Everyone Needs to Hang on Tighter

to keep from being thrown to the wolves...

August 01, 2023

"Hey, buddy, I just want to post my stupid thoughts."

With Twitter collapsing, a lot of people are struggling to find a new place to feel like they belong; a community they can call their own. I’d argue that up until this point, the transition from one platform has been fairly organic (Simplified view: Virtual Irish Pub → Friendster → MySpace → Facebook → Twitter) - there was always a seemingly better island to jump to. But that’s not the case this time. Unlike previous shifts, you have a few more options to choose from, but each one feels like a copy of a copy of what you’ve had before.

While fundamentally, everyone’s just scrambling to find their tribe, it can’t be overstated enough that people just want to post their shit online. They don’t want a blog. They don’t want to do homework on decentralization or public keys. They don’t want to do their banking. They just want to feel safe in a community and post their random thoughts.

The fact that the people creating and updating these platforms don’t seem to understand that last part is mindboggling.

We are all looking for a place to call our own, both in life and online. For the early part of this century, my favorite place on the internet was the Slush Factory message boards, particularly one community that was hosted by comic book creator and future Star Wars Minute podcast co-host Alex Robinson.

Now, I can you a LOT of stories about this message board. I could tell you about how it changed my life (no joke). But today, I just want to tell you about the friends I made there and why it matters today.

Most of the people came together on the board because we had read Robinson’s incredible Box Office Poison. And we were an eclectic bunch: writers, comic book creators, pop culture enthusiasts, critics, and more. For the most part, we were young and in need of distractions in our work cubicles.

Somewhere along the way, we shared our successes and bad days, and it became more than an online forum. It was a support group. It was a go-to destination that got us through the day.

Last month, I spent a week in New York City, enjoying my home country like a tourist. I got to reconnect with one of the people from Slush - Chris Radtke. We had briefly met at the Small Press Expo (SPX) back in 2002. And since then, we have connected on and off by email or text (and the occasional call - in fact, he was the first person I called after seeing Captain America: Civil War in the cinema).

Radtke and I share the same sickness: an unhealthy appreciation for the West Coast Avengers. We were both guests on a podcast once to talk about the ill-fated comic book series. And, as many of you know, I went on to write a ridiculous 400-page book about it. Even last week, Radtke sent me a link to some WCA toys that are coming out later this year.

Anyway, my wife and I ended up in Brooklyn one Sunday and I texted Radtke to let him know we were in the neighborhood. And a couple of hours later, we met at DUMBO, and he gave us a two-hour tour of the area. We walked and caught up with each other’s lives. It was one of the highlights of the whole trip.

I’m Facebook friends with many of the people from Slush even to this day. We even have a Slush page where we can touch base. I believe we will always be connected one way or another.

I will always be grateful for Slush and the sunshine it continues to bring my life decades later. It is the standard I use to judge wherever I am online today. I came close to it on Twitter. And maybe one day I’ll come close to it again somewhere else.

Have you read “Neil Gaiman Introduces the Revised Edition of Duran Duran: The First Four Years of the Fab Five”?

This one is a little nerdy, I know.

When I’m signing books, fans inevitably ask me the same questions, such as “Was Sandman based on you visually?”, “Will you sleep with me? Or at the very least hold me tightly for more than five minutes?” and “Where can I find a copy of that Duran Duran book?”

I wrote this book in 1984. This was back when I was a young journalist, not a #1 New York Times bestselling author, and certainly not the rock star you know today with more Twitter followers than the population of Estonia (you’re next, Qatar!).

What my fans don’t know is that Duran Duran was the most satisfying book I’ve ever worked on. In fact, I had so much fun writing it, I wrote an outline for two more books to make a Duran Duran trilogy – the Lord of the Rings of band biographies. For 25 years, I’ve had the outline framed over my desk, in fact, where it haunted me like the song of the Sirens. Sometimes I found myself staring at it for hours and my fingers fondled the keyboard as if to say, “Come on, Neil, you know you want to do this. You can’t hold back the rain.”

Don’t worry, Gaiman liked this story. You can read the rest here.

Beard Update

Just in case you’ve been anxiously following along since last week’s update: The beard has been trimmed. The nightmare is over. The curfew has been lifted.

Man (Me) Hides In Pharmacy Counter, CEO Shows Up, Hilarity Ensues

This story is making the rounds again for some reason.

If you’re interested in hearing about one of the many stupid things I did when I worked in a pharmacy, you might appreciate this story.

Sorry to keep this one short, but I’m on the road this week.

Life might look a little daunting from where you’re standing. Just remember that you’re standing on a giant ball that’s spinning at 1000 miles per hour while moving at 67,000 miles per hour, and somehow it all makes sense. Trust yourself. It’s going to be fine.