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The Sydney Morning Herald described Gaiman as both 'tall dark and handsome' and 'an embarrassing old fart with a bad haircut'. I am sad to say that the second is closer to the truth...
On recognition as a celebrity: I never ever expect to be recognised. That's why you're a writer. We proffessionally don't look like the pictures on the back of the cover. Just so we don't get recognised.
But there are some times when it comes in handy... such as when visiting Perth.
...Gaiman arrives in Perth. Puts 'writer' as occupation on his customs forms. The form collector lets him through. He's waiting for his baggage when another customs official sidles up.
Customs man: so, what are you here for?
Gaiman: a science fiction convention. I'm the guest of honour at a science fiction convention
Customs: so you're an author?
Gaiman: well yes
Customs: so... what books do you write?
Gaimain: Science fiction. Comics. Stuff like that.
Customs: you got any of these books here with you?
Gaiman: well, no, i don't.
Customs: so how am I supposed to believe you're an... author... without any of these books?
Gaiman narrating to us: so just as i think i'm about to be taken to room 101, the form collecting guy rushes up
Form Guy: Are you Neil Gaiman?
Gaiman: well yes I am
Form Guy: oh WOW! Good Omens, most amazing book of all time. you tell Terry Pratchett that from me
Gaiman: why yes I will
Customs man: soo... this Good Omens. book of yours?
Gaiman: yes indeed
Customs man: ah.
On the publication of Good Omens:
At the time Salman Rushdie had just had to go into hiding, and Terry and I were fully expecting to be ringing him up and asking to camp out in his backyard. But instead, we got nominated for awards for religious fiction! There weren't even sustained book burnings, even in the south of america where they'll burn train timetables! (Bless me, it'll be in at 10:30! Burn it!)
Frankly, I was disapointed. I think it was because we were an equal opportunity offender. We'd offend you no matter what you believed.
On the writing process of Good Omens: there were details on how the book got written, i have notes, if anyone wants them comment and i shall put them up. Apparently we sat around reading Revelations and going 'This is utter shit!' He was out of his mind on mushrooms when he wrote this stuff!'
Sandman, apparently, was blacklisted by the American Family Association. Gaiman got a nice letter from them explaining why- violence, sex, anti-Christian values, and tolerance of homosexuality. But apparently if he wrote a formal apology to their newspaper, they would lift the ban. And all go back to buying Sandman again. Obviously, he wrote no such letter So I'm still thinking of these sad American Family Association people checking their newspapers each week... 'can we buy it yet, can we buy it yet?' Obviously they really want to read Sandman...
The problem with novels is you can't just throw them out if they're terrible, like you can with a short story. In the case of American Gods, they'd done the cover before he finished the book. American Gods was only meant to be a holding title until I found a new one. Then they sent me this cover with a lightning bolt on it and 'American Gods'. And i thought, well, obviously that's the title then. I'd better work a lightning bolt in somewhere.
On Alice Cooper: he rang me up and said 'I want to do a concept album, you got a concept?
Yes, he did talk about porn. Comicbook porn at that. Not his, Alan Moore's. He mentioned it under 'stuff that's cool', although he's a little confused because he's loving the book but not having the physiological reactions that he feels a well crafted work of pornography ought to provoke.
The question-asker in the audience asked if that was because he was friends with the author. Gaiman thought about this and conceded that this might be why i'm not enjoying Lost Girls as the thouroughly one-handed book he intended it to be
Apparently one of the subeditors on Sandman has subsequently taken up writing chicklit and sent him one of her books. So i'm reading this book and going 'this is my friend's book, this is cool... THEY'RE DOING WHAT? And so there I am with this sex scene where i would normally have been like, cool, this is well written, but because it was *insert name here*'s book i couldn't even read that section!
for the first half of my writing carreer, every time i wrote something even vaguely dirty the spectres of my parents would appear over my shoulder. I'd be like 'i'm writing a blow job, and my mother's going to read this!' Then just as i got over that, i found that my children would actually come in to the room and appear behind me asking 'So what are you writing Dad'... 'Nothing... Nothing...'
mkay. happy niamh?
On recognition as a celebrity: I never ever expect to be recognised. That's why you're a writer. We proffessionally don't look like the pictures on the back of the cover. Just so we don't get recognised.
But there are some times when it comes in handy... such as when visiting Perth.
...Gaiman arrives in Perth. Puts 'writer' as occupation on his customs forms. The form collector lets him through. He's waiting for his baggage when another customs official sidles up.
Customs man: so, what are you here for?
Gaiman: a science fiction convention. I'm the guest of honour at a science fiction convention
Customs: so you're an author?
Gaiman: well yes
Customs: so... what books do you write?
Gaimain: Science fiction. Comics. Stuff like that.
Customs: you got any of these books here with you?
Gaiman: well, no, i don't.
Customs: so how am I supposed to believe you're an... author... without any of these books?
Gaiman narrating to us: so just as i think i'm about to be taken to room 101, the form collecting guy rushes up
Form Guy: Are you Neil Gaiman?
Gaiman: well yes I am
Form Guy: oh WOW! Good Omens, most amazing book of all time. you tell Terry Pratchett that from me
Gaiman: why yes I will
Customs man: soo... this Good Omens. book of yours?
Gaiman: yes indeed
Customs man: ah.
On the publication of Good Omens:
At the time Salman Rushdie had just had to go into hiding, and Terry and I were fully expecting to be ringing him up and asking to camp out in his backyard. But instead, we got nominated for awards for religious fiction! There weren't even sustained book burnings, even in the south of america where they'll burn train timetables! (Bless me, it'll be in at 10:30! Burn it!)
Frankly, I was disapointed. I think it was because we were an equal opportunity offender. We'd offend you no matter what you believed.
On the writing process of Good Omens: there were details on how the book got written, i have notes, if anyone wants them comment and i shall put them up. Apparently we sat around reading Revelations and going 'This is utter shit!' He was out of his mind on mushrooms when he wrote this stuff!'
Sandman, apparently, was blacklisted by the American Family Association. Gaiman got a nice letter from them explaining why- violence, sex, anti-Christian values, and tolerance of homosexuality. But apparently if he wrote a formal apology to their newspaper, they would lift the ban. And all go back to buying Sandman again. Obviously, he wrote no such letter So I'm still thinking of these sad American Family Association people checking their newspapers each week... 'can we buy it yet, can we buy it yet?' Obviously they really want to read Sandman...
The problem with novels is you can't just throw them out if they're terrible, like you can with a short story. In the case of American Gods, they'd done the cover before he finished the book. American Gods was only meant to be a holding title until I found a new one. Then they sent me this cover with a lightning bolt on it and 'American Gods'. And i thought, well, obviously that's the title then. I'd better work a lightning bolt in somewhere.
On Alice Cooper: he rang me up and said 'I want to do a concept album, you got a concept?
Yes, he did talk about porn. Comicbook porn at that. Not his, Alan Moore's. He mentioned it under 'stuff that's cool', although he's a little confused because he's loving the book but not having the physiological reactions that he feels a well crafted work of pornography ought to provoke.
The question-asker in the audience asked if that was because he was friends with the author. Gaiman thought about this and conceded that this might be why i'm not enjoying Lost Girls as the thouroughly one-handed book he intended it to be
Apparently one of the subeditors on Sandman has subsequently taken up writing chicklit and sent him one of her books. So i'm reading this book and going 'this is my friend's book, this is cool... THEY'RE DOING WHAT? And so there I am with this sex scene where i would normally have been like, cool, this is well written, but because it was *insert name here*'s book i couldn't even read that section!
for the first half of my writing carreer, every time i wrote something even vaguely dirty the spectres of my parents would appear over my shoulder. I'd be like 'i'm writing a blow job, and my mother's going to read this!' Then just as i got over that, i found that my children would actually come in to the room and appear behind me asking 'So what are you writing Dad'... 'Nothing... Nothing...'
mkay. happy niamh?