and Buscon.

His writings include How to Start Your Own Country, Basement Nukes: the Consequences of Cheap Weapons of Mass Destruction, Complete Guide to Science Fiction Conventions, The Con Committee's Guide, and The Case Against a Libertarian Political Party. He also wrote the monthly "SF Conventional Calendar" for Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine until the March 2024 issue. He published The Con Game. From 1974 to 1996, he published the SF Convention Register.

He fell downstairs at Smofcon 41 in December 2023, suffering a neck injury and in January 2024 announced his retirement from publishing.

• Entry in The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction.
• Wikipedia article.

Fanzines and Apazines:

• Complete Guide to Science Fiction Conventions
• The Con Committee's Guide
• The Con Game
• Filthy Pierre's Microfilk
• MITSFS Index
• SF Convention Register

Awards, Honors and GoHships:

• 1996 -- Magic Carpet Con
• 1998 -- Filk Hall of Fame
• 2002 -- ConChord 16 (Interfilk Guest)
• 2004 -- Special Committee Award from Noreascon 4, Big Heart Award
• 2005 -- Astronomicon 2005, Fellow of NESFA
• 2008 -- RavenCon 2008
• 2010 -- Albacon 2010
• 2018 -- Balticon 52
• 2020 -- Asimov Centennial Meetup

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Person

1948—

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