[troggi]

Originally Posted by Wes

I'd say Barker really embraced Los Angeles and all it's hedonism when he moved there in the 90's - I mean a lot of characters in his books are the very same - seeking out those strange exotic pleasures. I remember a gay friend of mine telling me amazing stories about the underground clubs in NYC, and I imagine LA would be similar - so I suspect Barker did his fair share of hellraisin' over the years...

Maybe, maybe not. You're probably right in saying that Barker "embraced" L.A. but how much did he actually immerse himself in? Was it a case of testing the waters or diving in head first?

Neil Gaiman, on Sunday evening when asked by a lady in the audience if he had made any "sacrifices" to become a writer, said that he had made no particular "sacrifices" as such but found himself an observer on his own life (I am paraphrasing here as I cannot remember his exact words). He explained that at the scene of an accident part of his mind would be saying "so that's how the blood looks on the glass," and at the break-up of a relationship, "so that's what it's like when your heart breaks, okay I might use that later!"

Now, I know that not all artists work in the same way but there must be some sort of "detachment" there as a safeguard against "psychological harm" unless, of course they are "psychological self-harmers"!