Inkwell: Authors and Artists

    
Rocky--

I agree-- SNL plays it completely safe, and drags out the same joke
over and over.  Further, they assume that the audiences are stupid and
need everything spelled out.  Kids in the Hall, etc. assume that their
audiences are resonably intelligent and can handle subtlety, absurdity,
etc.

I think there's something else, too.  The hardest thing about sketch
comedy is writing good endings... sometimes even the most brilliant
joke may only be sustainable for a minute or two. Monty Python, and
later Upright Citizen's Brigade, shifted their style to a more
dreamlike montage of scenes:  some scenes don't end, they just meander,
threaded through the half-hour episode.  The result, when it works,
can mean a more layered show that's not hamstrung by sketches that have
overstayed their welcome while looking for a punchline.
  

    
E-mail from shira, really, this time:

Er- I didn't send that e-mail... I'm not sure who did.

Anyway, thank you, everyone, for all of the congratulations.  I am very happy.

-shira


--
most of my heart is for you
do with it whatever you please
i might as well give it to you
-nerdy girl
--
sbstarlet@aol.com
http://gurlpages.com/sbstarlet
http://gurlpages.com/markwheat
  

    

I should add that I don't edit e-mails, but I do strip out the e-mail
headers and glance at the signature or the e-mail name to identify whoever
sent the e-mail.  I guess I just glanced at the bottom of that one and saw
Shira and voila, put it as coming from her.

The reason we started stripping out headers is because our e-mail address,
inkwell-hosts@well.com started getting a lot of spam, and we figured that
there was a bot out there searching for @ signs and capturing e-mail
addresses, so we started stripping them out to spare our guests the
additional indignity of spam.  And also for privacy.  Since this topic is
readable by anybody on the Web, maybe you don't want your e-mail address
visible for all and sundry.

So, occasionally, we make mistakes.  Okay, *I* make mistakes.  But then
again, I seem to be the one who posts the most e-mails so my average is
still good.

Anybody want to comment on the keep-the-header-in, keep-the-header-out
issue?
  

    
Linda I think you have been doing a fantastic job! 

On the header thing - It's really like writing you name and phone
number in a bus shelter - as you mentioned, you take a risk on who sees
it and what they do with the information.  I was happy to have the
choice of posting my e-mail address or not. I posted mine because it is
not my primary address and one I can discontinue easily if I am
spammed to often. Not everyone has this option in place.  
  

    
I just want to comment that you do (1) a lot of work, and (2) a good job.
Thanks, castle, for all of it.

Rocky, way way back in post mumblety-ump, asked about the body acceptance
work. I'll be happy to answer at length in email, if you like.  The short
answer would be to point you to the essay in _Women En Large_ by Laurie Toby
Edison and Debbie Notkin. (They're off to do some photography museum shows
in Japan this next month, and I wish I could hide in their luggage and go
along!)

Neil, congrats on the Geffen award!  That is very very cool.

The movie news is exciting, and I hope it turns out to be a satisfying
translation for all of you.  (Well, isn't moving from printed page to film a
translation of sorts?)

Hope your throat is holding out....
  

    
The estimable and talented ancient-booer, she slipt in a response while I
was typing slowly.... the "you" in 930 was meant to be castle.

(I like your art, Amanda, and if there's a story behind the log-in that I
missed, I'd love to hear it. Feel free to clue me in by email, or whatever.
As castle said, I'm not always here, these days, although I hope to be here
more regularly now that all the assorted sweeties and family are doing
better, health-wise.)

(Speaking of which, thank you, Neil, for cheering Mike up. You're a good
soul.  [Was gonna write "a good guy," but it's the wrong season to get
anyone confused about Guys, and all that.])
  

    
Am still alive, more or less. Did portland. Was filmed. Came off
stage.

Went up to dressing room. Started making tea.

Chris Oarr said "Have you ever done an encore?"

"No," I said. "And I'm not going to start now."

But he frogmarched me down onto the stage and I went and did an
encore. How odd.
  

    
After New York (and the several offers of love slaves), I figure an
encore is probably the most popular request you receive. Why do you
turn them down? Modest? 
  

    
Oh no. 

Maybe next time you should use Chris Oarr as a chair?  
  

    
Neil, you always go above and beyond for the CBLDF.  You are, indeed,
a good soul.

[They don't have someone to get a hot cup of tea for you?  And you do
encores for them and everything!]  
  

    
Ummmm...#933 slipped.  Now my post sound rather odd.  It wasn't meant
that way! :P

What did you do as an encore?


Lioness - one email coming right up:P
  

    
Emailed by Darrien Addison:

Hi Neil,

Well, I've just about got healthy enough to post here and it looks like
some interesting discussion has gone by and, maybe, a faux pas.

Of course, I want to stress how wonderful it was to have dinner with you
and talk, and the reading blew me away, and I know I had "Neil's little
helper" positively tattooed on me during it.  It was bizarrely uplifting
to have one of the bouncers tell another "they're working for Neil" and
see the look of respect on his face in response (he'd been giving us a
hard time until the other guy came along).

That wasn't the best bit, but it's hard to say what was; most of it I
won't even talk about.

As for Sheila wishing to have a copy of Blueberry Girl; she did actually
ask for one and was hoping you might still remember, but she didn't (and
doesn't) want to be any kind of a pain to you; you have enough on your
plate.

I can totally understand where you're coming from on the privacy/copyright
issue.  I think maybe manners aren't regarded due to the unrealistic
notion of fame; that a "fan" wishes to get as close to their idol as
possible, while never feeling that they could be close enough to cross
boundaries. It's same "hyped-up" mentality that has Tori fans stealing her
underwear (and though you sold t-shirts, I don't think it's quite the
same).

That said, there's also a strong movement to ignore copyright in the
internet community.  It isn't even easy as "black-and-white", and not even
all creators view this kind of "transferal of information" as a bad thing;
and, of course, many people are wont to think that since the Smashing
Pumpkins latest album was free on the net, they are all entitled to any
album/book/film/poem they want.

It's a grey area and the internet isn't usually the best place to find
"manners" or even "respect."  I think Joe had surprisingly accurate advice
about what the experience must be like, as a creator.

And, conversely, I screwed up.  I had assumed that the Well conversations
were public domain, and actually mentioned to you over dinner that I
didn't mention anything said on them out of politeness and respect.  
However (there has to be a however), I misinterpreted #847; and forwarded
the message to Caitlin's newsgroup and a few friends.  I attributed it,
but I regret doing it, and I apologize for it.  I hope it wasn't much of
screw-up.

--

Shira -- I wish Sheila and I could "post for Neil", but I rather doubt
Neil needs anyone speaking for him - although I now have visions of CBLDF
readings of Neil's work read by other authors, and it could be
interesting; "Garth Ennis reads Chivalry... Like never before."

--

Darrien
  

    
If Neil hadn't done an encore, there might have been a riot.  They'd been
doing the rhythmic encore stomp for some five minutes.

Nice crowd.

Nice reading.

Nice seeing you, Neil!
  

    

That sounds like so much fun.  Please make sure that there's a Bay Area
stop next time!
  

    
This is the Last Angel Tour.  Unless another creator picks up on the idea
and runs with it now Neil's stepping down.
  

    
In reverse order...

Did he read your poem, Martha?   

Thank you, Darren :)
I laughed so hard at that last bit my co-workers are staring.

Is Chris Orr chair-like?

Linda, you do just fine getting the messages up here, and you deserve
many thanks for that :)  If someone doesn't specify that they want
their email contact included in their note, why use it?

wrt SNL.  I think the humor they use is where most people's heads are
now.  Look at how well the movies based on characters from the show
have done at the box office. Maybe people don't want complicated.  They
want predictable.  Why else would they get an almost regular cast to
do "Whose Line Is It Anyway?"

<she says, not being at all sure who the 'people' in question are>

Mimi - no, you are not the only one slightly freaked by the reaction
to "Nicholas Was".  I wanted to ask the people around me if they were
actually listening to the words.

Are New Yorker's so cynical that we find things like that and
"Babycakes" funny-ha-ha, rather than funny-my-god-that's-twisted?
Maybe it was overflow from the reaction to "Shoggoth's"?  

It was neat seeing the "Good Omens" on the front page of Variety.com -
here's hoping it meets up or is better than the pictures we've made in
our heads for how it should run.

Just to play devil's advocate, isn't it possible that Sandman is
already in the best possible media for it, and should stay there?

Rocky, never on your worst day you could be chopped liver :)  But darn
it if they didn't invite me to the meetings of the cult following
either.

Neil - a Coraline reading would be lovely, but it sounds like running
a verbal marathon.  No one would ask you to do that.  They'd just wish
you would.

Real real loud wishes.

I had thought the selections worked differently because you had read a
selection of "Dream Hunters" on the last Guardian Angel tour, but then
that did stand alone.

If it comes up, I will ask for quotes from this conference, although
it will probably be easier to just point people to entries.

Two questions.  Just thinking on what Mimi had said - have audiences
ever surprised you with their reactions to your readings?

And what is it like, knowing that you are part of the inner lives of
people you have not met?

That's what the Q&As feel like - hearing out loud all the imaginary
conversations that people probably have with you in their heads.  Even
the indecent proposals.

I hope you get something from the audience, when things turns from
monologue to dialogue.

-randi
  

    
He read the Martha poem.  One lonely person in the audience clapped at my
name; the rest looked baffled, but he read the poem so well he had them
howling with laughter by the time it was over.
  

    
Hmm. I wonder if most people think they are having a dialogue with the
artist, when what they're really having is a relationship with the art.

Mistaking the art for the artist gets folks into all kinds of trouble
sometimes. Some of it picturesque, and some distressing, and some probably
just sort of goofy.

What d'you think about that, Neil? (And does being in the midst of -- at the
end of -- a tour color those thoughts? And is the living color version more
accurate, on the whole, or not, or just different?)

I'm remembering an account by, I think, Greg Ketter, about walking down the
alley with you after a reading, and meeting some fans of yours out there,
and how for a moment he wondered if he ought to be worried, but then they
turned out to be real nice people. From what I've seen, that's been my
impression too, that there are a lot of really good folks who like your
work. Creative, interesting, intelligent.... which makes sense, as like
attracts like and all that. ('Scuse me, I'm babbling again... but I had a
point when I started. If anyone finds it, dust it off and put it back,
please? Thanks.)
  

    
That Martha, she slipt.

I bet it was cool. I can imagine them howling with laughter, too....
  

    
Ok, what is the Martha poem?

And since this forum is, itself, a dialogue with the artist, it has
certainly added new levels of enjoyment to my own dialogue with his
art.
  

    

And I just want to add, I, too, like Neil's fans!!
  

    
The Martha poem is the utterly preposterous piece of doggerel that's the
introduction to my story collection "The Arbitrary Placement of Walls".
Introduction by Neil Gaiman, it doesn't say on the cover.
  

    
I got the book because (1) I wanted to read the poem and (2) any book Neil
thought was good was worth looking into and (3) other people I know and
trust think well of Martha's stories and (4) this topic reminded me that I
had meant to get the book.

It's full of really good stories. Neil was right. It's at Dreamhaven, if
it's not at your local bookseller's place. Don't wait as long as I did, or
you'll feel like a big doofus for missing out on something cool.

There, I have now continued public penance for doofusness. ;-) Self-assigned
penance.

And the poem is lovely doggerel.

(At this hour, the Herring Song is coming to mind as well, so before I get
some weird crosspollination, I better log off....  You writing songs lately,
Neil?  In your copious free time, I mean. <wry look> But songs sort of leap
up and bite me when I don't have time to write 'em, so maybe....do they do
that to you too?)

<wanders off singing "..had sugary feet/and the herrings sang where they
lay...">
  

    

Back, for a moment, to the speculations of Sandman movie-kind... I can see
Patrick Stewart doing a good Destiny- he could do the voice, convey the
drama that anything Destiny said would have.
And, while I have no idea who should direct, I would LOVE to hear an Elfman
theme for The Sandman.
  

    
        Well, it's taken me since last night to wander in here, and I'd like
to thank Neil for a wonderful evening's performance.  I'd also like to
thank him specifically for acceding to the requests of myself and
another person, and reading "Blueberry Girl" after all.  I was choked
up during it as much in appreciation of feeling trusted with it as in
appreciation of its own merits as a poem for a newborn girl.  Of
course, Neil was probably thinking "Well, the cat's out of the bag
anyway, might as well give the tossers what they want..." but what the
hell, I'll take my choke-uppedness anyway.
        Also, one point purely for the record and one question: I was the
schmuck who applauded and cheered when Neil mentioned being fond of
Laphroaig, (I've an old weakness for it myself) and I was wondering if
the "Writer's Prayer" piece has been published anywhere, as I'd like to
have it up on the wall near my computer.  In any event, thanks again,
Mr. Gaiman.