For the record, I didn’t think Gaiman “stole” the line: I thought it was a reference, a joke, a little shout out to those of us clever folks who’ve seen Jekyll. I was bummed to learn it was just Moffat reusing a joke.
I mean, that’s totally fine: it’s a great joke, it worked really well both times, and apparently not many people saw Jekyll. I just would have been way more delighted if it had been Gaiman and Moffat sharing a little joke.
At any rate, I’m shocked to learn that Jekyll didn’t do very well. It’s bloody fantastic. I was going to link to a trailer, but they’re all misleading or spoilery, so just trust me here. It’s available on DVD in the states, so I assume it’s on NetFlix. Seattle friends may apply to me directly to borrow mine.
It’s National Poetry Month in the US! My brother, the estimable Aaron J Shay, and I decided to celebrate by reading a few of our favorite poems for you, by Gaiman, Eliot, and Millay.
I had sworn never to upload a YouTube video longer than five minutes without good reason. Is Prufrock good enough reason? Only you can decide, gentle viewers.
Whilst discussing braincrushes:
My Librarian Sister: If/when I become a zombie, I will become the zombie equivalent of a foodie. Only the highest quality brainz for me.
Me: Who would be your top choices?
MLS: Aside from John Green and Jamie LaRue? My two other librarian heroes, Sarah Glassmeyer and Sarah Houghton...I'm tempted to say Neil Gaiman, but his awesome creativity just makes me feel inferior.
MLS: Hmmm....
MLS: If I became a time-traveling zombie, Nikola Tesla would be on the menu.
MLS: Now I'm starting to feel a bit guilty about consuming the brains of brilliant people.
Please celebrate Leap Year Day in the traditional manner by taking a writer out for dinner.
It’s been four years since many authors had a good dinner. We are waiting. Many of us have our forks or chopsticks at the ready - some of us have had them ready for days. We will repay you by drifting off while the food is being served and then suddenly scribbling something down on a scrap of paper and asking whether or not you think “passionate” could validly be said to rhyme with “cash in it”, then absent-mindedly drinking too much and trying to recite the whole of Clive James’s “The Book of My Enemy Has Been Remaindered” from memory.
It never occurred to me that there were people who watched Sherlock who didn’t know what it was based on. And then to be schooled by Neil Gaiman. Awkward.
BAM, said the author. Really, I don’t expect everyone who watches Sherlock to have read ALL the stories (I haven’t), but these Sherlock fangirls know NOTHING about the original writings.
(I was her guest in the audience of this recording, done for the Jonathan Ross show in 1992. She was so nervous. We were kids who liked talking to each other, so much, and she loved Sandman and I loved that she’d put me in a song. It seems like yesterday.)
And six years later I discovered it, and my god did it speak to me, so much. I was a kid who was just discovering Good Music, and I loved her voice and her piano and her beautiful lyrics that I didn’t understand.
It seems like forever.
My librarian sister: Currently listening to the episode of Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me with Neil Gaiman. I need to try Coraline, because now I really want to like his work.
Me: [Horrified] Wait, you don't like Neil Gaiman?!
MLS: Only tried The Sandman and it didn't hook me.
Me: Oh well, that's very different from his novels. Read Neverwhere, immediately.
MLS: I'll make another trip to my local used bookstore. I was just there today, but for you I will make the sacrifice.
Me: Going to the bookstore is a sacrifice?
MLS: I was joking.
Me: Oh, of course. Sorry, when you implied you didn't like Neil Gaiman the world went all topsy turvy for a bit.
This is a great joint interview between Joss and Neil from 2005, when Mirrormask and Serenity were both poised for release. It is great despite the fact that the interviewer doesn’t seem to get them, their fanbase, or anything else, because he mostly just shuts up and lets them riff off each other, which is unsurprisingly lovely.
This video, which features an interview with legendary author Neil Gaiman, is a lighthearted look at how the University of Wisconsin—Stout backed down from its censorship of Professor James Miller’s posters, one featuring a quote from the science fiction show Firefly, and the other condemning fascism. Stout stood by its actions until FIRE’s advocacy campaign on Miller’s behalf inspired Gaiman, along with Firefly actors Nathan Fillion and Adam Baldwin, to take to Twitter to encourage their millions of followers to contact the university with their support of free speech.
