K is for Kevin Bacon

K is for Kevin Bacon, six degrees of!

There are the six degrees of separation, and then there are the six degrees of Kevin Bacon. Each theory posits that one is connected to another, a stranger, by only six steps, so that everyone in the world could conceivable become friends, through their friends. And that all actors can be connected to Kevin Bacon.

I wasn't on Twitter for very long before this connection happened to me! Not to Kevin Bacon, though, but to Neil Gaiman.

Before I started reading Neil's books, I hadn't realised quite how many authors live in nowheresville Wisconsin. Then when I was visiting Chicago last month, I realised they're only a few hours' drive from there, so not so middle-of-nowhere after all. And such gorgeous landscapes!

Of course, being an author in the middle of the woods means you need to emerge now and again, for book tours and other events, and temporary lodgings in Boston with your wife (yay for Amanda Palmer!).

House and dogs and cats all get left behind, though, and need looking after.

So Neil Gaiman gets by with a little help from his friends, one of whom is Matt Kuchta - here he is on another epic visit to castle Gaiman. Recently, he and author Kelly McCullough built a dragon in Neil's yard...

And guess what? I need fewer than six people!

Neil Gaiman --> Matt Kuchta --> Aydın Örstan --> me!

And how? Because Kuchta's an assistant professor of geology and studies snails, which my uncle does also!


Here's Matt with Neil's 20+-year-old cat Princess:



I love Twitter for that - being able to connect with people I've admired for a long time. Sometimes about the silliest things, too - here's me and Tim Burgess of The Charlatans:

 

Which authors and singers have you been lucky enough to meet or interact with?

Comments

Very cool!
I've met a few musicians (met Night Ranger - remember those guys?) and I met Peter O'Toole.
Anne Gallagher said…
I don't think I've met anyone, but then I'm not on Twitter as much as I should be. I'm hoping this summer I'll be able to get on more often.
Anne Gallagher said…
And I love that movie, Six Degrees of Separation. It's so true isn't it?
Neil Gaiman seems to be everywhere I look these days. I guess he's the male version of J.K. Rowling.
Zan Marie said…
Very cool! That's the internet for you. ; )
Anonymous said…
That's amazing! I've yet to make my 6 degrees of anything. But, being a Military Brat, I've learned that we truly live in a small, small world, as I've run into many people who've lived where I've lived, or who've been stationed where and when I've been stationed, only to show up a few years later at the next duty assignment.

Jamie Dement (LadyJai)
J.L. Murphey said…
Six degrees of separation it's Tom Hanks----> me. For more degrees---->Queen Elizabeth. It's strange how that works that a woman of Japanese and German descent could be related to the queen of England, but it's true. Tom Hanks is a third cousin.
DL Hammons said…
Zippo! I've come close several times, but I'm still waiting for my first connection. :)
Unknown said…
Very cool--I always love to be reminded of how small the world really is!
Kristen said…
Haha, I love Kevin Bacon, and this post! I'm friends with a guy who used to star on a sci-fi show, and is now producing an indie move. He's friends with quite a few other actors, one of whom I just saw last night on Orphan Black. In fact, I've met him in person myself. I think he's two degrees from Kevin Bacon, which puts me at four degrees from Kevin Bacon. LOL

#atozchallenge, Kristen's blog: kristenhead.blogspot.com
Bevimus said…
Wow! Waita connect!
Deniz Bevan said…
Thanks for sharing your connections too! It's fun how close we can all be even though there are so many of us!
6 degrees of Neil Gaiman.

I've met Lois Lowry, Alice Hoffman, Tomie DePaola, Suzanne Collins, and Cynthia Lord. Those were all big moments for me! At this year's conference, I get to meet Susan Creech, which is pretty exciting. And, as I mentioned on another post, Neil Gaiman is coming to Cambridge!
Deniz Bevan said…
Lucky you! Especially meeting Judy Blume.