Neil Gaiman    www.NeilgaimanBoard.com    www.NeilgaimanBoard.com  Hop To Forum Categories  Neil's Other Works  Hop To Forums  more Other Works    Question About Good Omens
Go
New
Find
Notify
Tools
Reply
  
-star Rating Rate It!  Login/Join 
mousefeather
Member
Posted
Yeah I know it's an older book, but hey, I'm young. What can I say? Wink

Anyway, does anybody have an idea as to why Des Moines, Iowa is mentioned so many times? I know Neil Gaiman lives around Minneapolis, or so Wikipedia says, but why Des Moines? I live in Iowa, so it's sort of surprising to hear Iowa referred to more than once. After all, we only got National News coverage during the caucus, which all respectable people here HATE (the caucus, I mean), the Westroads Mall shooting (which was actually closer to Nebraska) and during a semi-major flood last year.

So why Des Moines? If anyone can even attempt to answer this question, it'd be much appreciated! Thanks! ^_~
 
Posts: 3 | Registered: March 20, 2008Reply With QuoteEdit or Delete MessageReport This Post
Smaug
Administrator
Member
Picture of Smaug
Posted Hide Post
hello mousefeather and welcome to the board.

when he was writing good omens neil was still living in England, so it wasn't related to where he was.

whenever i hear of des moines its in relation to bill bryson, but i don't think he'd written very much about that time either.


erm....i think i'm saying, I don't know... but you might find this interesting...


~
You are an Accomptant. You keep track of the King's accounts, which is a fairly simplish job: his current holdings is always A LOT, and his expected revenue is always MORE. 'Sgood ta be da King. As long as there isn't a peasant uprising, you're likely to keep your head. Also, you're the only one in the office who knows how to use an abbacus. (Or multiply.) (Or add.)

I prefer to live in a country that's small, and old, and where no one would ever have the NERVE to wear a cape in public, whether they could leap tall buildings in a single bound or not.
 
Posts: 13553 | Location: England | Registered: June 21, 2001Reply With QuoteEdit or Delete MessageReport This Post
mousefeather
Member
Posted Hide Post
Ah, well. Thank you! Smile
 
Posts: 3 | Registered: March 20, 2008Reply With QuoteEdit or Delete MessageReport This Post
Maeve
Miss Kitty Fantastico
Member
Picture of Maeve
Posted Hide Post
I always assumed that they just chose the town at random as a sort of Middle-America, nothing-much-happens-here, stereotyped town.



And thank you to the APF: This bit:
quote:
- [p. 70/42] "The message had come during Cheers, one of Crowley's favourite television programmes. Woody the barman had [...]"

In the American edition of Good Omens, this scene was changed to refer to the series The Golden Girls and the character Rose. (The effect remains the same).

Nobody knows the reason for this change, since both are American sitcoms anyway. Speaking personally, I think Crowley is definitely a Cheers person, and would not have liked The Golden Girls at all.


Finally makes sense to me now - I have the American edition and it has The Golden Girls in there, which never seemed Crowley-ish to me!





I would have thought the end of the world is everyone's responsibility, wouldn't you? ~Death in Thief of Time


Minister of Kraftwerk in the Realm of U & P, Order of the Pineapple with frond for advancement in Nap studies.
 
Posts: 13550 | Location: under tangled yarn | Registered: August 09, 2005Reply With QuoteEdit or Delete MessageReport This Post
Weeble
Poster of the year, 2007
Member
Picture of Weeble
Posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by Maeve:
Finally makes sense to me now - I have the American edition and it has The Golden Girls in there, which never seemed Crowley-ish to me!
Yes, but I found it hysterical that Crowley watched The Golden Girls.
*big grin*


~ . . ~ . . ~ . . ~ . . ~ . . ~ . . ~ . . ~ . . ~ . . ~ . . ~
Weeble Song! Sing along! ~ courtesy Snazzy Snazzypants
 
Posts: 9546 | Location: not entirely sure | Registered: November 04, 2006Reply With QuoteEdit or Delete MessageReport This Post
Maeve
Miss Kitty Fantastico
Member
Picture of Maeve
Posted Hide Post
aaaaaaaaand after trawling through the APF I've got a hankering to read Good Omens!





I would have thought the end of the world is everyone's responsibility, wouldn't you? ~Death in Thief of Time


Minister of Kraftwerk in the Realm of U & P, Order of the Pineapple with frond for advancement in Nap studies.
 
Posts: 13550 | Location: under tangled yarn | Registered: August 09, 2005Reply With QuoteEdit or Delete MessageReport This Post
Smaug
Administrator
Member
Picture of Smaug
Posted Hide Post
Big Grin

i've got a copy stashed in my car, just in case i've got to wait about for any reason....


~
You are an Accomptant. You keep track of the King's accounts, which is a fairly simplish job: his current holdings is always A LOT, and his expected revenue is always MORE. 'Sgood ta be da King. As long as there isn't a peasant uprising, you're likely to keep your head. Also, you're the only one in the office who knows how to use an abbacus. (Or multiply.) (Or add.)

I prefer to live in a country that's small, and old, and where no one would ever have the NERVE to wear a cape in public, whether they could leap tall buildings in a single bound or not.
 
Posts: 13553 | Location: England | Registered: June 21, 2001Reply With QuoteEdit or Delete MessageReport This Post
 Previous Topic | Next Topic powered by eve community  
 

Neil Gaiman    www.NeilgaimanBoard.com    www.NeilgaimanBoard.com  Hop To Forum Categories  Neil's Other Works  Hop To Forums  more Other Works    Question About Good Omens

© YourCopy 2001