You can hear a sample of it in the clip above. In one of these introductions, he talks about how Sherlock Holmes saved his life. I found my first Sherlock Holmes story when I was twelve years old. I got lost in the woods and nearly drowned, neither of which really helped my intense feelings of awkwardness, which were largely brought about by being taller than everyone else and not having a clue about how to fit into a group of my peers.
But at night, while everyone else was building their character and bonding socially, I hid in my sleeping bag and read about Sherlock Holmes.
Holmes, too, was an outsider; a man who admitted to not having many friends and not fitting inβand who was taller than most people. And he, with all his weird quirks and socially awkward manners, was the hero of his story. I also think I learned how to be a good friend by watching Watson. He expressed everything he felt clearly, and he showed up when he was needed. Having those two around got me through what turned out to be one of the hardest years of my growing up, with bullies and mean teachers and the outdoors all conspiring against me.
By high school, I had read and re-read the entire Holmes canon multiple times. I actually made a few friends who had read a bit about Sherlock Holmes as wellβadmittedly, not to the same obsessive level that I had, but who were willing to keep up a conversation with me, or watch the Jeremy Brett adaptations with me.
But college is when Holmes really stepped up to help me out. I did my junior semester abroad in London, and trust me when I tell you I was living in the creepiest, most unsanitary, and poorly insulated dorm room you can imagine, with some of the least personable people this side of a sitcom. But I had Holmes. Timson, for the record, is a marvel. He created a different voice for every character in the entire Holmes world.
