Comments on: great first lines: ross macdonald http://www.slantsixcreative.com/2008/04/28/great-first-lines-ross-macdonald/ Speak Now Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:48:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Gordon Harries http://www.slantsixcreative.com/2008/04/28/great-first-lines-ross-macdonald/#comment-555 Gordon Harries Wed, 07 May 2008 12:29:52 +0000 http://www.slantsixcreative.com/?p=97#comment-555 I’m a huge fan of Macdonald too (and was thrilled to see one of his quotes being used as an epigram in your own ’Last Exit Before Toll’) Blue City, at least according to Tom Nolan’s excellent biography of Macdonald, had a fairly interesting genesis. Macdonald was fascinated by Jazz and the way that exceptional tunes were often built from fairly obvious riffs. He decided to attempt to recreate this by borrowing motifs from several Hammett works (the book cites Red Harvest, The Glass Key and Nightmare Town) and Nelson Algren’s Never Come Morning. Thought that this may be of interest as I know you’ve said in the past that some of LEBT’s inspiration comes from Hammett too. Gordon. I’m a huge fan of Macdonald too (and was thrilled to see one of his quotes being used as an epigram in your own ’Last Exit Before Toll’)

Blue City, at least according to Tom Nolan’s excellent biography of Macdonald, had a fairly interesting genesis. Macdonald was fascinated by Jazz and the way that exceptional tunes were often built from fairly obvious riffs. He decided to attempt to recreate this by borrowing motifs from several Hammett works (the book cites Red Harvest, The Glass Key and Nightmare Town) and Nelson Algren’s Never Come Morning.

Thought that this may be of interest as I know you’ve said in the past that some of LEBT’s inspiration comes from Hammett too.

Gordon.

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