Inkwell: Authors and Artists

    
Or, actually, he probably needs one script to get on through Equant
and another one to get on directly through Compuserve (if CIS has
dialup numbers in Brazil).
  

    
From Neil:

Hi Martha (and the Well)

well, I'm here in Sao Paolo. Still without web access, which is slightly
frustrating/

Two new UK signings have just been added -- I think they'll be the last two:

Saturday, 14th July
11.00am  Ottakars, 11-17 Castle Meadow, Norwich
7.00pm   Waterstones, 20-21 St.Margaret's St., Canterbury

Which would normally be triffic as I'd go and stay at Dave McKean's (he's
just around the corner from Canturbury) only he'll be in San Diego around
then.

Just finished Zora Neale Hurston's Mules and Men. Very intense, very strange
-- like the book that's only the shadow of the real book, but nonetheless
wonderful for all that. "Tell My Horse" next.

Had this idea of Telnetting to the well, but discovered that access to the
internet from a text based terminal through compuserve is a thing of the
past, and that telnet comes under the heading of the internet.

Having a wonderful time. Lots of signing, lots of enthusiastic people. Took
a little train up to the statue of Christ the Redeemer yesterday and felt,
for a moment, like a tourist.

Writing an outline for a movie which lurched out of left field last week. It
may never happen, but if it does it'll be directed by Dave McKean, which
will make me very happy.

best

n
  

    
Mimi -- yes, I was. Email Lorraine...

Justin: I didn~t know that Warning was on Napster-- don´t they read
the samll print? Oh well... don~t say I didn~t warn them.

...

Doing a hasty smash and grab run on the well from Sao Paolo, from the
offices of IG where I just did a chat. Glad to see you~re all still
there.

When I was on the last signing tour, I compiled a league table of
Unpopular Asshole Authors from the Escorts... BUT one person saying
"Òh, I had so and so and he/she was a sweetie" would get you off the
list. Anyone can have a bad day.

...

OK. Carry on...
  

    
The punctuation keys are obviously in different places on the keyboards down
there.
  

    
tee-hee
  

    
It~s kinda cute.  Maybe I~ll write like that from now on.


Or not.
  

    
Even the man's *typing* is charming.

Amazing.
  

    
Neil, you gotta get an ISP that's part of the GRIC Alliance and just use
their dialer.  They have all the Equant POPs world-wide.  Disclaimer:  I
no longer work there, and I still think it's a great product!

Anyway, I had my first dream about Neil, although it turned out to be
mostly about Harlan.

I had a hand-written note from Neil, written on a pink message slip,
showing his scheduled.  It said 8AM - 12 - signings, and authorings and
things like that - 12 -3 ***In the lobby*** [punctuated just like that]
and another entry that I don't recall.

I walked across a newly-plowed field from my hotel to the one where Neil
was going to be ***In the lobby***, carrying a plastic dry cleaners bag
with my clothes on hangers.  And I brought my boyfriend.

When we arrived, I could see Neil in the lobby, mobbed by fans, and I was
suddenly too shy to approach him, so I turned to leave when I noticed a
sliding glass door on my right, which was the entry into an unusual hotel
room with hooked rag rugs on the hardwood floors.  A man, wearing a
wife-beater shirt, was down on his hands and knees scrubbing the floor.  I
approached him and asked if I could use the bathroom.  He looked up, and I
saw it was Harlan.  He said, "yeah, sure" and gestured off to a door with
a full-length mirror in which I could see reflected a toilet.  I went
through the door and the hotel room was suddenly very large, and I could
see a room full of baby cribs with mobiles hanging over them.  I walked
into the bathroom and just as I entered, someone else pushed open the door
from the adjacent hotel room.  Just then, the toilet overflowed.

That's it.  Make of it what you will.
  

    
I had a very interesting week-end. I went to a giant block sale in my
friend DynaGirl's neighbourhood with the express purpose of finding
saucepans with lids, and I came home with an antique copper and brass
fire extinguisher (possible from Merchandise Mart, but who knows?)
instead. It is very shiny and wonderful and now sitting next to my
decorative fireplace. I'll get saucepans at Linens and Things
eventually. In the meantime, I'll just nuke my dinners.

Mary: saw Shrek tonight with the backflip boy on our weekly date, and
was MUCH amused. And now I must own a Smashmouth album, because they
did a cover of a Monkees song, and I'm a rabid Monkees fan because I'm
weird. I want it on DVD with audio commentary immediately, but I
suppose I can wait until December *sigh*

Linda: Neil has wandered through almost a decade of my dreams. last
oen I recall with any clarity, I dreamt I had walked to his house to
visit (neat trick considering a) I live in Chicago and b) I've never
been there and am not likely to, since I would die somewhat quickly
from all the lovely kitties and I have no car with which to drive to
far away lands), except that it was very dark and there were trees
everywhere, and I couldn't find it. Before that, I dreamt he was doing
a reading in a place that was like my high school, except it had all
sorts of extra rooms in it, and a staircase that went all the way up to
the ceiling...

Neil: enjoy being a tourist! I'm going to be a tourist in Michigan
(tho it's MediaWest Con, so chances are I'll be sight-seeing inside the
Holiday Inn and maybe the local Denny's) this week-end, and then in
Dublin next week-end. Yay! It's going to be the first time I've seen
some of my relatives since 1997 and I am going to stock up on
blackcurrent pastilles...

Dan: Happy anniversary! I wish you and your wife much joy :)
  

    
Dan Guy -- Congrats on two counts!  Hope you and your wife had a
lovely anniversary.  Must be exciting waiting for the baby to arrive. 
As others have said before... get rest while you both still can!

Len -- How did this weekend's productions of the Arabian Nights go?

Claudine -- Thank you very much for the additional information about
Vroman's.  It will hopefully save me from getting upset and lost. 
Martha's book can be ordered via Dreamhaven Books
(http://www.dreamhavenbooks.com/).  I attempted to special order it via
Borders this last Friday.  We'll see if that worked when I go in on
Friday.

Michelle -- a great way to replace a song running on endless loop is
to think of another song... like "Superfreak" or "I think I love you."
Hmmm... on second thought, severe head trauma may be best way to go...

Speaking of Bowie -- "We are also proud to announce that Neil Gaiman
is chatting on June 14th at 6PM EST! Mr. Gaiman is the author of the
award winning Sandman comic book series, as well as numerous books.
Talk to Neil about his upcoming book American Gods which will be
released on June 19th." Amacker sent this out to her list.  Seems it
came from a BowieNet mailing.
  

    


Michelle -- I recommend avoiding  "severe head trauma" whenever
possible, but otherwise, I'm all about Suzannes method of breaking one
song by thinking about another. It never fails to work for me.

Speaking of music, my girlfriend took me to see Tom Petty last night
and it was unbelievable! The man knows how to put on a show. The
Wallflowers also opened up for him and they were fantastic, I only wish
they had played a bit longer of a set. 
  

    

Mary and Tara - I LOVED Shrek!!
  

    
        For the record, the never-fail song-replacer, AFICT, is "Truckin'" by
the Grateful Dead.  If you don't like "Truckin'", I can't help much,
but it's one potent song...
  

    

This, of course, can be problematic when one is trying to get "Truckin'" out
of one's head.
  

    
Just thought I would jump onboard the "having met famous people"
thread and mention that most everyone I've met has been absolutely
charming and gracious, especially to a rather shy fangirl like myself.
(I agree on all counts about Chris Isaak, madman - except the bit about
not liking his music.)

I had the pleasure of meeting Neil several times over the course of a
three day weekend many, many moons ago at a comic con in Oakland,
Calif. I made a pain out of myself at one of the meetings, which I
won't go into ... but mostly remember Neil speaking at the retailers
breakfast. It was amusing; it must have been the shortest speech in the
world, chiefly consisting of how he's not a morning person. (Neither
were the rest of the people there, from the incredible lack of motor
skills shown that morning.)


-Kelly
  

    
(Oh, and thank you for all the warm welcomes!  :-)
  

    
Neil news from Bowienet? So the hyperbeings *are* connected, after
all. 
  

    
re: Bowie - someone once posted to afn-g a snippet of a chat with
Bowie, asking if he was familiar with Neil's stuff. Bowie said he loved
Neil's work. 

Kelly - I keep reading your name and thinking of Kelly Hill in Hayward
and wondering if you know people I used to know... bizarre.

And the problem with thinking of other songs to get songs out of my
head is that the problem song is usually just replaced by whatever TMBG
song I've tried to replace it with.

squeaks, who will now be humming "Birdhouse In Your Soul" for the rest
of the week (pats herself on the back)
  

    
Squeaks--Oh, nooooooooo........
Now I've got *that* one stuck (replacing the Habanera from Carmen, so
it's probably a good thing).  

O.k., all you anime fans.  Here's a poser:  My friend Alia is looking
for an anime that was dubbed for the BBC.   She's not sure if it's been
released in the U.S. yet, but she's looking for the English-language
dub of an anime called Jinroh, or perhaps The Wolf Brigade.  Or maybe
even Kerberos Panzer Cops.  Anybody know anything about it?

Dan Guy--been meaning to say--happy anniversary, and congratulations
on your expected new family member.

Tara--I'm so jealous I could scream.  Have a fabulous time, and eat a
big plate of fresh grilled salmon for me.....(or brown bread, if you
don't like fish). <sigh>

    Mary (just finished Larry's Party by Carole Shields)
  

    
Mary- In the days of old, when I managed a comic shop I seem to
rememeber an anime called Panzer Cops? Well it was Panzer something.

Neil, I've always liked Zora Neal Hurston since freshman year in high
school, I think that my favorite is "There Eyes Were Watching God" 
There is something very right about her words.

JaNell, Just cause she hasn't poped in as of late, that is the
infamous Rocky of the breaking of the glass. And I still can't beleive
that I ate it for the good of the group.

Jinx
  

    
Forgot the other reason I was posting here earlier, but while I'm at
it, I also meant to say happy anniv to Dan!

Will is still trying to figure out the intricacies of posting to the
WELL (multiple accounts and the like), but wanted me to pass this along
while I was here (and I swear I am not paying him to play my stuff!) -
mousey:

Hello all, and thank you for the warm greetings.  I
was a little nervous, feeling like the guy who got to
the party late and milled about awkwardly, but I got
to the dance floor and felt right at home pretty
quickly.  You guys rock!

So, I had a great weekend; my parents got me UK
editions of Stardust and Smoke & Mirrors for my
birthday (woohoo!  Also the Spinal Tap DVD, which was
hilarious), and I went camping, which was fun, if
cold.  And concerning stars, I haven't any as friends,
but I've met John Shea, who was incredibly grateful
and gentlemanly.  I'd *love* to hang out with Neil,
and Eddie Izzard, and Steven Spielberg, and Tori, and
Alanis Morissette, and Stephen King.  Somehow, they
all seem like people I'd like to be friends with (and
Jim Henson, but, well, mourning sigh).

Dan- Congratulations on your son.  Sorry you can't
make the signings, but, then, I'm sure Neil will tour
again when his next book comes out (will there be a
Coraline tour?  I can't wait!).  You'll only see your
first-born born once, no?

Len- Hope AN went well.  Sorry I couldn't wish you
well beforehand.

Rocky, Jinx, and Nightwalker- Are you NYC natives? 
Will I see you at the Magnetic Fields show?  If so,
can't wait.

Shawn and Kelly- Hola.  New myself.  But it's so
welcoming here.

Mary- went on a Pratchett binge recently myself, and
laughed myself silly.

Erynn- I hope things are looking better for you.  Glad
you read the Tao of Pooh; definite spirit lifter.  I'm
just reading the original Pooh series (somehow missed
it all as a child).  What kind of job are you looking
for, exactly?

Mimi- you were just in my neck of the woods; I was in
Cherry Hill this weekend (right across the river from
Philly).  Hope you've gotten the necessary rest.

Neil- Um, I don't know what to do now.  Normally, when
someone says he doesn't think Stardust is one of the
greatest, I debate, but, well, you're *you*.  I can't
argue, I guess.  Er.  Um <brain locks>.  Well, that
leads me to a question, then... what *are* your
favorites, then?  Oh, and, my sister saw a "Tales from
the Crypt" recently and said you were in it.  Ever
been in a "Tales from the Crypt", or was my sister
wishful thinking?  And I hope Brazil is going well,
and that hordes of screaming fans met you and cried
and loved you immensely.  Actually, I hope you're
doing well down there.

And now I've gone on too long, so I'll go dance to
"Lost Causes" now.  Till next,
Dream,
Will
  

    
Michelle - 
I checked out your web site and you look vaguely familiar, but there
is definitely an 'S' on the end of my name. However, I lived in Fremont
for *years* - in fact, I'm mostly from the Bay Area. (Grew up in San
Jose/Milpitas area, then moved around a lot, mostly staying in
Fremont.) It would be interesting to see if we can 6 degrees it to a
familiar person.  :-)

Will - you're braver than I in the length of your posts; thanks for
the welcome. Your list of "people I'd like to know" is strikingly
similar to mine, but given we're meeting here that's not too
surprising. 

Neil - I actually won my copy of Stardust from a promo talk you did
with Talk City a few years ago. I worked there, so technically wasn't
eligible for the prize ... being familiar with your work and asking
questions to start the Q&A portion of the chat was apparently worth
breaking the rules. I actually loved Stardust, tho to be honest I'm not
sure I'd say it was one of the greatest (sorry to not back you there,
Will). I *am* curious why you think it wasn't, and also second Wills
question of what your favourites are. (I'm sitting here with a late
birthday gift certificate to a Borders, and figure if I'm going to ask
for book suggestions...)

Cheers!
-Kelly
  

    
Will--You are one funny man.  Or at least, I laugh when reading your
post.  :)  (And I enjoy dancing to "Lost Causes" too.)

Waiting patiently for my 20th birthday...It's in about an hour and a
half.  While its not a landmark year, I'm still looking forward to it.

Oh yes...and on my birthday, I am to be in the Warehouse's (the local
gothy club) Bald Beauty Contest!  That's right, my medium-length hair
is to be shaven tomorrow night.  Cross your fingers and your toes that
people will cheer for the chubby Italian semi-goth.

Something about David Bowie being a Neil fan makes me giggle.  How
extra supa cool.

Two weeks left of fall quarter, and then I am free.  I don't think
I'll be going next year.  Or, at least not to UC. (I don't want to go
to any school that says their name stands for Under Construction in
their brochure EVER again.)

Off to pretend to do the homework that is due tomorrow.
Angelina.
  

    
From Neil:

===

Tonight's signing went on for a while. 5-6 Hours. 1,200 people. Record
sales for FNAC (700 plus books sold in 3 hrs). I have now lost my voice
completely --- and it is very weird being utterly voiceless. Throat really
hurts and I'm hoping I just strained it -- the last thing I need is a
serious throat infection in Argentina.
  

    
Neil - Major suckage. I *really* hope things get better quickly.

Will - I'm not an NYC Native... but drop me an email (you can get it
from Squeaker)... we might be able to hook up next time I'm in town.
(Which won't be for the MF show, unless some nice person decides to fly
me out... yeah right.)

Michelle - Do you still have a copy of 'Song for Claudia' ?

Suzanne - Now I have 'Superfreak' alternating with 'Can't Touch This'
echoing in my head endlessly... ARGH!

I guess it's better than Cartman singing 'Come Sail Away'...

-=- Walker -=-