Book: Drive, by James Sallis (2005)

Abraham Lincoln believed that a man’s legs should be long enough to reach the ground. Jennifer Tilly makes a similar observation in the movie LET IT RIDE. Frankly, I prefer her version. No knock on the Great Emancipator, but La Tilly has better stems.

Length is also an issue in books. The latest from James Sallis is a mere 158 pages. Yet somehow, it encompasses a man’s entire life. A life spent behind the wheel, never running but always moving.

There are other areas where length matters. (Not that one. Get your mind out of the gutter.) Knives, for instance. Does the blade have what it takes to wound?

That’s all I can tell you about DRIVE. It’s short enough to read in a single sitting. And long enough to cut deep.

Miscellaneous: Observations

1. We had a Los Angeles-style freeway chase here this week, covered live on TV. Not that I bothered to watch. The next day one of the local affiliates ran an ad with a city police officer saying the station’s helicopter provided invaluable assistance. Unbelievable, I thought. They’re passing sensationalism off as a public service.

Last night, I saw another station’s ad. In which a county sheriff thanks their helicopter. This could get ugly.

2. Ridley Scott’s Crusades epic KINGDOM OF HEAVEN is out on DVD next week. One of the ads features the tagline “Without faith, there can be no future.” So far, I’ve only seen this spot on Fox News.

3. If you heard that Jack Carter was thinking about mounting a Senate bid in Nevada, wouldn’t you assume it was this guy and not former President Carter’s son? Wouldn’t you hope it was the first guy?

Miscellaneous: Links

Jaime Weinman offers a lovely appreciation of comic actor Hamilton Camp, who improved everything he appeared in. At Ed Gorman’s blog, Terrill Lee Lankford considers a few other luminaries we’ve recently lost.