We’re all channeling our inner Italians, and preparing for ‘social distancing’ (and later, quite possibly, outright quarantine.) I have to say that social distancing and working from home is nothing new to me. Most days I sit at a keyboard, and the few face-to-face conversations I have are with two dogs who, as yet, have never responded. Well, that’s not completely true. If I ask them, “Who wants to go for a walk?” one of them responds by spinning around in circles, which makes it nearly impossible to put on his harness.
Anyway, the news of late has put me in the mind of an earlier, far smaller Italian disaster–the Mont Blanc Tunnel Fire. Regular readers will know that I basically wrote the legend of Pierlucio ‘Spadino’ Tinazzi, the hero of that fire. Many of you will know that last year, I had to walk that legend back.
Late last year, I held an event at Blip Roasters–a cool motorcycle hangout in my adopted home town of Kansas City. I told a small crowd the story of the fire, of journalists including me who got the Spadino legend all wrong, and then I described my efforts to correct the record. So now, if you have 30 minutes to kill (and who doesn’t, these days?) here’s a link to my talk which I recently uploaded to Soundcloud…
I sure hope that Tom Gauld doesn’t mind me appropriating this cartoon, which appeared in my Twitter feed today, and which seems perfect for this time. I, of course, want you to buy my books to while away your time in quarantine, but if you want more of Mr. Gauld’s deadpan humor, learn about his books here.
If you plan on spending more time at home this spring, you can read my original account of ‘Searching for Spadino’ in On Motorcycles: The Best of Backmarker. This book is 440 pages, so it will burn up a few hours for even the fastest reader. Click the cover image to go straight to Amazon.
Because you can’t spend the entire quarantine period out riding in the fresh air: This book contains ‘Searching for Spadino’ and over 400 pages worth of other motorcycle stories. “20 years of motorcycle journalism, without all the crap.” Click the cover to go straight to Amazon. Come to think of it, going straight into the Amazon sounds like a great virus-avoidance strategy too. But buying a book is cheaper.
Thanks. Wash your hands and remember: the Covid-19 virus is impossible to catch while you’re at home reading. (And you’re safe while wearing a full-face helmet, riding hell for leather, too!)