Gaiman in Manila: the aftermath (link- and picture-heavy) (7/18/2005)
One of the reasons, I think, that Neil Gaiman is so popular is because he is so prolific and unbelievably versatile. He doesn't stick to one form, or even one genre, of writing. Looking at the people holding their books at the signing, you wouldn't know how to classify the author they were lining up to see. Gaiman may have started with comics, but he doesn't restrict himself to comic scripts. He writes novels; short stories and poetry for both kids and adults. He pens film scripts; writes children's books and turns them into audio books. His work itself is pretty versatile as well. Murder Mysteries, which is originally a short story, was made into a radio play by The Seeing Ear Theater (website now abandoned), as was Snow Glass Apples (radio play here). Murder Mysteries was also made into a comic book illustrated by P. Craig Russel.

interlude
I was Googling Snow Glass Apples to get to The Dreaming site when I stumbled upon more related links:

This is a wonderful series of photographs based on parts of the prose. Don't go here until you've read the story. :D

end interlude

And the thing is, the stories Gaiman writes, they're original. Even if he's just reworking an old fairy tale, or a myth, he takes it to new places. Snow White becomes a vampire. Death is invented by angels. His ideas don't always work (I didn't really like Coraline, for example, and I've been hearing some flak about 1602), but I always find something I like in everything of his I've read.

Some people seem to see Gaiman as a ...god? of sorts (causing me to think of him at odd moments when I'm reading my Theology excerpts). These people must not (have) read his journal. He does have some what of a rockstar aura, but in reading his journal I'm always reminded of how human this guy is, especially when he talks about his daughter, or any of his kids for that matter.

Since some were asking, I had 4 books signed: The Dream Hunters, Murder Mysteries, Stardust, and The Wolves in the Walls. Mom was like, "Let's have him sign Neverwhere too! It's not a book." (referring to my DVD and the 4 --actually, 2--book limit) But I went, "Nakakahiya naman! At nakakaawa na siya. He looks really tired."

I think he was wasn't sure how to pronounce my name. He was like, "Eula?" I nodded. "YUUU-LA." lol. He signed The Dream Hunters first, in this wonderful pen who's ink, when it dries, looks like it's watercolor. O_O (I now know this is might be the 1950s Omas flexinib filled with Mont Blanc Bordeaux.) He wrote "Dream safely," haha that's funny. Then he went, "Now the ink is still wet and this is glossy paper so don't close the cover right away," and I nodded on stupidly. (As always.) Wheeee. It's so pretty.

click to enlarge

Inspired by Vilma's entry where she said, "And I know somewhere in cyberspace a thousand other people are blogging and posting pics of the event, too." So here I've compiled some of my favorite quotes, overheard on the LJ and blogger. For the most part, these excerpts are unedited, posted verbatim, spelling and grammatical errors unchecked. Some are archived in my memories as well.

A lot of these are a result of blog-hopping all over the damn place.

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CONTENTS

Writer's Forum
Interviews
Signing Events
Photos

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Writer's Forum
Stories from the invitation-only event

"I really would like to. But you have to understand, Answers will only just lead to more questions. I like that people wonder about things... that people can contribute to the stories..."

- Neil Gaiman on whether or not he'd like to go back and tell us more about the unrevealed stories in Sandman, such as Delight turning into Delirium, etc.

(posted by Tobie Abad)

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Interviews
Transcripts, highlights, and audio clips

[NU 107] Neil says butt-fucking on national radio and everyone just sort of claps and laughs with him. On national radio, no less. He couldn't have done that in Singapore.

(posted by unrouen)

By the way, the NU 107 Gaiman interview will replay on Saturday at 9 in the evening. I missed the first run, so I'll be able to catch this, yaye.



I was like 2 feet away from him!!! (two feet is two rulers -- 24 inches!!!)

[...] I remember [Jenna] was trying to take a picture of Neil while he was being interviewed. Neil saw her and suddenly stopped to POSE. Hello!!! Mag-pose ba daw! Good thing he did that while they were playing a song.

(posted by dollyrockmuse)

WAV files from the Writer's Forum and the NU 107 radio interview posted at butas na chucks




mp3 files from the Writer's Forum recorded by Andre Quintos



Transcripts of the NU 107 interview and the Writer's Forum posted by the amazing charlesatan.



Transcripts of the Jam 88.3 interview again posted by the amazing charlesatan.

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Signing Events
Meeting Neil, making new friends

[Gaiman] mentions having printer woes, as he couldn't print out passages from his upcoming novel, Anansi Boys. (My friend, working as a call center agent, was tempted to shout "turn off your spooling!" when he heard the symptoms of Gaiman's printer problem.)

Neil cracks some jokes to quell the crowd. We all laugh. Normally, I wouldn't find some of them particularly witty. But we laugh anyway, because it's coming from Neil.

[...] Aside from the screaming and all the ogling, I've seen more drama that day than in the soaps I've seen on TV. One of my friends was crying (tears of joy, mind you) when she finally got to having Neil sign her book. Gaiman gave her a hug and one of the first things she did was call us up and squeal of how it was the happiest day of her life.

(posted by charlesatan)

In front of Neil, I probably lost all sense and reduced to well, stupidity because well, I felt stupid all of a sudden. It was like I was in a sort of haze. Like a dream, strangely and appropriately enough. Like I wasn't really there. I vaguely recall myself talking, but all I remember saying were stupid things that don't deserve sharing here. My deodorant disaster earlier was embarassing enough as it is.

(posted by Gerry Alanguilan)

Overheard at Fully Booked, Greenhills. 2.45pm, 10 July 2005.

Neil Gaiman reads an excerpt from his upcoming novel, Anansi Boys. Fans in line cheer like anything and hold their breath as they hang on to his every word. Curious rubber necking passers-by wonder what the fuss (and crowd!) is all about ... hmmm ... bookstore ... British accent ... banners on an upcoming overhyped book ...

"Hey look! It's the author of Harry Potter."

(posted at rants and raves)

There was also a time when I felt too cool to like Neil. Everybody else was suddenly deconstructing the Endless, some columnist began painting her face like Death, and I didn't want to be mistaken for jumping onto the bandwagon. It's just the way it is. When someting undergound becomes mainstream, the purists who don't even pee in the shower ;-) start searching for the next big thing.

[...] fuck it. Fuck the coolness. Fuck the cliques. Fuck the exes who memorized lines. (Well, not really.)

Mr. Gaiman wrote and continues to write great stories. Here's to more running and missed lunches.

(posted by Thor)

There are a few things in life more mortifying than being called a stalker in front of your stalkee one of your favorite writers. At least I assume there are, although at that moment I couldn't really think of any. I think at that point, I actually hit R. Then I realized that everyone was looking at me as though to say, "We know you're dying to talk to him, what are you waiting for."
Of course, that wasn't enough for them. Oh, no. My so-called friends then started talking even before I could tell him my name. "She's you're biggest fan." "She writes you all the time." "We hired all these bouncers to keep her away from you."

(posted by Anansi Girl)

In the middle of a chaotic day talking to Alf (Alfonso), Azrael (Coladilla), and Ariel (Atienza) a girl in distressed came. She claims that she took a cab and was from Pampanga. It was her first time to get to Greenhills. No friends nor anyone had accompanied her and I was there standing beside Azrael. She was asking if there was still available numbered stubs. Unfortunately it was too late until I decided to give up one of my books to be signed just to accommodated the girl. If some of us didn't paid attention she would have had it. Crying all the way back she must have broken to tears, but actually she was on a verge of going to that direction until I approached her.

I never expected it to happen in the middle of hot Sunday, that I'll be meeting someone who almost cried in the crowd. She was so in distress asking for anyone's help and here I'm on my way to line-up. A few friends who knows me thinks that I'm into this "super hero thing". Even Azrael is giving me the hard time to decide. Personally I don't feel bad about myself not getting one of books signed. I'm not in it for saving a damsel in distress. I'm just being honest to give someone a hand, and this is not one of the first things I've done for a total stranger. I'm the one who should say who needs saving and I know your reading this.

(posted by Mark)

I found that entry really funny for some reason.



"I came here just to check things out, but..."
"--the line's so long , yeah."
"It's obscene, the number of people here."

Jose Araneta on the crowd (we bumped into each other in Gateway)

And of course I've got to quote myself, 'cause I'm pimpin' like that. :D

The first person in line was this small boy who had with him The Day I Sold My Dad for Two Goldfish, The Wolves in the Walls, and Coraline. ♥

[...] Yesterday, people were handing books to Neil themselves. If it was a paperback, Neil would just peel open the cover and jot down his (full!) name. There's a guy who knows how to handle books.

[...] He went, "Hello," and I was just like, "Good afternoon." And even though it was painfully obvious that I had just dragged my mom along so I could get more books signed, he was really, really, nice. "And your Wolves, too." *dies of embarrassment* Instead of saying yes, I love children's books and I especially like this one because the first time I read it I read it to my little sister and I did voices and everything and we found it very funny, all I did was nod and say "Thank you" rather desperately, I think, as if that could explain everything. [...] Then we stepped out of the store right away, to keep from clogging up the line, and I actually forgot the camera. *dies of even more embarrassment*

(posted by eula_tequila)

There are numerous entries of fangirls getting hugs and kisses from Neil. (You can practically *hear* them squealing through your monitor.) I not comfortable asking for or accepting hugs or kisses from strangers (I've watched too many Discovery Channel programs on pathogens), but I still enjoy reading fangirl moments, because hey, minsan lang pumunta dito si Gaiman. :D


I scutter up to Neil Gaiman with the care package I put together: some dried mangoes, garlic tuyo, calamansi juice, and Iced Cappuccino. The coffee was thrown in last minute since I heard Gaiman was exhausted by yesterday's book signing. "Wow! You girls are so sweet!" He says, followed by a couple of questions about calamansi juice. Then he HUGS ME, AND KISSES ME ON THE CHEEK. I'm all a glowy. I have him sign my copy of 'The day I traded my Dad for 2 Goldfish' and 'Stardust' for Mica. I thank him, he thanks me, I head out, pause -- doubleback and ask, "Mr. Gaiman, one question, what do you dream about?"

He pauses for a minute. "I had nightmarish dreams before I started writing Sandman." That, I can quote verbatim, and the rest I summed up as -- it's now simply surreal and not as horrifying as it used to be. But I admit, after that first line, his words seem to drown out in this angelic choir in my head.

I skip out of Fully Booked shrieking, "I GOT KISSED BY NEIL GAIMAN!"

(posted by miyachan)

and mom's still gushing over neil. "neil kissed me!!!!" omga. i wish i was there. :(

(posted by whee_bebang)

This is funny because Bebang's mom has never even read anything by Gaiman. :D Such is the power of Neil.



"It's like UP all over again! You line up at 5:30 and and you're still number 10!!" --- Random UP person in line

"And now, here's a short preview of the movie Mirrormask, coming soon to a Manila street corner near you..." --- Neil Gaiman

(quotes posted by ksolaris)

Singapore book signings
trailer_spot was kind enough to direct me to these blog entries from Singapore.


By 3.45PM people are on their feet, buzzing. The line stretches to the moon and back. The mass hysteria is immense, and it is all getting to me: the hype! The brilliance of Sandman! The OMGWTFBŽMSQUEE!

[...] By now, I imagine him coming towards us like a giant, ten feet tall, long in stride and magnificent in his glory. It would be like coming face-to-face with a living god.

And then he appears: brown mop of hair, stubble on the sides, ubiquitous black leather jacket. Startlingly human. The crowd goes nuts, and I clap wildly along with them, unable to believe my eyes. He's alive! He's one of us!

And then I say: "I thought he'd be taller." And I slap my face into my palm as Ameily and Serene roll their eyes and giggle.

[...] The group in front of us comprises of three girls bearing a beautifully-wrapped gift box that they spent the past five hours putting together alongside with a whole group of their friends further down the line. The press are crawling all over the table: cameras, lights, and all that jazz. The girls get their stuff signed-- and then a hug from Mr. Gaiman.

Ameily, Serene and I exchange looks. We have got to get ourselves one of those.

[...] My brain is too busy running around in circles screaming "OMG NEIL GAIMAN IS HUGGING ME AND I CAN FEEL HIS STUBBLE ON MY CHEEK" to bother about trivial little things like being unable to breathe.

(blogged by misshallelujah in a very entertaining post)

...with accompanying video posted by groovy

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Photos
Some edited by me for reasons of size

Hahahaha entourage.
(posted by McVie)


more backstage pictures
posted by azrael coladilla


The plethora of pens used for signing.
(posted by Mark)


Although I didn't see any of the endless, apparently intrigero saw four of them.


"[...] later we ran into Destiny
...who upon closer inspection is in truth HARRY POTTER!"

Check out his entry for narrative and NU 107 interview highlights (all of which I love and so will not post here as that would be redundant).

Evil!Gaiman lol (posted by Tobie Abad)	"PS. I think I'm now addicted to calamansi juice." (posted by Anansi Girl)

And now for less stalker-like pictures...


(posted by agabot)



And the best Gaiman shots I have seen here in the Philippines (complete with captions) courtesy of dollyrockmuse and her boyfriend watdat, can be found
HERE.

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If you find your words or pictures in this entry and would like to have them removed, please tell me. I hope I'm not offending anyone or infringing on their sense of copyright. :P


The last full-blown entry on Gaiman, I promise.
But this entry may be updated from time to time.

Last updated: 7/18/2005