On Meeting Your Heros

I was a blabbering idiot when I met my hero Neil Gaiman

One of the best parts about being a journalist is meeting your heros. Meeting famous people is pretty cool too, but that falls more into the novelty category. It’s the equivalent of making it into the Guinness Book of World Records, but for something you don’t care about.

However, the opportunity to meet one of those unattainable people you’ve always admired from a distance, now that’s something special. Unfortunately, the opportunity is perilous considering that you as a journalist are required to produce something readable from the encounter.

I’ve separated hero-meeting into two categories: Underwhelming and Overwhelming.

Underwhelming: Sometimes meeting a hero in real life is the most disappointing and deflating thing in the world. I hate it when this happens. For me, it’s only happened once, but I won’t say for who.

Overwhelming: Or sometimes the hero is everything you imagined them to be and more. This is overwhelming. And a starstruck journalist is the most ineffective and unprofessional thing in existance.

So pick your poison. And for all you non-journalists, remember that the most rewarding way to worship a hero is from a distance. Nobody has buggers from far away.