Most people have at least heard the term “steampunk.” But most people have no idea what the term means – myself, until about two weeks ago, included. Someone who absolutely knows what the word means (incidentally, it’s a sub-genre of science fiction set in Victorian era or Wild West times) is Robert Brown, who many say invented the idea.
Brown, also known as Captain Robert, created whole worlds and myriad characters to inhabit them and these real-world-though-fictional creations make up the stories in the songs he plays with his band, Abney Park. Men with mechanical hearts, pirates flying through the sky in planes or hot air balloons, wars between robotic tribes – these are his artistic manifestations. To discuss these worlds, we caught up with Brown and asked him about the origins of steampunk, and how he came to love it.
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