William Linehan

When I was in college, I knew this guy that belonged to a fraternity. At the frat, it was a tradition on Friday and Saturday nights that if there was nothing else to do (which wasn't unusual for this frat – about as far from Animal House as it's possible to go), you'd wander up to the 3rd floor, sit down with your brothers, and wait for the bong to make its way over. One of the brothers was sort of famous. When he got good and ripped he'd start telling stories. They were terrific stories, all full of crazed and goofy characters doing hilarious, awesome, interesting and inspiring things. Keep the story-telling Greek toked, and he could go on and on for hours on a story, somehow coming back to themes and characters and story-lines that you could mistily remember from hours ago. Some of the frat brothers would bring friends or dates over for the stories and the storyteller became a campus attraction (it was a very small school). One of the best parts was that you could wander off looking for munchies every now and then and when you happened to come back in five minutes or three hours, you'd sit down again to listen and you would be just as into the story as before. It was the experience, not a recital.

I've wondered since what ever happened to the storyteller. I've always assumed he was dead by now, but have a pretty good feeling that he didn't pass on without leaving his mark in the gene pool, as witness William Linehan. Reading “Just Kid Me Old Highway Old Wildway O Pecos Bill” was really evocative of that smoke filled frat room - listening to an underlying story line (sort of), related in a self-indulgent rambling way, and inhabited largely by characters imaginary, mythological, or real. Things happened, and so on, but I felt comfortable enough wandering away from reading to go find some munchies, not worrying about it too much when I couldn't remember where I left the book five minutes or three hours later.

You've got to be the right sort of soul, at the right stage of your personal evolution - and especially with the right sort of momentary mood swing - to appreciate this book. Personally, I've kind of grown away from the experience. Now when I'm in that sort of state, I just turn out the room lights and stare into the aquarium, give names to each of the fish and make up my own cool little adventures. It's much more fulfilling.… (mehr)