Neil Gaiman: Quirky Facts and Career Highlights

Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman is a master storyteller with a fascinating life and career. Here are some 'fried facts' (fun, quirky, and lesser-known tidbits) about him:

1. He Wrote Good Omens Because He Lost a Bet

Gaiman and Terry Pratchett had a bet: If Good Omens ever got made into a movie, Pratchett would keep the rights to a strange folk song he owned, and Gaiman would get a typewriter Pratchett used. After Pratchett's death, Gaiman adapted Good Omens into a TV series partly to honor his friend—but he never got the typewriter.

2. He Was Friends with Tori Amos Before She Was Famous

Gaiman and singer Tori Amos have been close friends since the 1980s. She references him in songs like Tear in Your Hand ('Neil and me'), and he based the character Delirium (from The Sandman) partly on her.

3. He Wrote an Episode of Babylon 5

Before he was a literary superstar, Gaiman wrote the Babylon 5 episode Day of the Dead (Season 5). He was friends with creator J. Michael Straczynski, who later wrote comics for Gaiman’s The Sandman universe.

4. He Once Wrote a Simpsons Episode That Was Never Made

Gaiman penned a Simpsons script called The Gas Station, where Homer encounters Lovecraftian horrors at a creepy gas station. It was deemed 'too dark' and shelved—though elements appeared in Treehouse of Horror XXIV.

5. He Owns a Pet… Human?

In the 1990s, Gaiman jokingly claimed his assistant, Lorraine Garland, as his 'pet human' in his author bio. The gag stuck, and she’s still credited that way in some books.

6. He Almost Played the Riddler in a Batman Movie

Tim Burton considered Gaiman for the role of the Riddler in Batman Forever (before Joel Schumacher took over and cast Jim Carrey). Gaiman later wrote the Batman story Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?

7. He Wrote a Doctor Who Episode… and Then Became a Character

Gaiman wrote The Doctor’s Wife (2011), starring Matt Smith, which won a Hugo Award. Later, in The Husbands of River Song (2015), Peter Capaldi’s Doctor name-drops 'the great novelist Neil Gaiman' as someone he’d like to be.

8. He Has a Very Famous Gravestone

Gaiman commissioned a tombstone for himself while still alive, featuring a quote from The Sandman: 'Neil Gaiman: He had a writer’s imagination and a journalist’s curiosity.' It’s currently in storage.

9. He Was Once a Journalist for Penthouse

Early in his career, Gaiman did interviews for Penthouse (among other magazines). His subjects included Dolly Parton, Steven King, and… a sex worker named 'Cicciolina.'

10. He’s Married to a Rock Star

His wife, Amanda Palmer (of The Dresden Dolls), is a musician and performance artist. Their relationship inspired her song The Bed Song and Gaiman’s The Problem of Susan.

Bonus: He Once Trolled a Critic with a Short Story

After a critic dismissed his work as 'fairytales for adults,' Gaiman wrote The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains—a dark, layered tale that forced the critic to eat their words.

Neil Gaiman is full of surprises—whether he’s writing comics, novels, or just living his best weird life. 🔥📖

Neil Gaiman: Quirky Facts and Career Highlights

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