kevin lillard's blues

[davemerrill]

The short version is that Kevin has lost his job, he's lost his home, he's living out of his car, and he's out of money. He needs help. You can PayPal him some money if you've got some to spare; if you live in the Indianapolis area and you know of jobs or homes or situations that can help him out, please do so. Find out more:

http://acparadise.livejournal.com/195941.html

https://www.facebook.com/kevin.lillard/posts/10152210075685574

If you were in anime fandom from 1998-2008 you remember A Fan's View, Kevin's anime convention site of cosplay photos and convention coverage. The site was influential in fandom at that time, and is, or was, one of the quirks of the anime scene that something so popular - at a time when the medium was gaining attention and popularity and becoming an industry - that something as popular as Fan's View couldn't make the transition into generating an income or becoming a business or otherwise turning into something that paid Kevin back for all the time he put into it. (see also Ironkat)

I don't know the details of Kevin's situation, though in this economy (didn't he work for a newspaper?) it's not a unique story. I would like for fans, particularly the 20-somethings out there who are having fun going to cons, to remember that they need to make sure their actual job-having, bill-paying life is in order BEFORE they devote any time or energy to costuming or fan-subbing or whatever it is that they do that makes them fans.

When I was a teenager getting into fandom, observing the adults around me at conventions and fan clubs, there was no shortage of adult losers, drifting from security-guard job to telemarketing job, from apartment shared with two other guys to different apartment shared with two other guys, who never had cash for gas or medical checkups or meals more elaborate than pizza or McDonalds, but by God, they never missed a SF convention or the latest issue of STARLOG or X-MEN or FURRLOUGH. And that's a lifestyle you can get away with for a year or two in your 20s. When you get into your 30s and 40s you need to have in some way doped out a lifestyle that includes medical coverage, job skills and employment that goes beyond a string of minimum wage jobs, and something set aside that resembles equity (investments, savings, real estate, whatever). If you don't, then you wind up working the same terrible minimum wage jobs, living in the same shared apartments, surrounded by a big stack of crap you've spent the past 20 years accumulating that all gets thrown in the dumpster when you get evicted.

Take care of yourself, is what I'm saying. Fandom doesn't have a retirement plan.

Comments

[warpig1979.livejournal.com]

Even taking into account the effect of the 2000-2003 internet crash years and the 2007-2009 anime crash years, that site should have made him a fortune. Bizarre.

[tochiro998.livejournal.com]

There was a time when he decided to not post cosplay pics, and focused on his trips to various races, IIRC.

He did a LOT of traveling to race tracks.

I admired his work as best I could, given dial-up and a very underpowered computer.

I recall him having a heart attack at...Anime Expo? Or just after? I recall Dave doing one of his "DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU!!" posts after. I'm still surprised how few Rascals and Hoverounds show up at cons.

[davemerrill.livejournal.com]

He had a heart attack at an Ohayocon (Columbus OH) and then he got into a police-involved altercation at a convention in Texas, after which he pulled all his anime-related material and replaced it with auto racing. I want to say his job with the newspaper was covering auto sports, so the website may have been related.

I do get the impression that after his flip out at the Texas con - he pitched a fit when he wasn't allowed special unrestricted photo access during the costume contest, or something - he walked away from anime fandom, at least the cosplay photography part of it.

I was never that impressed with costumes, so the "take photos of the costumers to the exclusion of everything else about the convention" coverage didn't really do it for me. But the costumers love him.

[tochiro998.livejournal.com]

I will be honest, I ALWAYS had the vibe it was more about 'cute girls in sometimes not much clothing' than it was about 'super costumes' with him.

altho he did take pics of dudes and no question he got pics of some amazing cosplay work. I'm just sayin'.

But yes, the cosplayers did love him. I had the impression that if Kevin 'shot' you that gave one some form of 'street cred'. I'm sure there was MUCH drama about such things back in the day.

[damerell.livejournal.com]

Well, as I recall my trips to AWA, an awful lot of cosplay was scantily-clad lasses... and, cynically speaking, that's probably what garnered him the most page views too, so I think the motivation question is at least open.

Pity, anyway. I always figured he was independently wealthy, because who could hold down a job while going to a convention every other weekend? Guess not.

[davemerrill.livejournal.com]

Kevin took photos of pretty much everybody in a costume. Most of his traffic was people searching for pictures of themselves, I believe.

There's still plenty of drama in the costume world, but it has sort of been sequestered into its own pocket universe, and doesn't spill over into the general anime-con consciousness. Thank goodness. Same goes for Artists Alley and the anime music videos - people still pitch star fits and have flame wars, but the rest of us don't hear about it. Thank goodness.