Around The World With Mr. Punch The Online Journal of the worldwide friends of punch and judy Volume 7 No 1 April 2003 Mr. Punch, Neil Gaiman And The Fantastical Gig by Diane Rains (alias "Professor Freshwater") by a tall, fourteenish young man, all dressed in black. Also in this "No," he continued, in a conspiratorial issue tone. "You'll have to go to a specialty store." And he told us exactly where to find one, then disappeared amongst the red nosed shelves (somewhere in the Mystery miscellany section, I believe.) may fayre video The next sound heard was a loud thud as our jaws hit the floor, followed by a deafening swish as we picked them up archive film again and grinned like twin Cheshire news cats. "Awwright!" I cheered. "Mr. Punch is cool in middle school!!" Brownie points for Neil Gaiman. punch in oz Six months later, I finally held my own copy of the Gaiman/McKean Punch victorian book (which Vicky had given me for my Published by VG (London1994) punch in the uk isdn 0 575 05141 8 birthday). I read the first six pages, marveling at the clean, dreamlike prose and usa I had been a working Punch professor for and moody, off-kilter artwork, and my eight years when, late in 1995, I learned of first thought was "This is spooky good the recent publication of The Tragical fun." Then I read page seven: A show Comedy Or Comical Tragedy Of Mr. Punch: collectabilia was in progress, and Punch threw the A Romance, written by Neil Gaiman and Baby. "He threw it off the stage," said the illustrated by Dave McKean. The bearer of hand-lettered print. "It tumbled down Toby’s these glad tidings was my good friend, Vicky from the stage onto the beach - and lay tailpiece - school librarian, storyteller, puppeteer, there, silent and bleeding." And I Tuesday evening movie buddy, and Font of thought, "If Minnesota parents read this, Information On All Things Bookly. She's also bookworm I'll never work again." But I was hooked, an admirer of Punch. Thus, one hopeful supplement and I read the book cover to cover, Tuesday we eagerly invaded Barnes & quickly coming back to my original Noble, intent on scoring a copy of this opinion: "This is spooky good fun." Not intriguingly-titled work. We knew it was a to mention a brilliant evocation of the graphic novel - a full-sized opus in comic mind of a child facing skeletons in the book format - so off to the comics section we family closet. And an impressive hurried. Alas, the book was nowhere to be collection of references to Punch seen. We were absorbed in various woe-is- traditions. The man had obviously done me-isms, when from behind us an enigmatic his homework. More brownie points for voice suddenly spoke. Neil Gaiman. "If you're looking for Mr. Punch, you won't find him there." I didn't think much about Neil Gaiman in succeeding years. I knew he wrote in the We turned and found that we'd been joined fantasy genre (kind of like sci fi butheap of fun. without aliens). I read one of his other books and liked it, but I didn't feelNow, in looking back on this compelled to immediately devour allexperience, I think it's just as well that his works, as I did with Dickens andI didn't have much inkling of Neil Cather and Dinesen. I mostly thoughtGaiman's popularity, because I really of him as the guy who wrote thatwasn't a bit stage frighty about the spooky Punch book and helpedgig. Had I known that he is a certified expand Old Red Nose's popularity. So,Famous Person (at least, in literary though Gaiman had enough browniecircles), was on the New York Times points to earn my esteem, perhaps Ibest seller list, won the Hugo Award, was naïve about the coolness of theand has practically a cult following gig that fell in my lap in October ofamong readers, might I have been 2002. nervous? Don't know. I'd like to think not. I've been acquainted with a few Here's what happened. There was tomildly to moderately famous people be a convention in Minneapolis ofover the years. I suppose I'm mildly writers and readers of fantasy. Neilfamous myself, in certain circles. But Gaiman, who, though British, lives infame per se has never impressed me Minneapolis, was to be a headlinemuch. This may have something to speaker. Whilst discussing thedo with my former career as a primate During our discussions, Laura and upcoming convention one day in hiskeeper at the Minnesota Zoo. No Stu contributed comments and blog (online journal) he mused:matter how Big and Important we thoughts here and there, but mostly wouldn't it be a nifty thing to have athink we are, none of us really knows they allowed the two Punch experts real, live Punch and Judy Show at thethe boundaries of our cage, and we're (Neil and me) the pleasure of a convention? Could there, heall just monkeying around. Still, when babblefest. We talked about so wondered, be a real, live Punchencountering someone who has many things, and it was so very professor living anywhere inearned recognition for the quality of wonderful. Neil related the tale of Minnesota? (Well, yes, there could.his art, it's only natural to hope that what inspired him to write his That would be me, Professorthat person will be impressed by the Punch book. It seems that as a Freshwater, living a few short milesquality of one's own art. When child he had a hunchbacked uncle. away in St. Paul. But Neil didn't knowFreshwater Pearls performs for our The adult Neil discovered some that.) Now, it just so happens that thepeers at puppetry festivals, we really mystery surrounding this uncle, nephew of a good friend of mine is awant them to be impressed. And, yes, which got him thinking about Punch fan of Neil Gaiman's, was readingwe really wanted Neil to like our and Judy. As he told the story, Gaiman's blog, and came across thisshow. We always want that, with any (though I didn't mention it), I reference to a Punch show. "Aha!"audience. That's the payoff, even realized that I had a similar says Chris to himself. "They should getmore than the fee we charge; Punchlike relative -- a Civil War era Diane and Stu to perform. I'll tell Uncleadmiration is the real currency of aunt who was a hunchbacked Paul to call them." So he did, andperformance. dwarf. Funny that I'd never Uncle Paul did, and I e-mailed Neil, connected her with Punch until that presenting my credentials as a real,But I digress. On Saturday afternoon moment. live Punch professor living inof November 2, Stu and I were Minnesota. Neil's charming reply wasescorted by World Fantasy Con staff We talked about the symbolism of that he was sure there must be one,to our panel discussion in the plush the Punch and Judy show, of Death because that's just the way theMinneapolis Hilton, after a stop for tea and Resurrection portrayed in the Universe works. He put me in touchand treats in the green room. A good- show, of Punch as the archetypal with the convention's organizer, andsized crowd filled the meeting room. Fool. We dwelled on the eerie, that's how we came to be booked atOur moderator, Laura Krentz - a tangible forcefulness of the Punch the World Fantasy Convention 2002.puppeteer and friend from our local character. More than one of Neil's (The other half of "we" is my excellentpuppetry guild - arrived, followed Professor-informants said that, husband, musician, and bottler, Stusoon after by Neil Gaiman. Laura when the Punch puppet is put on Janis.) began by having us introduce the hand, he becomes absolutely ourselves. Neil quipped that he was real and in control. The puppeteer And even though I wasn't aqualified to be on a Punch and Judy is inconsequential. I went so far as knowledgeable Neil Gaiman fan, I didpanel mostly because he is British, to reveal that, to me, it feels like a think it would be a swell gig, especiallybut his obvious knowledge of the kind of possession. When I first when we were invited to participate in asubject trounced that theory soundly decided to become a puppeteer, it panel discussion with Neil. Topic: Theas the hour progressed. Indeed, he was as if the spirit of Punch History and Social Implications of therevealed that he spent five years swooped down from the ether and Punch and Judy Show. The hour-longresearching the history and traditions said, "You! I choose you to do my discussion was scheduled for Saturdayof Punch before he wrote his book. bidding. From now on you must afternoon, and our performance forHe read all of the pertinent literature, drag me and my family and my Sunday morning. It sounded like ainterviewed Punchmen, saw shows. house around, and jump up and down post-9/11 America. How much must heartily at every joke, yelled “Oh, yes inside it, bringing us to life in the the show adapt to the sensibilities of you did!” with enthusiasm right on miserable cold and the dust and the its audience? We all grapple with that cue, cheered and had a marvelous sweltering heat, while the mosquitoes question daily. And so we felt it would time. Did Neil like the show? Yes, I bite you, and thunderstorms threaten, be instructive for the World Fantasy think he did.