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After a successful string of live gigs and a six-part BBC2
series, what can a book tell us that we don't already know about
Dave Gorman's obsessive quest to track down his namesakes?
Thankfully, quite a lot. For although the story will be familiar
to anyone who's seen the preceding shows, there's plenty new
to enjoy in this retelling.
For starters, this is a proper grown-up tome, not just another
cheap comedy tie-in. And, as a consequence, some of the gimmicks
that made the earlier incarnations such a delight have been sacrificed.
The mpdg - the number of miles travelled per Dave Gorman - that
was once all-important has been relegated to a mere paragraph.
And the beloved graph charting this statistic doesn't even rate
a mention.
No, this book revolves around the odyssey itself. The ridiculous
and desperate lengths Dave would go to in order to satisfy a
drunken bet with flatmate Danny Wallace that he couldn't meet
another 54 Dave Gormans (or Gormen, which we are told is the
correct plural form) representing one for every card in the deck
- including the jokers.
This is clearly one insane idea.
Nick Hornby may have explored the idea of men bringing security
to their lives through obsessive devotion to music or football,
but this raises the stakes to the nth degree. And what's worse
is that this is non-fiction.
In fact, the closest equivalent in literary terms may well
be The Dice Man novel. For Dave and Danny displace responsibility
for their own unjustifiable actions onto the will of an unpredictable
external force. For six months, the course of their entire lives
was determined by the latest tip-off about the existence of another
DG. They had no say in their own destiny, it was all about the
quest.
And the book is much more 'they' than 'he'. While previous
versions have been Gorman single-handedly recounting his eccentric
tale, this is the first time we have heard from Danny, who accompanied
him every step of the way.
In the book, the flatmates write alternate passages, a device
that's nowhere near as offputting as it first appears. Thus the
enthusiastic voice of Dave is constantly quelled by the grumpiness
of Danny.
Now his curmudegonly attitude might be slightly affected -
after all, how bad can it be adventuring around the world at
your mad flatmate's expense? - but the counterpoint does add
considerably to the story's interest. Especially as the way Danny's
relationship with his girlfriend Hanne is battered by the boys'
incomprehensible single-minded determination serves to highlight
the increasingly gaping void between their lives and normal behaviour.
But, as before, it's the sheer madness of the quest that proves
the compelling hook, complemented by the authors' lightness of
touch and quickness of pace. And, of course, it is funny too.
Above all, though, this is a cracking adventure - and one
which anyone can enjoy, even if you've never met a Dave Gorman.
September 10, 2001
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