I first met Harry when he asked me to meet him at an Andromeda Bookshop signing session in 1984 - I'd written to him to say I'd like to do a Harry Harrison fanzine, and he'd written back with typical humility: "I think It's a great idea!" I was 18 years old and didn't know much about being an SF fan - always a late developer - and didn't know you could actually go along and talk to Famous SF Writers whose names appeared on book jackets. How much I had to learn...

During my first year at university, Harry came to Manchester for another signing session - he invited me along to the meal afterwards, and then on to a party at Bob Shaw's house, because Bob was celebrating (I think) 25 years as a professional SF writer.

During my second year at university I got a 'phone call from Harry: a publisher in the US wanted to do a complete bibliography of his books - how would I like to go out to Harry's house in Ireland and compile it? Harry paid my ferry fare out there, collected me in Dun Laoghaire, and I stayed with the Harrisons for the best part of a week, going through their collection of various editions of Harry's books. The bibliography was never published - the publisher eventually went belly-up - so the work I did in Ireland can now be found (updated and expanded, and still growing) on the official Harry Harrison website - a high-tech version of a fanzine...

I remember a lot of things about that first trip to Ireland:

I remember Joan and Harry being generous and genuine, and wickedly funny. Joan on the wedding dress of some unnamed acquaintance: "Harry, she looked like a horse's ass." Harry on a lovingly prepared ethnic dish on some tv show: "It looks like a full diaper."

I remember being allowed into 'the studio' - the sacred chamber where Harry created the latest adventures of Slippery Jim and where book two of West of Eden was then in its final stages: the door of the room was plastered with signs - Do Not Disturb, Keep Out, Piss Off! - because no one was allowed in while Harry was working.

I also, unfortunately, remember the toilet seat. The loo seat in the main WC needed replacing, so Harry and I went down into town to get a new one. This did not strike me in any way as odd - by now I was quite blasé about wandering around town with Famous SF Writer Harry Harrison. But on the way back to the car I had one of those "uh oh" moments, and I looked at Harry: "Harry, let me carry the toilet seat." You see, I didn't want to remember walking through town with Harry Harrison carrying a toilet seat - I didn't want this image of Harry to stay with me forever. Unfortunately it has.

Thanks, Harry: another illusion shattered. I mean, I didn't even think Famous SF Writers went to the toilet...

Because of Harry:

* I became a science fiction fan. This is probably not a bad thing.

* I started trying to write my own stories: these stories are bad things, but aspiring to be a better storyteller isn't.

* I visited Ireland for the first time: I've been back quite a few times since - it's a great place.

* I sold my first piece - a Harry Harrison interview - to Starlog, a magazine I've read since forever. I went on to interview a number of other authors for fanzines and 'real' magazines.

* I met a whole bunch of other people as weird as I am - and a couple of them turned out to be the best kind of friends you can have.

So, Harry, you screwed up my whole life, I hope you're happy about that. I certainly am.

I wanted to set up this whole birthday celebration thing to say thank you. There's a risk you'll hate all the fuss we've made, and maybe I'll even end up with a black eye... but it'll be worth it.

Harry Harrison - Happy birthday. Whenever I see a toilet seat I'll think of you...

Paul Tomlinson