http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2008/10/music-music-music.html

I forgot to tell you:

According to Claudia Gonson, of the Magnetic Fields, if you go to Magnetic Fields gig on this current tour, and tell them I sent you, they will give you a Magnetic Fields badge (or similar tchachtka) for nothing, thus saving you a dollar.

So go to see the Magnetic Fields. http://www.houseoftomorrow.com for details... Then go and see them. My favourite live band in the universe.

Also, I watched Ella Edmondson perform this evening, and she's astonishing. She's going to be a star. That's not even a confident prediction, it's just what's going to happen. Go and check her out at http://www.myspace.com/ellaedmondson and http://www.ellaedmondson.net/.

http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2008/10/apology-italy.html

I'm meant to be in Italy at the Autonnonero Festival this weekend (http://www.autunnonero.com/), and, with horrible regret, I've cancelled that part of the journey. I'm just too tired, post-China and (especially) after the Graveyard Book Tour. It took more out of me than I was expecting. Next time I do a mega-reading a night in eight cities I will schedule a day off in there somewhere, for a start.

I'm really sorry -- to the fans in Italy, and to the festival. It's horribly unprofessional. If I could do it I would. I'll try to put a visit to Italy at the top of my list of things to do, or, if they'll have me, come back to the festival next year. But not this weekend. I'll be back in the USA, walking my dog or, probably, fast asleep.

http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2008/10/from-darkest-cornwall.html

Got to Cornwall about 4:30 am (I slept for an hour or so in the car, then read a script). Dropped off by car and driver at hotel. Glad to see someone up and about to check me in. Take my bags to front desk, tip driver handsomely. Driver drives away. Night-porter slowly establishes that I'm not actually staying in that hotel, but another several miles away, and that driver was a bit overenthusiastic in dropping me off at hotel. Also that you can't get a taxi in rural Cornwall at five in the morning so I am stuck there. I sit in the lobby and write Batman. Somehow, in my jet-lagged state, this all seems quite normal.

My cellphones do not work in this town, and they are out of charge to boot.

After three quarters of an hour the night porter turns up and takes me to a hotel room, magicked into existence just for me, and everything is suddenly wonderful. I sleep for six hours, have a long bath and then go down to see my friends who are having a joint 50th birthday.

I eat the best Cornish pasty I've ever had for breakfast, and wash it down with cider (the alcoholic sort that doesn't taste even faintly alcoholic, so be wary) and listen to the seagulls and am happy. Also run into several old friends, which is good.

Am now in the hotel office, as my room doesn't quite reach the internet.

...

I mentioned the Andre Norton case on this blog some time ago. The case is now resolved -- see Scrivener's Error. Can I point all of you who read this who are writers -- or who know writers -- or who may one day be a writer -- at http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2006/10/important-and-pass-it-on.html.

I heard from Marcus at Blackwells that they're down to the last 60 seats for the Hallowe'en reading event...

Friday 31st October, 6.30pm
The Old Theatre, London School of Economics, Houghton Street, WC2A 2AE

Blackwell Charing Cross Road are very pleased to announce an exclusive London event with Neil Gaiman, to celebrate the launch of his fantastic new novel, The Graveyard Book.

Join us on the 31st October, Halloween, for a talk and signing at the Old Theatre, London School of Economics, Houghton Street, WC2A 2AE, starting at 6.30pm. As it's Halloween, dressing up is welcome (but not compulsory). There will be a prize for the best costume, as decided by us, and the winner will also get a chance to pose next to Neil for a photo. Make sure to wear something that lets you fit into a theatre seat, and is comfortable enough to deal with a long signing queue

Tickets are priced at £8 and £6 (concessions), and will entitle you to £2 off either edition of the book on the night. Tickets can be obtained by visiting Blackwell, 100 Charing Cross Road, London WC2H 0JG, or by phone on 020 7292 5100 for posting to your address. We expect the phone lines to be very busy for the first couple of days, so do please bear with us!

Here's an interview from the LA Weekly, backstage in Santa Monica, and here is Pink is the New Blog at the same event (with added Blueberry Girl).

...

Lots of people have written in to ask about the Bela Fleck recording of the Danse Macabre that he did for The Graveyard Book.

(It was the musical piece that preceded Bill Hader's lovely "Vincent Price", for those of you who were at any of the readings.) It's on the audio book of The Graveyard Book --the one you'd buy at iTunes or on CD.

Some people asked about the cellist playing with him; others wanted to know if it would be available as a separate download. According to Mr Fleck:

The cellist is Ben Sollee, a great young player from Louisville.

There are no plans to do anything else with it at my end, because it's Bela's music and he recorded it, and if anyone's going to put it up for download or something I think it ought to be him, not me. Bela Fleck's website is http://www.belafleck.com/. (I love this blog. I sigh that it would be lovely to have a Danse Macabre on banjo, and the best banjo player in the known universe reads it, writes in to ask if I'd be interested, and then records it and it's even better than it was my head when I suggested it. I mean, honestly, how cool is that?)

Here's the magical audio widget, for any of you who would like to hear some of it...



...

Dear Mr.Gaiman:

I'd like to inform you that apparently you have killed (not only perhaps Amanda Palmer but also) the third installment of Phonogram:
http://gillen.cream.org/wordpress_html/?p=1652

But no bad news should be given without a good one. The Coraline movie official site is up!:
http://www.filminfocus.com/focusfeatures/film/coraline/

Best,
- Sam


Life has no obligation to be likely, does it? Or even convincing.

I like the Coraline website though. And am wondering what's going to happen over at http://www.theothercoraline.com/

...

And finally, a reminder from Anne K.G. Murphy:

In most states, the deadline to register to vote by mail has just
passed (see http://www.eac.gov/voter/docs/state-reg-deadlines.xls/attachment_download/file)
but it's yet to come in Alabama, California, Connecticut, Delaware,
Idaho* (mail-in today!), Iowa*, Kansas, Maine*, Maryland,
Massachusetts, Minnesota*, Nebraska, Nevada (mail-in has passed but
you can still walk in and register), New Hampshire*, New Jersey, New
York (today!), North Carolina (mail-in today or at one-stop stations
until Nov 1), Oklahoma (mail-in today!), Oregon, South Dakota, Utah
(walk-in), Vermont, Washington (walk-in), West Virginia, Wisconsin*,
and Guam.

*in starred states you can also register on election day, if you miss
the mail-in deadline, which is also true for Montana and Wyoming,
whose mail-in deadline has passed. North Dakota does not have voter
registration, according to that reference, so I guess North Dakotans
just walk in and vote.

Please consider helping the votor registration effort with such a post
on your blog.

thanks!

--Anne

The reason I hate working is because every time you get good at something they move you up to something else.  And I hate the learning curve.  I just don't have the self-esteem to deal with having to learn things.  Because I never learnt it.  I breezed through my entire education without breaking a sweat all on natural talent.  I'm not proud of that.  I actually didn't go to any of my uni graduation ceremonies because it felt so enormously fraudulent.  So now, I'm 31 and I feel like hurting myself whenever I get criticism, just like I always have. 

But that's not what I want to talk about today.  Because today I didn't feel like killing myself - but somebody else did.

Somebody very dear to me, somebody I love, somebody I would die for, somebody who, when I was falling, held out their hand and caught me, someone without whom I would be dead right now...is depressed.  She has the screaming headaches, the no-sleep, the itchy skin, the raging despair, the uncontrollable paranoia.  The way I describe the screaming headaches is to recall the experiment where they use ever-increasing note pitches to shatter wine glasses.  Now imagine you're the wine glass.  And all the time, there's this screaming pitch in your ears, getting louder and louder and higher and higher.  And everything you see, everything you encounter, even the nice things, JUST
RATCHETS
UP
THE 
PITCH

ANOTHER

FUCKING

NOTCH

UNTIL

ITS

ALL

YOU

CAN

DO 

TO

KEEP

FROM

SCREAMING

That's where she is.  And despite being in that hole, there's not a lot I can do.  I can offer succor, but I know it doesn't help.  I can offer empathy and companionship, and I know that means something, but it can't stop the screaming. 

I'm pretty much an athiest, but I also reckon that if you've never got down on your knees and prayed, then you've probably never watched someone you love be in total agony, and been utterly helpless to do anything to stop it.  When that happens, all you've got is prayer. 

So if you have them, today, if you have vibes or good thoughts or a soul wish, if you have a star to wish on or a candle to light, if you have anything in you that goes outward, and cries to the universe for clemency and salvation, then please send it towards my friend.  She's in pain, and that's all I have left to give her.

And go hug your loved ones for me too.

Peace out.

http://www.mnftiu.cc/2008/10/10/friday-face-offs-ignition-remix-winner/

http://www.mnftiu.cc/?p=1170

“Whereof we cannot speak, thereof we must remain silent.”
–Ludwig Wittgenstein

http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2008/10/unslept-and-somewhat-slightly-dazed.html

Having a very odd day. In an end-of-tour slightly dazed state, flew to the UK, where I have four days of stuff to do. So far I've done half of my list for Day One -- Saw Holly (oldest daughter) and watched Amanda Palmer perform "I Google You" not on YouTube. In order to do the latter, I found myself agreeing to read the liner notes on the back of Who Killed Amanda Palmer as an on-stage introduction (which was fun), and then being yanked onto a stage to do backing vocals and what-the-fuck-am-I-doing-here-I-think-I've-turned-into-Davy-Jones tambourine on "Oasis" (which was... unlikely).

Problems with cell phones complicated by a just-received email from my assistant pointing out my phone charger is still at home.

Soon I get in car and head into deepest Cornwall for a birthday. Then straight back to London for a day of meetings and interviews. Then I fly home to the US and collapse, completely and utterly.

http://www.mnftiu.cc/2008/10/10/friday-face-offs-ignition-remix-2nd-place/

http://www.mnftiu.cc/?p=1193

This dude should change his name to “Destroyer McJaunty,” because he freakin’ destroys this jam and kicks the jauntiness factor up to +12,000%.

That piano lick would make an AWESOME sample. In fact, right before I researched this video I was researching the video for “My Block” by Scarface; do you remember how sick that Donny Hathaway piano loop was? This kid is dealing with something on that level of unstoppability.

(By the way, I only wish his arms weren’t so short and stubby, LOL are you sure they’re long enough to reach the piano keyboard, LOL, because they’re pretty short, could you put the piano in the next room and he’d still be able to play it, LOL best arms ever this kid is destroying.)

HONORABLE MENTION:

DANGER DANGER
THE GUY WHO
RUNS THE BOWLING ALLEY
HAS GONE CRAZY.

FRIDAY FACE-OFFS! THE WINNING VIDEO IS NEXT!!! YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE YOUR EYES OR EARS, I HAVE UNCOVERED A MASTERPIECE.

http://www.mnftiu.cc/2008/10/10/friday-face-offs-ignition-remix-3rd-place/

http://www.mnftiu.cc/?p=1185

Are you ready to be in a good mood?

When I first read the youtube user’s description of this video:

“Dropped a bomb signing on R. Kelly’s Ignition Remix!!”

I thought I saw a typo. It took me a minute to realize: no typo.

THEN. I. GOT. SAD.

(By the way, this video has some intense, mystifying cutaway shots that make me love it more and more each time I watch it. Hello, 0:58!!!)

BUT THE IMPORTANT THING ABOUT THIS VIDEO IS:

Sometimes I watch this video and focus on the guy in front, to see how R. Kelly is translated into his language (answer: soooooo smoothly). But sometimes, I focus on the guy in the back. And when I do that, I FEEL STRONG JOY.

Could that guy be jamming any harder? I would say that from 2:52 - end, he is manifesting pure light.

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME WITH HOW HARD HE’S JAMMING AT THE END???

Bonus points for the ending! LOL, can’t believe you got David Chase to direct your video!

Goddamm, I think I discovered a straight-up classic ass-banger with this one. Fifty thousand gold stars.

http://www.mnftiu.cc/2008/10/10/friday-face-offs-ignition-remix-4th-place/

http://www.mnftiu.cc/?p=1184

(Note: The end of this video features adult language and sexual themes, which are not endorsed or condoned by Friday Face-Offs.)

Greatest crew of all time, right here in this video? YES.

As the video begins, ask yourself: Which member of this crew probably has to take the most abuse from the other two crew members? Just take a WILD guess.

Got your answer? Okay, now watch 1:05 - onwards. Was your guess very correct?

Umm . . . 1:24, anyone?

By the way, is there a SMALL escalation of hostilities on the battlefield? At one point, homeboy has TWO LAUNDRY BASKETS ON HIS HEAD. NOT ONE. TWO.

Also, 1:54 makes me SOOOOO LOL. I know just what that feels like: “Y’know, I should really hit him in the face with a laundry basket. That’s what needs to happen at this point in our friendship.”

Also: 3:00?!? Samurai sword, LOL? But also NOL? (Nervous Out Loud)

You know you’re getting old when you’re trying to astral-project chaperone thoughts at a youtube video:

Guys, please don’t drink too much tonight. You probably have a big test on Monday.

You don’t need to drink to have fun. You just need a sword, a couple laundry baskets, some hot jams, and your crew.

FRIDAY FACE-OFFS! DON’T FORGET THE LAUNDRY BASKETS!!!

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pa-mainsite/~3/UdI-diWhdWQ/

http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2008/10/10/great-divide/

http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic//great-divide/