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May 1st: Neil Gaiman in Helena

2007-05-01 · letter vlog · Hank, Neil Gaiman · 3:27 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Books & writing (also: Personal life, Nerdfighteria) · mode: Personal update · tags: guest or collab, on location, song or performance, punishment or challenge, community lore

Hank answers John's author greetings with his own: Neil Gaiman, met in Helena, says hi to John; Hank shares a clip of Gaiman on being an author and answers John's song challenge with a comic song about Helena, Montana.

What is said

The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).

00:00:00 — Greeting; Neil Gaiman, gotten after a long signing line, says hi to John

  • ★★★ Hank opens with Neil Gaiman, whom he calls a New York Times best-selling, Hugo- and Nebula-winning 'nerdfighter guy', saying hi to John after Hank waited in a very long line. — 00:00:12 · The New York Times
  • ★ Hank says John always has good writers on Brotherhood 2.0, but now Hank has one too. (playful) — 00:00:12 · Brotherhood 2.0

00:00:40 — Congratulations on the LA Times Book Award; Gaiman's Law; a clip of Gaiman's lecture on being an author

  • ★★ Hank congratulates Coe Booth on the L.A. Times Book Award, calling it a big deal, and John on being nominated. — 00:00:40
  • ★★ Because many Nerdfighters are Gaiman fans and want to be writers, Hank shares a clip he surreptitiously captured of Gaiman's lecture. — 00:00:40 · Nerdfighteria
  • ★★ Having watched John go through it, Hank attests that Gaiman is right, and says John fell victim to 'Gaiman's Law': on first publication you open the book straight to its only typo. (playful) — 00:00:40 · Gaiman's Law, John Green
  • ★★ Neil Gaiman: Asked whether anything beats seeing your name on a book's spine, Gaiman says you think that if you did it once you'd never need anything more, comparing it to figuring out sex at 14. (playful) — 00:01:09
  • ★★ Neil Gaiman: In the lecture clip Gaiman says being an author is not just another day at the office but magic, every bit as good as you think it would be, and nothing else he would want to do. — 00:01:24

00:01:57 — Answer to John's song challenge: a comic song about Helena, Montana

  • ★★ Hank thanks John for the challenge to write more songs but, as a commenter noted, it is hard and takes creative energy, so he can't guarantee anything. — 00:01:57 · John Green
  • ★★ Hank had reasons besides Neil Gaiman to be in Helena; his song says they played frisbee at the Capitol and looked at lots of belt buckles. (playful) — 00:01:57
  • ★★ Hank sings a comic song about Helena, Montana: golden cows and chopping trees as its industries, eggs served with butter, and checking your guns at the door. (playful) — 00:02:26

00:02:58 — Hope the song replaces the Helen Hunt song; still unpaid; thanks to Coe Booth, Francesca Lia Block and the others who said hi; sign-off

  • ★★ Hank doubts his song is as catchy as the Helen Hunt song but hopes it bumps that song out of some viewers' heads. (playful, hedged) — 00:02:58
  • ★★ Hank says there is still no progress on getting paid for his work. — 00:02:58
  • ★ Hank is excited that Coe Booth thinks he's hot and says hi back to Francesca Lia Block and everyone who greeted him in John's last video. (playful) — 00:02:58

Humor (significant)

  • Hank boasts that, like John, he finally has a famous writer on Brotherhood 2.0. — 00:00:12

    “I may have had to wait in a very, very long line to get one.”

  • Hank explains 'Gaiman's Law': open your newly published first book at random and find its only typo. — 00:01:09

    “And then you will want to kill yourself.”

  • Hank's comic song about Helena, Montana lists the town's industries. — 00:02:26

    “Golden cows and chopping trees. These are the industries of Helena, Montana.”

  • Closing after greetings from Gaiman and the authors in John's video. — 00:02:58

    “We may not be famous, but we got famous people on the Brotherhood.”

Threads in this video

Where the stories that moved here went next

Mentioned

Central: Neil Gaiman

Also: People: Coe Booth · Francesca Lia Block

Projects: Brotherhood 2.0

Works: Hank's Helena, Montana song · Helen Hunt (song)

Organizations: Hugo Award · Los Angeles Times Book Prize · Nebula Award · The New York Times

Terms: Gaiman's Law · nerdfighter

Places: Helena, Montana · Montana State Capitol

Also centred on Neil Gaiman: May 3rd: Yetis, TMBG, Weeds and MoJo · May 3rd Extended Edition · May 7th: Birthday Extravaganza · An Evening of Awesome at Carnegie Hall

Replies to

Later videos replying to this one

Part of an exchange of 6 videos, 2007-04-27 – 2007-05-03.