Neil Gaiman donates MPR Wits fee to charity

Neil Gaiman supports local arts. Matt Dean, not so much.

Hasn't this guy learned his lesson?

Last week the famous author was called a "pencil-necked little weasel" and a thief by House Majority Leader Matt Dean, because Gaiman accepted public money to speak at a public library in Stillwater.

Well, he's about to it once more: next month Gaiman will appear on MPR's Wits, a gig that carries with it a $1,500 honorarium. And some of that money comes, like the Stillwater Library's speakers fund, from Legacy Amendment arts funding.

But Gaiman isn't actually interested in becoming the rhetorical "welfare queen" of the anti-arts funding movement. So rather than accepting the money and giving it to charity, as he did with the library speaking fee, this time he's asking the Wits folks to make the check directly payable to charity -- specifically, the Friends of the St. Paul Library.

Will this minor difference mollify the hot-headed Matt Dean, or will Gaiman soon find himself the victim of surprise noogies and wake up to find his house TP'ed with rolls from the statehouse bathroom?

It probably depends on whether Dean's mom sticks around to keep an eye on his behavior.

Previous Coverage:

• House Majority Leader Matt Dean does not like Neil Gaiman
• Neil Gaiman responds to "pencil-necked weasel" insult by Matt Dean [INTERVIEW]
• Matt Dean sort of apologizes to Neil Gaiman because his mom made him