Inkwell: Authors and Artists

    
Oh.  wow.  I've never met anyone who feels the way I do about the
Peep.  A moment of silence...




Peeps are a delicacy I enjoy both soft and stale.  I don't know about
anyone else but I can literally GO PLACES OTHERWISE UNREACHED whenst on
Peeps.  They are so wrong and I can't help loving them.  I'm with you,
Martha, on the mushroom and beer thing as well. 

Neil--I am still temping here at Warner Brothers in the Creative
Services department, which is where they use amazing artists to make
art that ends up on your Dixie cups.  At any rate, today there was a
HUGE new poster up of new concept art for lines they are pushing this
year and one of them is Sandman.  Well of course I almost had a heart
attack and asked everyone around if they were working on it, and no one
knew what it was or who was doing art for it.  Is Sandman about to get
a big marketing push from Warner Brothers (that you know of)? 
Everyone here is strangely clueless.

Michelle--I hope this weekend you watch the Muppet Show episode with
Rudolph Nureyev.  I'm pretty sure that's the one that has this INSANE
moment of surrealism in it in the guise of a song called "Something's
Missing."  The song is so good and funny that I'm thinking of covering
it at my next gig.  Also look for a song on one of those episodes sung
by Gonzo called "I'm a Jamboree."  I SWEAR it's a lost Smiths song. 
hehe.

-Adriana
  

    
Someone who likes Peeps both fresh and stale?  That is the most exotic kind
of person of all.
  

    

Yeah, really. I'm with Martha on freshness, though I am, perhaps, not as
extreme.
  

    
This is very much unneillike drift.
  

    

And, for those who are on the WELL, as opposed to reading through the web,
there is an entire topic devoted to peeps in the Obsess.ind conference, and
given the number of times if has already occurred there, I recommend against
starting a "fresh vs stale peeps" thrash in Neil's back yard.
Unless, of course, he has an opinion.
  

    
Good old <obsess.ind.>

I met a stale peeps freak recently, and he informed me that it is a
religion, not a cult, with a deep division into the stale and the fresh
followers.  You never know!
  

    
I'm sure Neil is just blinking at us, is all.
  

    
I know what you mean.
  

    
Because I love you all:
http://www.theplainjane.com/shakespeare/rj_scene01.html
  

    
Tree - Ooops!  My bad!  Sorry to have outed you luv.  Didn't realize
it was a surprise and I've been so very out of the loop on all things
Gaiman lately.  Caught up just in time to hear about The Bottom Line
appearance. Must be that Thingy radar thingy. Put it down to the stress
of moving. But don't worry, the hous will be unpacked and I'll be
ready with the Sapphire gin and all manner of crazy things by the time
you get here. ;)
  

    
I love peeps of all kinds. I love most things, except cole slaw and
black olives...tried to like them. Don't. I could eat Kraft Mac and
Cheese everyday of my life if I had to (and most of the time I do). And
I'm an alcoholic in denial.

Neil- We're having car difficulties right now. (am going to the bank
tommorow to try to convince them that I am a responsible, finantially
stable individual who deserves a loan for a car.) If we don't have a
car by then (we should, but you never know) then I am taking a cab and
then walking 9 miles home from the signing. However, I was hoping The
Book could appear at my doorstep. I will walk five miles to pre-order
the book if I have to, because I love you, but I'm going to e-mail the
Dreamhaven people first and see what they say, because I'm also lazy.
Tool (and A Perfect Circle) are definatly worth checking out. They're
one of the only "true" rock bands left. 
I've been listening to "Lateralus" and David Byrnes new one "look into
the Eyeball" back to back. It's a very strange combination. I've also
been listening to Gary Numan's sort of new "Pure" a lot. It is the most
beautiful album I've heard in a long, long time. 

Streak- LOL. Yes, peeps are pure evil...but evil is delicious. 

Disclaimer: I realize that there are probably a lot of misspellings
and crap in this post. Let me say that I am not proud, but I am very
drunk off some great Italian red wine. Today was no doubt THE WORST day
I've ever had at work in my entire life. I seriously need to find a
new job on top of everything else. I'm still shaking from the madness
(that's what happens to me when I'm stressed. It's sooo embarrassing)
Everything happens in three's, I swear to god it does. Sorry, I needed
to vent. I have no one else to vent to right now except my cats. (Oh my
god! I'm one of those crazy cat people!)
I'm gonna try the "being an experiment" thingy only with packing, not
with writing. This should be interesting.... 


Martha and Madman- I'm sure he's not blinking as much as the "sex with
stuffed animals and "X-rated Gnomes" topic.  He's probably like "Look
at my demented fans! Why me!?" Just kidding. (Actually, everyone here,
to me, are the most intelligent, interesting and fun fans I've ever
come across in fan forum thingys. Neil is very lucky.) 
  

    

Yeah, well, having just looked at a web page labelled "Peep sex" (thank you,
Adriana), I'm not sure sex with stuffed animals is weirder anymore. Now we
just have to work the lawn gnomes in... but damned if I'm going to be the
one to do it. I nominate <streak>.
  

    
I second the nomination for streak.

I just realized that I said I was going to walk 9 miles home from the
signing and then later said I would walk five walking there to
pre-order the book. Somehow that doesn't add up. I'm so lame when I'm
drinking. I guess that was my "Being an Experiment.." while posting on
the Well. Anyway, it's a damn long walk to the bookstore in question.  
  

    

Consider how seldom I post here (my own comments, that is!) and yet I'm
responsible for introducing both the "sex with stuffed animals" and the
"x-rated gnome" discussions.  <searching with both hands for the meaning
in it all>
  

    
Sex with stuffed animals was a featured subplot on E.R. the other week.  It
is so boring mainstream now.
  

    
Tree -- it would have been a surprise, but  it'll be lovely to see you
anyway. ("Is it T-e-r or T-h-r ...?" "Just write Tree.") and yeah, you
can sneak in an extra book. If coming from Australia doesn't qualify
you, I don't know what does.

If you see the MFs PLEASE give claduia a hug from me.

Suzanne -- please make a point of introducing yourself.

Matej -- I wewnt and checked, and it was Hungarian. The only thing in
Czech that I know of is GOOD OMENS, and that's a pirate edition.

Chris -- sigh.  Okay. Direct question, deserves a direct answer.

I supose that once in every now and again in life, you encounter a
Todd McFarlane.  And every time you think you've wiped it away, you
look down and there's some more Todd McFarlane, sticking to the sole of
your shoe.

The guy has now broken every agreement he's made with me, every
promise he's ever made, everything he's ever signed, everything he's
ever said. I guess he's done it because he thinks he can. 

So neither Mark or I are impressed.  Either he gave me his share of
the rights in exchange for  all my share in the Cogliostro character in
1997 (as he said, in writing at the time -- although he never
delivered any of the promised papers confirming this, only sent the
film, and, he told me, all the Miracleman art in the files), or, even
if he doesn't, Mark and I still own 33% of the character -- and he's
certainly not sought our permission nor arranged any kind of licensing.
We'll have to find out whether he's legally able to do this; but
morally, there's Todd McFarlane again, still sticking to the bottom of
the shoe...

At this point , I'd strongly suggest that anyone who has a shred of 
interest in creator's rights boycotts any of these comics, and lets
their comic stores know why.

(Cheating me seems to have become a badge of honour for Todd by now.
Cheating Mark Buckingham is just sad.)

Adriana -- my guess is it's the Sandman stuff from HOT TOPIC. But I
could be wrong, and there might be something else in the works.

Erynn -- surely there's a nice person going to the signing who could
be prevailed upon to give you a lift. (Which signing is it again?). And
surely you could ring the store and get them to hold you a book? 

Sorry your day was bad. It may get better. You never know.
  

    
Hello Neil. I read in your jounal that someone spoiled the surprise of
what is FNAC (bastards!). But they are wrong. fnac.com is french. You're
coming to Brazil, remember that. Just saying this should bring the
excitement back. We could be a little 'colonized' by the 'rich' countries
(I think Brazil is richer than a lot of 'rich' countries, but that's
irrelevant now), but we have personality, oh yes, we have! FNAC here is
diferrent, period. I hope that you read this before coming to Brazil.

Thanks,

Douglas Spadotto
  

    
You know, I was just going to half-mockingly bitch at madman and
Martha for putting bad visuals of trans-species-peep-sex in my head
again, but Adriana, that just plain hurt!

Erynn - (((hugs!!!))) I've had a few horrid days here and there. No
need to apologize for venting.

Ooh, and just when I'm thinking that my music is almost not worth it,
I got fan mail! Actually, it's someone who is working on getting an
account here. In the meantime, he (William) asked me to post this for
him:

To introduce, I'm 23-year-old writer, trying to get
the two novels under my belt published, paying the
bills by assisting commercial producers in Manhattan,
at Y&R (we do those 7-Up commercials, and the Sony
ones, with the blue alien guy).  Planning to act, and
direct, as well.  You can check out my webpage at
www.williamentrekin.homestead.com.  There.  Now I feel
like you know at least as much about me as I know
about all of you.

And Neil- You're just fantastic.  A dream.  Stardust
is my favorite novel, and I've often argued that it is
one of the greatest novels ever written (long
arguments, they are, though I've always convinced the
other person to read it, and they've always conceded,
so...).  Actually, I was in a bookstore the other day,
and someone was looking for the Pullman trilogy.  B&N
didn't have them in stock, but I asked the young lady
why she was looking for Pullman.  Someone had
suggested it to her.  I told her I'd tried it, gotten
about twenty or thirty pages in, and hadn't looked at
it since, to which she replied that she'd loved Harry
Potter and was looking for something more grown-up,
and more sophisticated.  Long story short, she walked
out of Barnes and Noble with Stardust, Good Omens, and
Neverwhere and a pre-order for American Gods.  She'll
be at the signing at the WTC <grin>.
As will I.  And I hope you won't think me creepy, but
I'll also be at both Magnetic Fields shows/ Gaiman
readings on the 17th, with a couple of friends.  If
you'll permit, and if you have time, it'd be an honor
to buy you the alcoholic beverage of your choice.

That was really all I had to say, besides an
invitation to all you other posters here (are you
thingies?  Is that the right term, and in the right
context? [God, I feel like such a newbie.  I'm
sorry]).  I'd love to hear from anyone who's going to
be at the Borders WTC or the Magnetic Fields; perhaps
we could have a Neil Appreciation get together, or
some suchlike (you must all rock if you're Neil fans. 
For some reason, I just can't imagine someone who's
into Neil being a complete jerk).

So that's my story.  Sorry it was so verbose.  And
special thanks to Michelle for posting it (whose "Lost
Causes" is now playing on an endless loop in my winamp
player).  I won't squeak, but I'll tell you all to

Dream,
Will Entrekin
  

    

Trans-species peep sex would be bunnies and chicks.

Just saying.
  

    
I just re-read "The Tao of Pooh" and played with my bunny, so I feel
better now. Still need to finish packing, get a loan for a car and get
a new job though. Threes I tell ya.

Most of my friends are back home (way away from here) now that school
is over. I don't know anyone that is coming to the signing. We'll
probably have a working car by then, but if we don't, no big deal. I'm
coming one way or another. The signing is in Cleveland Joeseph-Beth in
Shaker Square. The last time I was in Shaker, our car battery died and
it was our first time in the city. No one would give us a jump, some
guy kept yelling at us about segregation and others tried to sell us
crack and sweaters from the Gap for $10. None of the cabs spoke Engish.
 The place has some cool shops, but I wouldn't recommend being there
after dark....

Michelle- Thanks! ((hugs back)) 

Hi William! You sound splendid!

Madman-oh no.... you didn't.
  

    
        The X-rated gnomes are related to the phallus-statues of ancient
Greece, which have a specific name that I'm too lazy to look up.  They
serve as any graven image does, as an object of worship, veneration of
mighty gnomesex powers.  It is hoped that through the proper rituals,
the gnomes may be induced to shower us with their powerful gnome seed. 
Wherever their seed falls upon a man with evil in his heart or a woman
who owns a Chris Isaak CD, the afflicted will break out in Peeps like
boils all over their body.  These must be cut free before being
packaged and sold.  That's why they're sometimes still sticky on the
bottom.  Peep sex involves nothing more than smushing two of them
together to make one big one.  They have always been eaten after this,
which is good because it is written (in letters sprinkled in a
Fibonacci sequence through the 1947 voting records of the Canadian
Parliament) that should Peepsex ever be given time to bring a child to
term, it would usher in the Apocalypse or be impossible to get out of
carpet. (Two conflicting versions of the voting records exist.)
        Any other requests?
  

    
Douglas -- Oh, the embarrassment for all the people who wrote to me
saying what FNAC was, and getting it wrong.

Michelle -- I was looking the bookshelves in the basement before
leaving for Brazil, and have started setting aside odd Stardusts for
you.

William -- I don't think that Stardust is one of the greatest stories
ever written, but I'm very grateful.  I don't think it's creepy at all
going to both shows -- I figure I'll do different stuff at each gig,
and my guess is that Stephin and Claudia will too.

The people at alt.fan.neilgaiman describe themselves as thingies.
People here describe themselves as, er...  

Actually, they don't call themselves Wellies. Or anything very much.

Erynn -- I bet you that Michelle can find you someone who's going to
the Cleveland signing who'll happily give you a ride both ways. (She
has to do *something* to earn her Hungarian Stardust.)
  

    
Some people around these parts call themselves Wellperns.
  

    
Well, I was thinking more about the Topic 104 gang.
  

    
neil: I kinda like Wellies. In a boot sort of way. Mostly, tho, I
still think of myself as a Sandgirl, since that's how it all started
for me anyway...

fellow Chicagoians: how shall we identify one another at the signings?
red carnations? silly hats? moose imitations of some kind? Mary, I
already know you. And it's good odds I met folks at the CBLDF reading
in November, and the signings at Stars over the last 5 or 6 years. But
I must put names to faces... I have pictures of me at
ljconstantine.com, but they don't look much like me (tho I do have a
very silly, much PhotoShop'd one on my neverwhere page that I'm fond
of. It doesn't look like me either, but still... very fun.)

re: peeps. I have but one thing to say: too much sugar! 

For some reason, I just don't do ultra-sweet sweets unless they're
made with honey (I have a real thing for the honey-dipped pastries that
reza's on Clark in Andersonville has. I could eat bamieh until the
cows come home. I'm shaped liek I do, in any case). I can't stomach
buttercream icing either. Give me whipped cream, and don't you add any
sugar to it, and I'm happy as a happy person. Oh! and dark chocolate.
None of that milk stuff. Tho I did love ice cream with Cadbury flake
when I was younger. Still, what passes for milk chocolate these days
doesn't even barely qualify as far as I'm concerned.

ack... must go ring the backflip boy!

*hugs to all*

t