Art Matters Read online

  By Neil Gaiman and published by Headline

  The View from the Cheap Seats

  Trigger Warning

  The Ocean at the End of the Lane

  Fragile Things

  Anansi Boys

  American Gods

  Stardust

  Smoke and Mirrors

  Neverwhere

  How the Marquis Got His Coat Back

  (a Neverwhere short story)

  Illustrated editions and graphic novels

  American Gods

  Anansi Boys

  The Monarch of the Glen

  Black Dog

  (illustrated by Daniel Egnéus)

  Neverwhere

  (illustrated by Chris Riddell)

  The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains

  (illustrated by Eddie Campbell)

  How to Talk to Girls at Parties

  (adaptation and artwork by Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá)

  Troll Bridge

  (adaptation and artwork by Colleen Doran)

  Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Secret House

  of the Night of Dread Desire

  (adaptation and artwork by Shane Oakley)

  American Gods Volume 1: Shadows

  (adaptation and artwork by P. Craig Russell and Scott Hampton)

  MirrorMask: The Illustrated Film Script

  (with Dave McKean)

  I LOVE THE WAY WORDS AND

  PICTURES WORK TOGETHER ON

  A PAGE. I HAVE ALSO NOTICED

  HOW WHEN WISE WORDS HAVE

  VISUALS ADDED TO THEM, THEY

  SEEM TO TRAVEL FURTHER

  ONLINE, LIKE PAPER AEROPLANES

  CATCHING AN UPDRAUGHT. NEIL’S

  WORDS ARE SOME OF THE WISEST

  I’VE FOUND, AND THE RESPONSE

  WHEN I ILLUSTRATE THEM AND

  POST ONLINE HAS BEEN WONDERFUL.

  IT IS AN EVEN GREATER PLEASURE

  TO SEE THEM COLLECTED IN THE

  PAGES OF A SMALL, ELEGANTLY BOUND

  BOOK.

  CHRIS RIDDELL

  CONTENTS

  CREDO

  1

  WHY OUR FUTURE DEPENDS

  ON LIBRARIES, READING

  AND

  DAYDREAMING

  13

  MAKING A CHAIR

  33

  MAKE GOOD ART

  47

  ‘THE WORLD ALWAYS SEEMS

  BRIGHTER WHEN YOU’VE JUST

  MADE SOMETHING THAT

  WASN’T THERE BEFORE’

  NEIL GAIMAN

  CCREDO

  1

  I BELIEVE THAT IT IS DIFFICULT TO KILL AN

  IDEA BECAUSE IDEAS ARE INVISIBLE AND

  CONTAGIOUS, AND THEY MOVE FAST.

  I BELIEVE THAT YOU CAN SET YOUR OWN IDEAS

  AGAINST IDEAS YOU DISLIKE. THAT YOU SHOULD

  BE FREE TO ARGUE, EXPLAIN, CLARIFY,

  DEBATE, OFFEND, INSULT, RAGE,

  MOCK, SING, DRAMATISE

  AND

  DENY.

  I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT BURNING,

  MURDERING, EXPLODING PEOPLE,

  SMASHING THEIR HEADS WITH ROCKS

  (TO LET THE BAD IDEAS OUT),

  DROWNING THEM OR EVEN DEFEATING THEM

  WILL WORK TO CONTAIN IDEAS YOU

  DO NOT LIKE.

  IDEAS SPRING UP WHERE YOU DO NOT EXPECT

  THEM, LIKE WEEDS, AND ARE AS

  DIFFICULT TO CONTROL.

  I BELIEVE THAT REPRESSING

  IDEAS SPREADS IDEAS.

  I BELIEVE THAT PEOPLE AND BOOKS AND NEWSPAPERS

  ARE CONTAINERS FOR IDEAS, BUT THAT BURNING

  PEOPLE WHO HOLD THE IDEAS WILL BE AS

  UNSUCCESSFUL AS FIREBOMBING THE NEWSPAPER

  ARCHIVES. IT IS ALREADY TOO LATE.

  IT IS ALWAYS TOO LATE.

  THE IDEAS ARE ALREADY OUT, HIDING BEHIND

  PEOPLE’S EYES, WAITING IN THEIR THOUGHTS.

  THEY CAN BE WHISPERED.

  THEY CAN BE WRITTEN ON WALLS IN THE

  DEAD OF NIGHT.

  THEY CAN BE DRAWN.

  I BELIEVE THAT IDEAS DO NOT HAVE TO BE

  CORRECT TO EXIST.

  I BELIEVE YOU HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO BE PERFECTLY

  CERTAIN THAT IMAGES OF GOD OR PROPHET

  OR HUMAN THAT YOU REVERE ARE SACRED,

  AND UNDEFILABLE,

  JUST AS I HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE CERTAIN

  OF THE SACREDNESS OF SPEECH, AND

  OF THE SANCTITY OF THE RIGHT

  TO MOCK, COMMENT, TO ARGUE

  AND TO UTTER.

  I BELIEVE I HAVE THE RIGHT TO THINK

  AND SAY THE WRONG THINGS.

  I BELIEVE YOUR REMEDY FOR THAT

  SHOULD BE TO ARGUE WITH ME OR TO

  IGNORE ME.

  AND THAT I SHOULD HAVE THE SAME

  REMEDY FOR THE WRONG THINGS THAT

  I BELIEVE YOU THINK.

  I BELIEVE THAT YOU HAVE THE ABSOLUTE

  RIGHT TO THINK THINGS THAT I FIND

  OFFENSIVE, STUPID, PREPOSTEROUS OR DANGEROUS,

  AND THAT YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO SPEAK,

  WRITE OR DISTRIBUTE THESE THINGS, AND THAT

  I DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO

  KILL YOU, MAIM YOU, HURT YOU OR

  TAKE AWAY YOUR LIBERTY OR PROPERTY BECAUSE

  I FIND YOUR IDEAS THREATENING OR

  INSULTING OR DOWNRIGHT DISGUSTING.

  YOU PROBABLY THINK SOME OF MY IDEAS

  ARE PRETTY VILE TOO.

  I BELIEVE THAT IN THE BATTLE BETWEEN

  GUNS AND IDEAS, IDEAS WILL, EVENTUALLY,

  WIN.

  BECAUSE THE IDEAS ARE INVISIBLE, AND

  THEY LINGER, AND, SOMETIMES,

  THEY CAN EVEN BE

  TRUE.

  EPPUR SI MUOVE:

  AND YET IT MOVES.

  WHY OUR

  FUTURE

  DEPENDS ON

  LIBRARIES,

  READING

  AND

  DAYDREAMING

  13

  I SUGGEST THAT

  READING FICTION, THAT READING FOR PLEASURE,

  IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT

  THINGS ONE CAN DO.

  I’M MAKING A PLEA FOR PEOPLE TO

  UNDERSTAND WHAT LIBRARIES AND LIBRARIANS

  ARE, AND TO PRESERVE BOTH OF THESE

  THINGS.

  IT IS OBVIOUSLY IN MY INTEREST FOR PEOPLE TO

  READ, FOR THEM TO READ FICTION, FOR LIBRARIES

  AND LIBRARIANS TO EXIST AND HELP FOSTER

  A LOVE OF READING AND

  PLACES IN WHICH READING CAN OCCUR.

  SO I’M BIASED AS A WRITER.

  BUT I AM MUCH, MUCH MORE BIASED AS

  A READER.

  EVERYTHING CHANGES WHEN

  WE READ.

  PEOPLE WHO CANNOT UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER

  CANNOT EXCHANGE IDEAS, CANNOT COMMUNICATE.

  THE SIMPLEST WAY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE

  RAISE LITERATE CHILDREN IS TO TEACH THEM

  TO READ,

  AND TO SHOW THEM THAT READING IS A

  PLEASURABLE ACTIVITY.

  I DON’T THINK THERE IS SUCH A THING AS A

  BAD BOOK FOR CHILDREN.

  IT’S TOSH. IT’S SNOBBERY AND IT’S FOOLISHNESS.

  WE NEED OUR CHILDREN TO GET ONTO THE

  READING LADDER: ANYTHING THAT THEY ENJOY

  READING WILL MOVE THEM UP, RUNG BY RUNG,

  INTO LITERACY.

  YOU’RE FINDING OUT SOMETHING AS YOU READ

  THAT WILL BE VITALLY IMPORTANT FOR MAKING

  YOUR WAY IN THE WORD. AND IT’S THIS:

  THE WORLD DOESN’T HAVE

  TO BE LIKE THIS.

  THINGS CAN BE DIFFERENT.

  FICTION BUILDS EMPATHY.

&nb
sp; FICTION IS SOMETHING YOU BUILD UP FROM TWENTY-SIX

  LETTERS AND A HANDFUL OF PUNCTUATION MARKS,

  AND YOU, AND YOU ALONE,

  USING YOUR IMAGINATION, CREATE A WORLD,

  AND PEOPLE IT AND LOOK OUT THROUGH OTHER EYES.

  YOU’RE BEING SOMEONE ELSE, AND WHEN YOU

  RETURN TO YOUR OWN WORLD, YOU’RE GOING

  TO BE SLIGHTLY CHANGED.

  I WAS LUCKY. I HAD AN EXCELLENT LOCAL

  LIBRARY GROWING UP, AND MET THE KIND OF

  LIBRARIANS WHO DID NOT MIND A SMALL,

  UNACCOMPANIED BOY HEADING BACK INTO THE

  CHILDREN’S LIBRARY EVERY MORNING AND

  WORKING HIS WAY THROUGH THE CARD CATALOGUE,

  LOOKING FOR BOOKS WITH

  GHOSTS OR MAGIC OR ROCKETS

  IN THEM,

  LOOKING FOR VAMPIRES OR DETECTIVES OR

  WITCHES OR WONDERS.

  THEY WERE GOOD LIBRARIANS. THEY LIKED BOOKS

  AND THEY LIKED THE BOOKS BEING READ.

  THEY HAD NO SNOBBERY ABOUT ANYTHING I READ.

  THEY JUST SEEMED TO LIKE THAT THERE WAS

  THIS WIDE-EYED LITTLE BOY WHO LOVED

  TO READ, AND THEY WOULD TALK TO ME

  ABOUT THE BOOKS I WAS READING.

  THEY WOULD FIND ME OTHER BOOKS.

  THEY WOULD HELP.

  THEY TREATED ME WITH RESPECT. I WAS NOT

  USED TO BEING TREATED WITH RESPECT AS AN

  EIGHT-YEAR-OLD.

  LIBRARIES ARE ABOUT FREEDOM.

  FREEDOM TO READ, FREEDOM OF IDEAS,

  FREEDOM OF COMMUNICATION.

  THEY ARE ABOUT EDUCATION,

  ABOUT ENTERTAINMENT, ABOUT

  MAKING SAFE SPACES AND

  ABOUT ACCESS TO INFORMATION.

  I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT ALL BOOKS WILL OR

  SHOULD MIGRATE ONTO SCREENS:

  AS DOUGLAS ADAMS ONCE POINTED OUT TO ME,

  OVER TWENTY YEARS BEFORE DIGITAL BOOKS

  SHOWED UP, A PHYSICAL BOOKS IS LIKE

  A SHARK.

  SHARKS ARE OLD: THERE WERE SHARKS

  IN THE OCEAN BEFORE THE DINOSAURS. AND

  THE REASON THERE ARE STILL SHARKS AROUND IS

  THAT SHARKS ARE BETTER AT BEING SHARKS

  THAN ANYTHING ELSE IS.

  PHYSICAL BOOKS ARE TOUCH, HARD TO

  DESTROY, BATH RESISTANT, SOLAR OPERATED,

  FEEL GOOD IN YOUR HAND:

  THEY ARE GOOD AT BEING BOOKS, AND

  THERE WILL ALWAYS BE A PLACE FOR

  THEM.

  A LIBRARY IS A PLACE OF SAFETY,

  A HAVEN FROM THE WORLD.

  IT’S A PLACE WITH LIBRARIANS IN IT.

  WE NEED TO TEACH OUR CHILDREN TO READ

  AND TO ENJOY READING.

  WE NEED LIBRARIES. WE NEED BOOKS.

  WE NEED LITERATE CITIZENS.

  BOOKS ARE THE WAY THAT THE DEAD

  COMMUNICATE WITH US.

  THE WAY THAT WE LEARN LESSONS FROM THOSE

  WHO ARE NO LONGER WITH US, THE WAY

  THAT HUMANITY HAS BUILT ON ITSELF, PROGRESSED,

  MADE KNOWLEDGE INCREMENTAL

  RATHER THAN SOMETHING THAT HAS TO BE

  RELEARNED, OVER AND OVER.

  WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO READ

  FOR PLEASURE. IF OTHERS SEE US

  READING, WE SHOW THAT READING IS

  A GOOD THING.

  WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO SUPPORT

  LIBRARIES,

  TO PROTEST THE CLOSURE OF

  LIBRARIES.

  IF YOU DO NOT VALUE LIBRARIES YOU ARE

  SILENCING THE VOICES OF THE PAST AND

  YOU ARE DAMAGING THE FUTURE.

  FICTION IS THE LIE THAT TELLS

  THE TRUTH.

  WE ALL HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO DAYDREAM.

  WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO

  IMAGINE.

  IT IS EASY TO PRETEND THAT NOBODY CAN

  CHANGE ANYTHING, THAT SOCIETY IS HUGE

  AND THE INDIVIDUAL IS LESS THAN NOTHING.

  BUT THE TRUTH IS

  INDIVIDUALS MAKE THE FUTURE,

  AND THEY DO IT BY IMAGINING

  THAT

  THINGS CAN BE DIFFERENT.

  ALBERT EINSTEIN WAS ONCE ASKED HOW

  WE COULD MAKE OUR CHILDREN INTELLIGENT.

  ‘IF YOU WANT YOUR CHILDREN TO BE

  INTELLIGENT’, HE SAID, ‘READ THEM

  FAIRY TALES. IF YOU WANT THEM TO BE

  MORE INTELLIGENT, READ THEM

  MORE FAIRY TALES.’

  I HOPE WE CAN GIVE OUR CHILDREN A WORLD IN

  WHICH THEY WILL READ, AND BE READ TO,

  AND IMAGINE,

  AND

  UNDERSTAND.

  NEIL GAIMAN

  MAKING

  A

  CHAIR

  33

  TODAY I INTENDED TO BEGIN TO WRITE.

  STORIES ARE WAITING LIKE DISTANT THUNDERSTORMS

  GRUMBLING AND FLICKERING ON THE

  GREY HORIZON

  AND THERE ARE EMAILS AND INTRODUCTIONS

  AND A BOOK, A WHOLE DAMN BOOK

  ABOUT A COUNTRY AND A JOURNEY AND

  BELIEF

  I’M HERE TO WRITE.

  I MADE A CHAIR.

  I OPENED A CARDBOARD BOX WITH A BLADE

  (I ASSEMBLED THE BLADE)

  REMOVED THE PARTS, CARRIED THEM, CAREFULLY,

  UP THE STAIRS.

  ‘FUNCTIONAL SEATING FOR TODAY’S WORKPLACE’

  I PRESSED FIVE CASTERS INTO THE BASE,

  LEARNED THAT THEY PRESS IN WITH A MOST

  SATISFYING POP.

  ATTACHED THE ARMRESTS WITH THE SCREWS.

  PUZZLING OVER THE LEFT AND THE RIGHT OF IT,

  THE SCREWS NOT BEING WHAT THEY SHOULD BE

  AS DESCRIBED IN THE INSTRUCTIONS. AND THEN THE

  BASE BENEATH THE SEAT,

  WHICH ATTACHED WITH SIX 40 mm SCREWS

  (THAT WERE PUZZLINGLY SIX 45 mm SCREWS).

  THEN THE HEADPIECE TO THE CHAIRBACK,

  THE CHAIRBACK TO THE SEAT, WHICH IS WHERE

  THE PROBLEMS START AS

  THE MIDDLE SCREW ON EITHER SIDE DECLINES

  TO PENETRATE AND THREAD.

  THIS ALL TAKES TIME. ORSON WELLES IS HARRY LIME

  ON THE OLD RADIO AS I ASSEMBLE MY CHAIR.

  ORSON MEETS A DAME

  AND A CROOKED FORTUNE-TELLER, AND A FAT MAN,

  AND A NEW YORK GANG BOSS IN EXILE,

  AND HAS SLEPT WITH THE DAME, SOLVED THE

  MYSTERY,

  READ THE SCRIPT

  AND POCKETED THE MONEY

  BEFORE I HAVE ASSEMBLED MY CHAIR.

  MAKING A BOOK IS A LITTLE LIKE MAKING A CHAIR.

  PERHAPS IT OUGHT TO COME WITH WARNINGS,

  LIKE THE CHAIR INSTRUCTIONS.

  A FOLDED PIECE OF PAPER SLIPPED INTO EACH COPY,

  WARNING US:

  ‘ONLY FOR ONE PERSON AT A TIME’

  DO NOT USE AS A STOOL OR A

  STEPLADDER.’

  ‘FAILURE TO FOLLOW THESE WARNINGS

  CAN RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURY.’

  ONE DAY I WILL WRITE ANOTHER BOOK, AND

  WHEN I’M DONE I WILL CLIMB IT,

  LIKE A STOOL OR A STEP LADDER,

  OR A HIGH OLD WOODEN LADDER PROPPED

  AGAINST THE SIDE OF A PLUM TREE,

  IN THE AUTUMN,

  AND I WILL BE GONE.

  BUT FOR NOW I SHALL FOLLOW THESE WARNINGS,

  AND FINISH MAKING THE

  CHAIR.

  NEIL GAIMAN

  MAKE

  GOOD

  ART

  47

  I ESCAPED FROM SCHOOL

  AS SOON AS I COULD, WHEN

  THE PROSPECT OF

  FOUR MORE YEARS OF

  ENFORCED LEARNING BEFORE

  I’D BECOME THE WRITER I WANTED TO BE

  WAS STIFLING.

  I GOT OUT INTO THE WORLD.

  I WROTE, AND I BECAME

  A BETTER WRITER THE MORE I WROTE,

 
AND I WROTE SOME MORE, AND

  NOBODY EVER SEEMED TO MIND THAT

  I WAS MAKING IT UP AS I WENT ALONG,

  THEY JUST READ WHAT I WROTE

  AND THEY PAID FOR IT,

  OR THEY DIDN’T,

  AND OFTEN THEY COMMISSIONED

  ME TO WRITE SOMETHING ELSE FOR THEM.

  WHICH HAS LEFT ME WITH A HEALTHY RESPECT

  AND FONDNESS FOR HIGHER EDUCATION

  THAT THOSE OF MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY,

  WHO ATTENDED UNIVERSITIES,

  WERE CURED OF LONG AGO.

  LOOKING BACK, I’VE HAD A REMARKABLE RIDE.

  I’M NOT SURE I CAN CALL IT A CAREER, BECAUSE

  A CAREER IMPLIES THAT I HAD SOME KIND OF

  CAREER PLAN, AND I NEVER DID.

  THE NEAREST THING I HAD WAS A LIST I MADE

  WHEN I WAS 15 OF EVERYTHING I WANTED TO DO:

  TO WRITE AN ADULT NOVEL,

  A CHILDREN’S BOOK,

  A COMIC,

  A MOVIE,

  RECORD AN AUDIOBOOK,

  WRITE AN EPISODE OF

  DOCTOR WHO

  . . . AND SO ON.

  I DIDN’T HAVE A CAREER. I JUST DID THE

  NEXT THING ON THE LIST.

  SO I THOUGHT I’D TELL YOU EVERYTHING

  I WISH I’D KNOWN STARTING OUT,

  AND A FEW THINGS THAT, LOOKING BACK ON IT,

  I SUPPOSE THAT I DID KNOW.

  AND THAT I WOULD ALSO GIVE YOU

  THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE I’D EVER GOT,

  WHICH I COMPLETELY FAILED TO

  FOLLOW.