Talk:David McDaniel

Random discussion moved here from the Article

Comment from Contessa

If this is the case, the editor is unaware of it. According to the four close friends of David McDaniel, as related to the editor in a telephone conversation shortly after McDaniel's death, but before his memorial service. David had fallen in the bathtub, and then, suffering a head injury, had apparently walked through his apartment to the front hallway and fallen again, where he subsequently perished. Charles Lee Jackson II discovered the body after McDaniel failed to appear at a previously scheduled luncheon the next day. McDaniel was autopsied and no evidence of foul play was found. His body was cremated and the memorial service was held, probably Nov 3rd, which this editor attended along with various fans and his widow, Joyce Mcdaniel. IF McDaniel perished of autoerotic asphyxiation, the story has been "hushed up" and this editor (who was a close friend of david) was unaware of it. It would, however, explain the hastiness of the autopsy, cremation and burial. McDaniel's service was held at Chapel of the Pines which is located in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los angeles, where McDaniel's cremains are interred. This editor is inclined to believe the less salacious version of events as Charles Lee Jackson II stated that since the door was blocked by McDaniel's body, he (Charles) had to climb through a window to gain entry to the apartment.

Response from Barry

CLJII said that the outer door was locked. The door that was blocked was the door to the bedroom. You can believe what you like, but Charley reported that he found Dave hanging -- and Lee and I had to clean up the carpet by the bedroom door, where various fluids had dripped as his body decomposed. And the cause of death is listed by the Coroner as "accidental strangulation"; it is available in LA County public records if you care to look it up.

In any case, I have deleted your question/comment as not germane to the purpose of the Wiki article: to convey information about the subject (Dave) that is of interest to the general public. Feel free to email me [edress deleted per Wiki policy about editor's real names & contact info] if you want more info. An intelligent person should be able to figure out my email address from my username. Bgoldnyxnet 15:26, 3 October 2007 (UTC)

Charlie told me (most likely in 1984) that he was standing; at least, the mental image that stuck with me is that he died leaning against a wall. —Tamfang (talk) 11:44, 23 February 2009 (UTC)

From Contessa

David Edward Mcdaniel was the author's actual name. His pseudonym, Ted Johnstone, was the name he used at LASFS. He was also known by the nickname "Tedron". Ironically, at the time of his death, he had just sold a script to a major television series and was getting back into writing.

From Barry:

I folded this into another part of the article where this peculiarity (writing under his real name, social life under a pseudonym) is already discussed.

Comment from George Senda

Dave was one of those persons who was universally liked and could be very kind to new fans. I spent several days at his home, got to read the final draft for the Final Affair and even sent Dave money when he was in need of it. He loved U.N.C.L.E. and is missed by his friends in the San Francisco area who knew him.

Response from Barry

I deleted this as not germane to a Wikipedia entry. We really don't want the wiki administrators to decide that this is a "vanity page" and delete it.

Cleanup needed

There are quite a few statements in this article that need citations otherwise they may be deleted as original research. I have deleted the reference in the intro to "Vampire Affair" being McDaniel's best known work because there is nothing in the article to support this statement. Why is this book better known than the other half-dozen UNCLE novels he wrote, or any of his other work? Also, please note that you should sign talk page discussion using four tildes (~~~~) which will insert the date and username automatically. Don't use "Comment from Joe". That's not Wikipedia style. 23skidoo 17:38, 27 January 2007 (UTC)

I used the form "comment from xxx" because I was moving stuff from the article page to the talk page, where it belonged. It may not be Wikipedia style, but it made it clear who was saying what. Sometimes clarity trumps official style -- and I hope that would be the case in Wikipedia.

Citations: I'll go through and annotate what I can, but some of the writing comes from direct knowledge -- in particular, most of the contributors knew McDaniel personally, I helped clean up his apartment after his death, JMStine helped with his writing career, etc.

I could put up a webpage elsewhere and then cite it, but I'm not sure that would be really improve matters.

Bgoldnyxnet 21:42, 12 March 2007 (UTC)

Prose from personal acquaintances is never acceptable, even if taken from a website that you create. We need indepedent, reliable sources (as defined by Wikimedia; please read the linked policy page) in order to argue the accuracy of material. Wikipedia has no reasonable means to verify any claim that any editor makes that they "know" someone, especially given that usernames are anonymous. We use reliable, published sources to avoid such issues. ~ Jeff Q (talk) 01:03, 13 March 2007 (UTC)

MIght as well delete the whole article, then. All the contributors to this article (except people like 23Skidoo who roam around fixing other people's typos, for which many thanks) are personal friends of Dave's, and I also know them personally.

About the ony "reliable" sources are his actual published works, and you would have to search used book stores to find those. Royalty statements are in a box somewhere, if they can be found at all. Oh, and his death certificate, which simply lists the cause as "accidental strangulation". However, I have spoken with the person who found the body, helped clean up the apartment afterward, and been to the funeral.

Here, for your delectation, are the real names of the contributors:

Content deleted by 23skidoo as violation of Wikipedia's rules. See rationale below.

But, if you insist on reliable sources, I'll edit the article down to the birth, marriage, and death dates (assuming you're willing to take my word that the relevant county records exist) and the bibliography. Nothing else can be verified from "reliable sources". Bgoldnyxnet 23:09, 26 June 2007 (UTC)

This is coming several months too late because I never noticed this before. Listing an editors real name and contact information in a talk page or article is against Wikipedia rules and is grounds for blocking from editing. I'm not doing that because a) I understand your frustration and b) it's months after the fact. The fact is Wikipedia demands verifiable sources. I have had articles that I've written based upon first-hand information edited down almost to a stub by people removing information that otherwise does not exist in any printed or online source. This is related to Wikipedia's No Original Research policy which demands that all information on Wikipedia be, basically, second-hand. And even citing sources such as fan websites like the Man from UNCLE one currently cited is not generally considered acceptable. I personally disagree with that aspect of WP:CITE and WP:WEB as I feel in 2007 such websites have to be considered viable sources of information as they are gaining more and more respect. 23skidoo 15:12, 1 October 2007 (UTC)

Coventry

Note: I have taken the reference brackets off Coventry, it refers to a shared fantasy world, not to the city in England. Bgoldnyxnet 23:09, 26 June 2007 (UTC)

Fan Career

McDaniel's chairmanship of Westercon XX is noted on the website of the LASFS at http://www.lasfsinc.info///index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=193&Itemid=539 Information provided by Fred Patten, official historian of the LASFS.

Offices held at LASFS are listed on a plaque at the headquarters/clubhouse of the LASFS. They can also be found in the occasional publication "The Menace of the LASFS" in the fanzine collection of Bruce Pelz, donated to the Eaton Collection of Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror and Utopian Literature at the Rivera Library, University of California at Riverside.

Many of McDaniel's other publications can also be found in the Eaton Collection, including his Cult publications (Fantasy Rotator, the Official Organ of the Cult) and his SAPSzine Mest.

His filk songs were published (or re-published) in The Filksong Manual originally published by Bruce Pelz, now available from Lee Gold. Bgoldnyxnet (talk) 09:56, 3 October 2009 (UTC)

Reliable sources

Might i remind people that WP is not a fansite. any biographical material placed her must come from reliable sources. Additionally, the material must be notable to some measureable degree, at least within the field of science fiction. I am an SF fan myself, but im also a WP editor. most of the content here is unsourced hearsay or trivial for our purposes. the only valid reference is at ISFDB, which simply shows he wrote books. Unless someone can find a source, a printed object with multiple copies in libraries, a lot of this content must be removed. Im sure he was an absolutely fabulous guy, the life of the party, but we arent partying here.Mercurywoodrose (talk) 19:52, 6 September 2010 (UTC)

This is amusing, from Cpedia.com:

Content from 175 webpages curated by Cpedia, the automated encyclopedia.

There are 12 different pages about Ted Johnstone in Cpedia. View other pages about Ted Johnstone.

McDaniel died sometime in the early morning of spaceship components November 1, research 1977. [1.1]

David McDaniel was born encyclopedia free June 16, scrap 1939, in costs,/ Toledo, Ohio. [1.2]

While living in Los Angeles he joined the happiness in science fiction fandom, using the pseudonym enables a Ted Johnstone. [1.3]

By 1967, Meskys had become Thain and the society boasted over 1,000 members, primarily in the New York area, and was organized into local groups or smials, a pattern that would be followed by other Tolkien fan organizations. [1.4] Bootleg paperbacks published by Ace Books eventually found their way into colleges in the U.S.A. in the 1960s. [1.5]

Articles on The Lord of the Rings appeared regularly in the 1960s fanzine Niekas, edited by Ed Meskys. [1.6] They host several annual events, including a conference held at Oxford, Oxonmoot. [1.7] In addition to the list of British and European fans published in the previous issue, Sandy Sandfield, Mike Moorcock and Derek Oldham have also voted. [1.8]

It goes back at least to the mid-'70s, as one of the song's co-authors, Ted Johnstone (fannish nom de plume for sf writer David McDaniel), died in 1977. [1.9] While living in Los Angeles he joined Science Fiction Fandom, using the pseudonym Ted Johnstone. [1.10] Published by Ted Johnstone they can be obtained in Britain from Arthur Thomson, 17 Brockham House, Brockham Drive, London SW 2. Deluxe edition 7/7.. [1.11]

The first volume should appear during Autumn published by Ted Johnstone, 1503 Rollin Street, South Pasadena California. [1.12]

Ted Johnstone founded and organized the first Tolkien fan group, "The Fellowship of the Ring" at Pittcon, the 1960 Worldcon. [1.13]Mercurywoodrose (talk) 01:44, 14 September 2010 (UTC)

External links modified

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column

In addition, he wrote a column, "A Slow Train through Gondor".

A column where? Shaggy? APA-L? —Tamfang (talk) 03:18, 8 April 2023 (UTC)