The Sandman has proven to be a huge hit for Netflix, and its creator, Neil Gaiman, who wrote and developed the original graphic novel and this new adaptation. Gaiman is a prolific science fiction, fantasy, and horror writer whose work spans comics, literature, TV, audio, film, and stage.
He has won numerous awards for his work, including multiple Hugos. Some notable written work includes Good Omens, Neverwhere, American Gods, Coraline, Stardust, and The Ocean at the End of the Lane. In addition to The Sandman, his upcoming TV work includes season 2 of Good Omens and Anansi Boys.
He Loved Libraries as a Child
According to Gaiman’s website, he loved libraries as a child. He describes himself as a “feral child who was raised in libraries…I was the sort of kid who devoured books, and my happiest times as a boy were when I persuaded my parents to drop me off in the local library on their way to work, and I spent the day there.”
Gaiman’s passion for libraries helped inspire his imagination, which led to his eventual career as a writer. His long library stays gave him the opportunity to explore many kinds of books, such as the works of C.S. Lewis and Edgar Allen Poe. This shows the power that libraries have for young people and that they can inspire them toward a career in writing.
He Worked With the Twelfth Doctor Before Doctor Who
Gaiman penned two scripts for Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor and wrote for David Tennant in the adaptation of his Good Omens, but Smith and Tennant aren’t the only Doctor actors Gaiman has written for. Peter Capaldi played The Angel Islington in his miniseries fantasy Neverwhere (which was adapted into a successful novel).
Gaiman working with Capaldi before two of his biggest roles (Malcolm Tucker in The Thick of It and the Twelfth Doctor in Doctor Who) is impressive and shows how far the two have both come. Gaiman wrote a very regal and sinister role that was a good fit for Capaldi – the villainous Angel Islington. Perhaps Capaldi will play another Gaiman-penned character one day.
Gaiman Was Crowned King Neptune at the Coney Island Mermaid Parade
Vuture followed Gaiman, his wife, singer Amanda Palmer and then-toddler son Ash as they were crowned royalty of the 2018 Coney Island Mermaid Parade. Gaiman had this to say: “When I learned that I was going to be a mermaid king, the first thing I had to do was grow a very serious ‘F**** off’ beard because if you don’t have a beard, then no one would know you are Neptune.”
It’s fitting that Gaiman and Palmer would be given the honor of King Neptune and Mermaid Queen at a parade that celebrates both mythology and the unconventional, featuring homemade costumes and floats. The fact that Gaiman thought to grow a beard for his role as King Neptune on the float, in addition to leaving his duties as showrunner of Good Omens to participate in the parade, shows his enthusiasm for the honor.
Unusual School Suspension
In a Tweet from 2020, Gaiman revealed that “I was suspended from school for a week when I was 16 for being seen eating chips in a graveyard.”
Even if the reason for the punishment was absurd, it seems appropriate that the future author of The Graveyard Book, a novel about a boy who lives in a graveyard, would be suspended for being caught eating in a graveyard. Some of his other works, including Good Omens and The Sandman, also have scenes that take place in graveyards.
There is a Tribute Album With Songs About Him
In 2006, Billboard discussed the tribute album to Gaiman, “Where’s Neil When You Need Him?”, assembled by independent label Dancing Ferret Discs. The album features artists who are fans of Gaiman, with music based on their favorite Gaiman character or story. Gaiman’s real-life friend musician Tori Amos is featured on the album, with an introduction by My Chemical Romance’s Gerard Way.
The fact that there is a whole album in tribute to Gaiman’s work proves his characters and stories provoke others’ imaginations. His works have had an impact on other creatives in other fields. Amos regularly referenced Gaiman’s work before this album, demonstrating the strong bond she has both with his work and him as a person. This would be both a fascinating curiosity to listen to and is an apt tribute to the popular Gaiman.
His First Book was a Biography of Duran Duran
According to an interview with BBC News, Gaiman wrote a biography of the rock group Duran Duran in 1984 when he was 23 years old. He had kept it a secret for years that this was his first book until he met lead singer Simon LeBon and admitted that he wrote the biography as a young journalist.
Gaiman’s Duran Duran biography shows that writers can start out anywhere and that where they start isn’t necessarily where they finish. He needn’t have worried about the biography, as LeBon said the band liked it. Although he didn’t stay primarily a biographer, it wasn’t the only biography he wrote – according to Gaiman’s website, his second book was a biography of sci-fi author Douglas Adams called Don’t Panic: The Official Hitch-Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Companion.
He Guest-Starred on Arthur
A 2010 article in Wired discussed Gaiman playing himself on the long-running PBS children’s program Arthur. In the “Falafelosophy” episode, he inspired a child who was trying to write and illustrate a graphic novel. It was part of a season of Arthur that was meant to empower children to follow their dreams.
Gaiman proves once again that he wants to inspire the next generation to be creative and pursue their passions. In interviews and public presentations, he often talks about wanting to inspire other writers. It makes sense that he’d want to guest-star on a TV series based on a famous children’s book series, considering he’s written many children’s books himself, including Coraline and The Graveyard Book.
He Has His Own Tumblr
Gaiman has his own official Tumblr, where he will answer many questions that fans send him. On the blog header, Gaiman states that it’s “honestly no better than the unofficial Neil Gaiman Tumblrs out there.”
Gaiman having a Tumblr makes him come across as down-to-earth. It also shows how close he is with his fans, and that he will answer their questions. He is currently answering a lot of questions about Netflix’s adaptation of his graphic novel series The Sandman. The fact that he says that his Tumblr is no better than unofficial Gaiman Tumblrs is very humble and self-deprecating.
He Interviewed Lou Reed
According to Gaiman’s website, in 1986, he began his quest to interview his idol, musician Lou Reed (who voiced Maltazard in Arthur 3). He was told by RCA’s press office that Lou Reed was notoriously difficult on interviews and would walk out if asked the wrong thing. By 1992, Gaiman had given up journalism for fiction, but a conversation with a magazine editor resulted in an offer of an interview with Reed.
Gaiman need not have feared a bad reaction from Reed, as he managed to get a lot of in-depth answers from him. At one point, Reed even responded by saying, “That’s a really good question.” Despite him not being able to afford a copy of a Lou Reed lyric book when he was fourteen, Gaiman was able to do one better and interview the man himself. Fans of Gaiman can appreciate his idolization of Reed and that he achieved his dream of being able to interview him.
Friendship with Sir Terry Pratchett
When asked about his relationship with Terry Pratchett by The Big Scottish Book Club, Gaiman described the start of their friendship as being when he interviewed the author. They started sharing their manuscripts, and Pratchett told him he knew what would happen next in Good Omens, so they started working on it together.
The interview with Gaiman about their friendship gives great detail about how close they were. Gaiman clearly admired Pratchett, having described being asked to co-write the novel as being asked by Michelangelo to paint a ceiling with him. His deep friendship with Pratchett is reflected affectionately in the care Gaiman took adapting Good Omens for television.
