Just about the first thing Alex and I noticed about Neil was “Hey, this guy reads a lot!” He always had a stack of books with him on the road, and it made quite the impression on me to be in the company of someone who, wherever we were, in the middle of whatever maelstrom, could just disappear into the pages.* Al and I were far more restless. We’d be goofing off half the time, but once Neil opened that book he was gone. He was this fascinating creature we’d found in our midst, and we were two dogs circling him, sniffing him out, observing his habits.
