WSM TRIBUTE to BILL SHIPTON after 9 YEARS
It was a great shock when my colleague and friend Bill Shipton passed away on 5th July 2013 at the age of only 57.
I first met Bill under his true name of Clive Harris in 1983.
His passing in 2013 has been deeply felt in the UK community as he was one of the very few full time WAM activists, working as producer, director, film editor for his website, plus being a writer and Forum host.
The introduction of a studio and a devoted ‘Splosh’ website had changed Bill’s direction.
Bill Shipton was the cheery face of UK WAM and a friend to all.
So the WAM community lost an icon.
Such a much loved chap and an inspirational man.
He gave us the term Splosh!
He taught us to try Splosh with our partners and not be afraid of being…… you!
So Bill was a man of many talents who made a huge impact on so many lives – a wonderful legacy!
Pre-Internet many people thought they were alone until they came across Bill with his saucy, cheery movies plus his Splosh magazine.
Bill became the kind and funny public face of WAM.
It is a rare individual that not only influences but is so liked by so many.
So although we celebrate his achievements there is distinct nostalgia for what there could have been!
Bill is missed along with his talents, but new wammers now have no grasp of what he did achieve with no access to his movies, sketches, images, his website and the remarkable Splosh magazines.
Bill’s niche was in adult magazines.
We must admire his remarkable talent, for it is one thing to be paid for your work but quite another to put together a new magazine and manage to produce 40 issues.
A year ago I took a personal look at the first 10 issues of the ‘Splosh’ magazine, many of which included WSM content.
This year I am publishing the cover pics of Splosh issues numbers 11 to 26.
Only one edition involved WSM. This is number 13 featuring Lorraine on the cover.
Inside there is a mud shoot (by me) of Carol with Lorraine (see also shot 13a).
Imagine the work that went into planning, preparing then publishing such magazines.
So Bill Shipton holds a unique niche in WAM history.
WAM may roughly be divided into 2 groups, Voyeurs and Participators.
WSM have catered adequately for the Voyeur, but Bill and his website opened the window to many a tortured soul, who believed that they were alone and were very odd people.
Bill welcomed all and opened studio facilities for participators.
So it was appropriate earlier this year that Candy Custard received the 1st ‘Bill Shipton Award for Lifetime Achievement’. Providing facilities for participators is a noble purpose and has saved huge mental anguish for some.
Sadly WAM is a minority fetish.
So no-one has stepped forward to continue Bill’s paternal role on counseling all on the joys of Splosh.
Let us hope something will happen in time for Bill’s 10th Anniversary next year.
Mike Ellison July 2022
