James Robinson (filk musician)
Encyclopedia
Dr. James Robinson is an American
filk music
songwriter
and performer (known as Dr. Jane Robinson prior to his 2004 sex reassignment surgery
) whose songs focus on scientific themes
, particularly paleontology
.
Robinson earned a doctorate
in biology
from UCLA in 1976, and went on to teach at the University of California, Berkeley
.
His filk albums include Dr. Jane's Science Notes (later reissued as Wackademia), Fossil Fever, Bedlam Cats, Midlife Crisis and Remains.
Robinson has won two Pegasus Awards (2000, Best End of the World Song, for "Out of a Clear Blue Sky"; and 1992, Best Writer/Composer); and has been nominated an additional 14 times. Robinson was inducted into the Filk Hall of Fame in 2000.
Robinson's life partner was the late Cynthia McQuillin
, who reportedly said, upon meeting James for the first time, "At last I get to meet the man I fell in love with!" He lives in Oakland
, California
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
filk music
Filk music
Filk is a musical culture, genre, and community tied to science fiction/fantasy fandom and a type of fan labor. The genre has been active since the early 1950s, and played primarily since the mid-1970s. The term predates 1955.-Definitions:As the Interfilk What Is Filk page demonstrates, there is...
songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and performer (known as Dr. Jane Robinson prior to his 2004 sex reassignment surgery
Sex reassignment surgery
Sex reassignment surgery is a term for the surgical procedures by which a person's physical appearance and function of their existing sexual characteristics are altered to resemble...
) whose songs focus on scientific themes
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
, particularly paleontology
Paleontology
Paleontology "old, ancient", ὄν, ὀντ- "being, creature", and λόγος "speech, thought") is the study of prehistoric life. It includes the study of fossils to determine organisms' evolution and interactions with each other and their environments...
.
Robinson earned a doctorate
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
from UCLA in 1976, and went on to teach at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
.
His filk albums include Dr. Jane's Science Notes (later reissued as Wackademia), Fossil Fever, Bedlam Cats, Midlife Crisis and Remains.
Robinson has won two Pegasus Awards (2000, Best End of the World Song, for "Out of a Clear Blue Sky"; and 1992, Best Writer/Composer); and has been nominated an additional 14 times. Robinson was inducted into the Filk Hall of Fame in 2000.
Robinson's life partner was the late Cynthia McQuillin
Cynthia McQuillin
Cynthia McQuillin was a filk singer and writer as well as an author and artist. She lived in the San Francisco Bay area...
, who reportedly said, upon meeting James for the first time, "At last I get to meet the man I fell in love with!" He lives in Oakland
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.