…Dull days at forty, false friends at fifteen;
Let her have brave days and truth.
Let her go places that we’ve never been;
Trust and delight in her youth.

Ladies of Grace, and Ladies of Favour,
And Ladies of Merciful Night,
This is a prayer for a Blueberry Girl,
Grant her your Clearness of Sight.

Words can be worrisome, people complex;
Motives and manners unclear.
Grant her the wisdom to choose her path right,
Free from unkindness and fear.

Let her tell stories, and dance in the rain,
Somersaults, tumble and run;
Her joys must be high as her sorrows are deep,
Let her grow like a weed in the sun…

Based on a Neil Gaiman short story, animated by Gahan Wilson and directed by Steven-Charles Jaffe

Neil’s wearing the suit rather than the leather jacket and black t-shirt because he had been at his father’s funeral two days prior and didn’t have the leather jacket with him. That explains the tiredness too, but it’s a great interview.

Colbert is a huge Tolkien fan, by the way. I’ve seen several previous examples of him reciting Lord of the Rings history and text off the top of his head.

Update: Neil tweeted:

And cut from the interview is our favourite LOTR characters. Mine Gandalf. His, Faramir.

More embeds (official, but area-limited) after the break. I don’t expect the Youtube one to stay up very long.

And for Canada, go to the Comedy Network.

Good morning world. I am blinking and strange-haired today. Will be interviewed on Colbert Report tonight, the reality of which just hit me.

We all know Colbert will try to “nail” him, but as a huge fan of the show I know that the Colbert “character” also loves to get his name out there. I suggest Neil offer to co-write a children’s book with him. We’d all win, and Colbert would, I’m almost certain, accept.

Jodyth @neilhimself Just read a blog post at work that you’re on the Colbert Report in a couple of weeks. Congrats! Be sure to rub in your award

neilhimself @Jodyth I thought it was still a secret. Ah well. Still, I shall tell nobody and deny it when asked.

USA and UK – Colbert Nation

Canada – The Comedy Network (it’s clip 2 of 4, “Who’s Honoring Me Now?”)

Here’s an embedded version, which hopefully works anywhere.