Neil Gaiman accused of sexual assault

[WandsOut]

www.yahoo.com/entertainment/sandman-writer-neil-gaiman-denies-142813982.html

Story still unfolding in the news

Mm, it just reads to me like a writer being writerish and with her own way of dealing with the betrayal by a two-faced long term friend who may well have been very compartmentalised. Lots of "fluttery" people like that in writer circles; I don't know that I got vibes there about preserving her career really. But I agree I'd certainly be saying a lot more to him than something about a "fairytale". I'm with jellyfish hat woman on that one. It looks like he used an awful lot of people as covers like that... "look at me and who I'm friends with, I'm lovely and safe'. Manipulative bastard.

He was a Scientologist for years and years, and a fairly successful one I believe. That is (in my opinion) an environment that teaches you comprehensively how to use others and prioritise self preservation.

https://rainn.org/shopforsurvivors-books I think the RAINN shop really ought to get rid of the NG book

To be fair I’ve got no problem with her preserving her career (whoever she is). I suspect that life in the success adjacent/kind of hangers on world is pretty brutal

the article implies that she routinely gives this man a hell of a lot of headspace. He must be very charismatic

Still F all about it on his wiki.

Look under Personal Life and scroll down to Other Personal Relationships. There’s a short paragraph at the end of that.

Oh so there is! Crikey!

Reminders of NG are all over her house, they’ve been friends for years, he was supportive and kind when her companion Mike died (an SF writer called John M. Ford? I checked Elise’s wiki page).

To be honest I am impressed that she hasn’t come out and said ‘oh, he’s innocent, I trust my friend, he’d never do this.’

She chose to believe the victims. Of course she should now be kicking NG to the kerb and not gently scolding him about fairytales.

Plenty of people in her position would and do defend those accused of abuse/rape etc. Look at Roman Polanski. Lots of other stars including female ones, happy to defend him and don't seem worried about their careers - rightly it seems. Arguably you risk your career more (especially if you're female) for speaking out against a powerful male like him.

Good on her for taking this stance publicly. Yes it is a bit "writery" and I think the fairytale thing is more of a finishing flourish that writers are expected to do at the end of a piece - some times it works better than others. But I don't think that diminishes what she's saying.

Is he really saying 'It's fine as long as he's not doing it on work time'?!

I'm afraid his friendship with Tori Amos now looks to me like she functioned as a human shield.

I think of all those songs where she mentions him or quotes him, and I wonder if she'll ever sing them again.

My point is in reply to the poster who said we don't have a "lizard brain". It was a side discussion about neurobiology in a long thread.

That he couldn’t help it because his inner primitive wolf/animal brain took over?!

The hindbrain being faster than the forebrain matters in situations where high reflex speeds are helpful, such as sports and music. It in no way excuses premeditated or even impulsive decisions to rape one's employees and fans.

I don't want to give him and the inner workings of his psyche too much head space, but I have wondered if he acted in full awareness of his own creepiness, criminality, and sickness. Or if he has spun himself a story, a whole world, in which he is the majestic exception to the rules and for him to do this isossible. He asked to meet her after she'd released an album on which she makes reference to him in the lyrics, being a fan of the Sanman, and she also sings about being violently sexually assaulted.
Such alot of work to put into creating a safe persona. somehow ok.

I think the fairytale reference is reasonable, fairy tales are about truth telling and authenticity and defeating evil and cowardice. The emperor's new clothes, which is quoted often on here, is a great example of what's happened to him. It's not gentle scolding, she's telling him he's an idiot and a fake.

Sorry my message turned out very strange.

I think it's two different messages that I forgot I'd written the first one and then quoted someone else and replied to them.
But I'm too tired to untangle it.that

No, I don't particularly think so. And I think that's an odd statement tbh, it's so out of line with what actually goes on.

It's certainly not just teenage girls that have a thing for guys in bands.

Even with teenage girls, they are often quite keen on teen boys in bands, so hardly grooming, they are the same age. Even when it's older men, they don't need to be actually making any effort to "groom" the girls or women, in fact even if they aren't interested at all, are married etc, they will often be pursued.

They don't have to be super successful or wealthy either. One of my employees, who is a regular guy with a regular job, married, also plays in some bands. You can see women waiting for him after the gigs, they aren't there because he's going to offer some kind of financial advantages - quite the opposite, he's got a pretty working class, small town lifestyle.

I hope so. I’m taking it as a win regardless - the fact she’s a long-time friend who trusted him, saw no evidence of dodgy behaviour, and yet chose to believe the victims. She could so easily have sided with NG.

Has any celebrity/person of note actually sided with NG?

I haven't seen ANYONE officially respond.

I'm watching closely, especially people like DT...

DT fans on Reddit are putting it about that he's bound by contract and can't say anything to damage the show. Which sounds plausible as a general proposition, considering the number of Gaiman properties in development...

...unless you know how easy it is for celebrities to plant a "friends of DT told the Mail he was horrified" item. They can make their views known if they want to.

I've just looked at NG's wiki page, and even apart from the relationships stuff, I am fascinated by the very last paragraph describing his indignation at starting to read Joseph Campbell and being confronted with the fact that however good he may be at writing within his genre he is ultimately going down a predictable and very well-worn path. I'm sure he is outstandingly competent at doing what he does, but it is entertaining to be told that he wants to be seen as entirely original, and he isn't.

I think the main reason I've never particularly clicked with NG as a writer is that, growing up with pulp genre fiction, I know too many of the books he's been influenced by. If you know and love oldies like, say Jack Williamson's Darker Than You Think, it hard to see NG as the true original that he wants to be and his fans have seen him as.

Not to say he isn't a very competent storyteller. And there's nothing wrong with putting a twist on old stories - that's what most authors do, there are very few of us who can create something totally original. But I think that bothers Neil.

One thing is for sure- NG is not only aware of this thread but is lurking on it every single day. Keep it running ladies. He will be desperately hoping it runs out of steam and he can sink back into the shadows unscathed.

NG is not only aware of this thread but is lurking on it every single day.

Fascinating. How do you know that?

He may even be posted anonymously. Is it you @YellowAsteroid ?