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The Canadian Champion, Friday, September 5, 2008 - Bi EEHANm ARTS Writer retraces motorcydlej 'Zen and Now: On the Tfrail of Robert Pirsïg and the At of Motorcycle Maintenance' soon to be released By Stephanie Hounseli CANADIAN CHAMPION STAFF It was a mocorcycle nide tbac would bopefully tell bim if the grass was, indeed, greener on the ocher side. With a whole 12 days with no tics to borne and no responsibîlicies to bis young family, Mark Richardson was going to, travel tbrougb rural Amenica on bis tmuscy Suzuki dirt bike to live the ternporary exis- tence of a bachelor. But be wasn't following just any trail. The trip chat was somewhat of a searcb for meaning was also a search to discover more about a man wbose '70s bestseller bad influenced bîm greatly Lt was autbor Robert Pirsigýs motorcycle route that Richardson would retrace. Lt was certainly a multi-faceced tnip. Adventure, a search for mean- ing... and if a book came out of tbe joumey, chat wouldn't be so bad, cither. Lt did. Four years after that trip, Richardson - a Milton resident - is now preparing to embark on another mocorcycle tour tbrougb the States. But tbis urne, its not a personaL search, but a tour for the book that arose out of that searcb. On Tuesday, Richardsons book Zen and Now. On thse Trail of Robert Pirsig and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance will be released by publisher Knopf Canada. Already the book bas gamnered attention from major media outlets. Tbe book tour wiIl take Richardson to Boston, Denver and Los Angeles, among other major U.S. cities. He wilI Leave Saturd.ay Sorne migbt describe Zen and Now: On thse Trail of Robert Pirsig and thse Art of Motorcycle Maintenance as pare motorcycle road trip and part biograpby, witb sonne of Richardsons own experiences thrown in. Pirsig is dle auchor of tbe 1968 book Zen and thse Art of Motorcyclc Maintenance, whicb sold millions of copies. if Richardson's book is multi-layered, Pirsigs Ls ail the more, with philusuphical discussions woven in and out of travel sto- ries. Fittingly, Zen and Now is being publisbed on the 40th anniversary of the trip that inspired Pirsig's book. Richardson - who's editor for the Toronto Stars Wheels section - freely admits he has little expert insight into Pirsigls complex book, and bas so far read it about 20 urnes, each time seeing something new On this particular Fniday S morrnng, Ricbardson looks quite ai borne seated at a table at Troys Diner. And with good reason. He spent much of bis time proof- reading bis manuscript over Great Canadian breakfasts. Gutside the restaurant is Jackie New, the diii bike from bis book. Ricbcrdson said he first picked up Zen and the Art wben be was a teen, intrigued by the motorcycle aspect, but didn't get far. A decade lacer, he made it balfway througb. "Lt wasn't clicking with me," he said. When he turned 40, he took it to the cot- tage and read it cover to cover. Tbis time, be found something in it. Lt finally clicked. He could relate to it, because he'd done a similar road trip years earlier. Lt was soon after that Richardson decided co retrace the trip Pirsig made witb his 11 - year-old son, Chris. He left bebind bis wife, Wendy, and two boys, aged seven and four. lI make no bones about tbe fact 1 was in tbe middle of a mid-life crisis," he said, adding be hoped a book would resuit. "I wouldn't die bappy until I'd written a book." Front July 18 to 30, 2004, Richardson travelled the open road, taking tbe less-beat- en path. He met up with some of the very people Pirsig rode with and visited on bis trip. One of the reasons he tbinks bis book is GRAHAM PAINt / CANADIAN CHAMPIUN EASY RIDER: Looking right at home in front of his dirt bike, Jackie New, Mark Richardson eagerly awaits the release of bis new book. causing people tco take notice is the new information it contains about che life of Pirsig, Richardson said. Througb talking witb Pirssgs ex-wife, cbiîd, some friends and others, Richardson reveals mucb about Pirsig includmng bis scruggle with mental ilI- ness and tIhe murder of bis son, Chnis. lts information Richardson couldn't get directly from Pirsig; although be corre- sponded a handful of times wrth the author about Zen and Naw, thse 79-year-old didnct want to be part of thse book. Richardson said he hopes bis book seilI inspire readers to take joumeys of their own. "My hope is that people will read my book and then read Zen and the Art and have a context and chey'LI bc able to appreciate Zen and the Art in a way 1 didn't before," be said. As for Richardsons initial question, it wasnft - greener on the other side, that is. The grass was just fine wbere be was, in Milton with his seife and sons. "I set off and by the end of che tnip, t found 1 wanted to be borne again - or at least be with my wife and kids." Stephanie Hounsell can be reached at sthiessen@,)niltoncanadianchampion.con.