Neil Gaiman Majestic theater 6/24/13

Neil Gaiman came to town.  He held a book reading and autograph session at the Majestic Theater in Dallas.  I quickly bought a ticket when I found out about it. The best thing, I also bought a signed book with the ticket.

I could bring another book to get signed. Neil promised to stay until everyone got their books signed.  I dutifully bought a copy of American Gods. Just a paperback.  Not a first edition.  It’s one of the iconic pieces he’s known for.

He is another of my SDCC bucket list signatures.  For years he’s been there but I’ve never had any success.  This was an excellent opportunity to cross him off and relax and enjoy the experience.

I swear the day of the signing was a full moon.  I got there later than I wanted.  Work kept me late and traffic was bad. The evening sun blazed down on us as we waited in line.  Sweat soaked through my shirt. Even when we turned the corner and avoided the glare, it was stifling.  The event started late. Inside the theater, it  was over 80 degrees. I continued to sweat.

 Once inside, I got my signed copy of his book.  I flipped it open to see if it was signed.  It was.  I quickly found a seat near the back and on aisle. I sat and drank some water and waited.  After a small delay, the event started and Neil instantly captivated the audience.  He read from the book (surprisingly I enjoyed that too) and he answered questions from the audience.

One tidbit that I remember most from his discourse concerned Dr Who. BCC still doesn’t get how big The Doctor is in The States.  Neil wrote 2 episodes of Dr Who.  With a smirking smile, he mentioned that’s all people seem to only care about. He’s constantly asked what it’s like to have worked on the show.

He continued that everyone he meets proudly wears their Dr Who shirts, scarfs, bags, and whatnot at his signings.  All of which is totally unlicensed, which also explains why the BBC doesn’t know how popular the show is. They aren’t getting any royalties. Of course the crowd roared with laughter.  I’m not sure he meant that as a funny comment.  I won’t digress about merchandizing and rights and royalties…we’ll all have tired head.

He talked about his favorite pen, which he signs every book with, and how reliable it had been over the years.  He also described the ink he uses which reminds him of dried blood.  And it does to me too.

Once the talk was over, the signing started.  

Well, I’m sure it was PLANNED that way.  Murphy’s Law and a full moon were in effect. The signing didn't start when the talk was over. It took over an hour for the staff to get organized enough to START to hand out numbers so groups could be called.

Con: It’s late.

Pro: I will get my chance to say thank you and see him sign my book.  
Con: It’s late.
Pro: I’m sitting.

Con: It’s late and I’m not in the first 1000 people. Yeah, you read that right: The First 1000.
Pro: I’m sitting.

I’m speculated I'd be sitting until long long after midnight.
I waited another 30 minutes and they were just getting close to giving me a number.
I decided to get up and give up. I took my signed copy of The Ocean at the End of the Lane and left. 
Do I regret that?  Yes.  
I was exhausted the next morning.  I was cranky.  I can’t imagine getting even less sleep.  
I heard the signing lasted until 3AM. I don't regret missing out on that part either.

AH