Scott Schlazer is a well-known member of South Florida's '90s music underground. Some might even say a bit of a provocateur. Affectionately referred to as Joo Scott or El Judio Peligroso, Schlazer was one of the more prolific zine-makers of the time period and was known for his opinionated stand on the punk rock/metal and hardcore scenes. This even spilled into an amicable war of words with fellow zinesters Rob Cleves (Mulch) and Amy Fleisher (Fiddler Jones) that played out in the folded, 8 ½-by-11-inch black and white Xeroxed works.
Since, he's relocated to Central Florida, where he operated a brick-and-mortar comic book and collectibles store for a little more than a decade before turning his attention to his all-inclusive website for comics, toys, film, music, and complete nerdiness: Florida Geek Scene (FGS). No stranger to conventions and trade shows, Schlazer and his editors routinely set up shop at cons for panel discussions concerning the objects d'geekiness that they love.
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At this year's PalmCon, Schlazer, along with FGS Editor Michael Favata, will be discussing the website, comics, conventions, movies, toys, and Florida in general as well as fielding questions from anyone interested in beginning their writing career within this genre at an industry-respected press outlet. So if it's time to put down the Warhammer models or to stop the poly-bagging of back issues and get passionate about your love for all things geek, this is as good an opportunity as any to get in on it with some guidance from someone who has devoted the majority of his life to the culture.
This would be FGS' third such panel, and in the past it's been known to cover plenty of ground concerning Florida's position in the world of comic conventions. For some reason, Burt Reynolds -- the man, the actor, the state of mind -- is also known to infiltrate and guide/inspire the panel discussion, but that's something you'll have to experience whence you attend. If anything, Schlazer and company's unbridled passion will show and hopefully inspire potential writers to gain the necessary confidence to throw themselves into the throes of one of the most critical and impassioned subcultures out there.
Florida Geek Scene's Day of the Geek panel discussion at 11 a.m. Sunday, September 28, at Palm Beach Convention Center, 650 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach. Passes range from $6 (kids 12 and under) and $12 (adults) daily admission to $40 weekend VIP packages. Call 561-366-3000, or visit pbconventioncenter.com.
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