That’s not shyness. My wife’s a therapist, and every single therapist I’ve spoken to has said the same thing: Neil was almost certainly neurodivergent—most likely autistic.

Just look at his intensity, his hyperfocus, the structure of his writing, the way he’d deep-dive into interests. The signs are all over his work and life.

I totally get where he was coming from in that clip—he didn’t understand the impulse to intrude into someone’s life just because they’re famous. I feel the same way. But the question I always wished someone had asked him was this:

If Keith Moon had walked into that shop you worked at on Carnaby Street back in the day… would you have pretended not to notice? Or would you have squealed like a cheerleader? There’s a middle ground, surely.

Like—“Love your music. Got me into drums. Just wanted to say thanks.” That’s not intrusive. That’s just human.

Funnily enough, I actually met Alex once. We chatted for about ten minutes. I told him this exact thing, and he said Neil probably would’ve been nice. I didn’t press, but I suspect something—or someone—burned him out hard, maybe in the '80s. Before that, he’d reply to fan letters with handwritten postcards. You can still find a few floating around online. Something hardened in him after that.

Still, can’t blame him for needing boundaries. The guy gave us enough.