Monty Python star Terry Jones remembers his friend Douglas Adams, author of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, who would have been 60 this weekend.
"He was such a brilliant writer," says Terry Jones of his old friend and fellow real ale aficionado Douglas Adams.
"Maybe that's why he hated it - he put so much effort into it."
The answer is 42! - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-17285332
(http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/58927000/jpg/_58927270_terry_douglas.jpg)
I do not subscribe to the "what if" school of history or philosophy, so I wont indulge in the what if he had only lived longer theme, but do feel a pang of sadness whenever I see a picture of Mr Adams.
I listened to the radios series as a boy, i bought the records of the radio series, I bought the books (all of them apart from the last one), I bought the DVD of the televisions series, and of the film.
I was a bit disappointed at the recent "Dirk Gently" adaptation, I thought they made him slightly too materialistic for my liking.
The film wasn't one hundred percent but then it's only a film. I will admit to tearing up a bit at the point where they started to play theme to the original TV series he Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy (Journey Of The Sorcerer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywKilWkX4jA&feature=related)) in the film.
M5, I have all five "phases" of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy in MP3......
Primary Phase, Quandary Phase, Quintessential Phase, Secondary Phase, Tertiary Phase.
Do you have them all? If not, I can zip them up and use "dropsend.com" to get them to you. Let me know, and I'll send them.
Quote from: DigitalBuddha on March 09, 2012, 05:30:56 PM
M5, I have all five "phases" of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy in MP3......
Primary Phase, Quandary Phase, Quintessential Phase, Secondary Phase, Tertiary Phase.
Do you have them all? If not, I can zip them up and use "dropsend.com" to get them to you. Let me know, and I'll send them.
I keep looking at them on cd, I have the vinyl (of the first two) but would love them all please.
Cool, will send. Will send the link to your email address in your profile. Will take a little while to zip up and upload to dropsend.com. Check your email address a little later.
Excellent mate thanks.
Quote from: meekon5 on March 09, 2012, 06:40:26 PM
Excellent mate thanks.
You're welcome, dude. Sending now. It's about 1.5 gigs, so it will take a while to upload. Should be available on your side in about 3 hours. Dropsend is a little slow, but works well.
Sometimes I wish I were more technical or I would be cheeky and ask for copies too.... :(
Quote from: Caesar dude on March 09, 2012, 07:39:30 PM
Sometimes I wish I were more technical or I would be cheeky and ask for copies too.... :(
After I get it uploaded, I'll send the link to you also, C dude. Enjoy!
OK, uploaded and sent to you both. It's coming from a website called "DropSend.com" Enjoy it, mangs!
(http://www.dropsend.com/dsn_images/logo.png)
Thank you very much for that dude.
Got it and am listening to the first one as I type.
You're a good man and thorough!
Quote from: Caesar dude on March 11, 2012, 02:10:40 PM
Thank you very much for that dude.
Got it and am listening to the first one as I type.
You're a good man and thorough!
Cool, you're welcome, mang. Did M5 get his copy?
Quote from: DigitalBuddha on March 11, 2012, 04:28:06 PM
Quote from: Caesar dude on March 11, 2012, 02:10:40 PM
Thank you very much for that dude.
Got it and am listening to the first one as I type.
You're a good man and thorough!
Cool, you're welcome, mang. Did M5 get his copy?
No I didn't.
:-[
Quote from: meekon5 on March 12, 2012, 06:32:51 AM
Quote from: DigitalBuddha on March 11, 2012, 04:28:06 PM
Quote from: Caesar dude on March 11, 2012, 02:10:40 PM
Thank you very much for that dude.
Got it and am listening to the first one as I type.
You're a good man and thorough!
Cool, you're welcome, mang. Did M5 get his copy?
No I didn't.
:-[
I take that back, confused Monday morning (as per usual).
Imagine sending it to my proper e-mail address.
Thanks for that downloading now.
Quote from: meekon5 on March 12, 2012, 06:54:02 AM
Quote from: meekon5 on March 12, 2012, 06:32:51 AM
Quote from: DigitalBuddha on March 11, 2012, 04:28:06 PM
Quote from: Caesar dude on March 11, 2012, 02:10:40 PM
Thank you very much for that dude.
Got it and am listening to the first one as I type.
You're a good man and thorough!
Cool, you're welcome, mang. Did M5 get his copy?
No I didn't.
:-[
I take that back, confused Monday morning (as per usual).
Imagine sending it to my proper e-mail address.
Thanks for that downloading now.
Hey M5, yeah, confused Mondays are the noorm for me, also. Maybe 42 would help! ;D Glad you got it, enjoy, mang!
Have to say there are differences from other versions I've got.
Maybe because they are trying to tie the whole concept together.
Little things like the worst poet in the universe was an eight year old girl in some of the versions, the explosion on Magrathea was never explained, the black ship belonged to Hotblack Desiato (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_minor_The_Hitchhiker's_Guide_to_the_Galaxy_characters#Hotblack_Desiato), lead singer of Disaster Area in the original version. I could go on. I know Adams changed things in different versions.
I'm was also a bit disappointed last night to get home to see the last few minutes of the Dirk Gently program that I didn't even know they had recorded more stories for.
;D
But thanks again for that.
--Stop--Press--
With a minimal amount of research the Hotblack Desiato bit replaced the original when they made the records.
I heard a radio 2 interview the other day in which the actor who plays Dirk was explaining that the two Dirk Gently books are essentially unfilmable (at least on a BBc budget) but that the character was worth pursuing...so they've made three new Holistic Detective programmes...and sort of stuck as close to the precept as they could.
I think it's watchable tv. At least as an organic whole but not necessarily as Douglas Adams would have wanted Dirk portrayed.
So far they've missed a trick by omitting the fridge or even the attacking Eagle...but hey...as I said it's entertainment and at least they're trying...
I'm not sure which BBC channel It's on but it's on catch up or BBCi Player if you miss any more...just realised I missed last nights but here yah go dude....
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01d8jmz/episodes/guide#b01d7phx (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01d8jmz/episodes/guide#b01d7phx)
Enjoy...
Some DB history...
I ran across The Hitchhiker's Guild to the Galaxy on the radio when a local NPR (National Pubic Radio) station, KCRW in Santa Monica, ran an ad in local newspaper's entertainment section advertising a radio drama produced by USC in California. George Lucas had gotten his film degree from USC and wanted to do something for the NPR station at USC (KUSC) so he donated the rights to produce a 12 part radio drama of the first Star Wars movie. It was produced at USC using the same sound effects from the movie and some of the actors; Mark Hammel, Anthony Daniels (C3P0), etc. and it was distributed to all NPR stations who wanted it.
Needless to say, I had my Teac Cassette Deck and Teac Reel to Reel all ready to go to tape it in stereo on the Sunday it first aired, which I did and still have it today (though I have since bought all three Star Wars radio dramas on CD).
Check out - http://www.swccmty.mex.tl/76313_Los-Radio-Dramas.html
(http://www.starwars-union.de/erwuniversum/radiodrama/bilder/behrensdanielshamillking.jpg)
Right after the first broadcasting episode one of Star Wars was over, the announcer began talking about something called "The Hitchhiker's Guild to the Galaxy"... I thought "what the hell is that!?" As he described it, I was frantically getting out another Cassette and Reel to que up for "The Hitchhiker's Guild to the Galaxy," I was ready to begin recording just as it started...Cassette on, Reel to Reel on, and I was recording...and I was totally blown away! It was awesome, funny as hell and very creative! I recorded all twelve 30 minute episodes and also have them today, and also on CD and MP3.
They don't, at least in the US, do much radio drama like that anymore! Alas, I wish they did.
And that was not all, after that they began broadcasting none other than The Lord Of the Rings! A stereo 13-part radio drama! I had to get that too! And I did! And yes, I still have my original cassettes and Reels. Also have it on MP3 and CD. Wait, that;s not all; they then aired the BBC's production of "The Foundation Trilogy;" Foundation and Second Foundation. Got it all!
(http://images.wikia.com/starwars/images/f/f4/Sw-radio.JPG)
(http://www.audiobooksonline.com/media/1565110056.gif)
(http://a3.ec-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/136/79cf846bc7e1440789b6d6883d2f78fc/l.jpg)
(http://mediad.publicbroadcasting.net/p/kunc/files/201109/kunc-starwars4.jpg)
;D Fuckin' eh!
(http://i2.squidoocdn.com/resize/squidoo_images/250/draft_lens17849960module149551242photo_1302796352Douglas_Adamas.jpg)
Nice picture of Hotblack there in the middle.
;D
I mention this because I am up to the Tertiary Phase already of H2G2.
On the train home I have been listening to downloaded podcasts for months now, mostly from a site I have to recommend:
Escapepod (http://escapepod.org/)
Just reminds me of the radio four Sunday afternoon book dramatisations i used to listen to as a kid.
I have to download them because the connectivity on the train home (and phone signal) is appaling.
Quote from: meekon5 on March 14, 2012, 09:49:34 AM
I mention this because I am up to the Tertiary Phase already of H2G2.
On the train home I have been listening to downloaded podcasts for months now, mostly from a site I have to recommend:
Escapepod (http://escapepod.org/)
Just reminds me of the radio four Sunday afternoon book dramatisations i used to listen to as a kid.
I have to download them because the connectivity on the train home (and phone signal) is appaling.
Hey cool, I've listened to a few episodes from Escape Pod I think on BBC 7, will have to check it out again. Quality material!
Quote from: meekon5 on March 14, 2012, 08:33:03 AM
Nice picture of Hotblack there in the middle.
;D
Hot Black even looks good being dead for a while. ;D
Belgium, man. Belgium.
Just as an aside:
Douglas Adams hyperland 1 of 5 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOsPKjbMvxY&feature=youtu.be&t=3m11s).
pinched from here:
20 years of the BBC on the web (http://www.bbc.co.uk/timelines/zpwy87h).
or the whole thing on:
Internet Archive (https://archive.org/details/DouglasAdams-Hyperland).
Someone mentioned Douglas Adams.
Great froods in history. (http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/may/29/unseen-hitchikers-guide-new-douglas-adams-biography)
Looks like I'm going to have to save up a few bones or clams, or whatever you call them.
Check out the The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Radio Series...
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=the+hitchhiker%27s+guide+to+the+galaxy+radio+series+ (https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=the+hitchhiker%27s+guide+to+the+galaxy+radio+series+)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61zpMObMs5L._SS500_.jpg)
Quote from: meekon5 on May 19, 2014, 07:44:46 AM
Just as an aside:
Douglas Adams hyperland 1 of 5 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOsPKjbMvxY&feature=youtu.be&t=3m11s).
pinched from here:
20 years of the BBC on the web (http://www.bbc.co.uk/timelines/zpwy87h).
or the whole thing on:
Internet Archive (https://archive.org/details/DouglasAdams-Hyperland).
Someone mentioned Douglas Adams.
Awesome! Great find, M dude! ;D(http://dudeism.com/smf/Themes/default/images/post/thumbup.gif)
I noticed on BBC News that the family allowed someone to go through his archives and they found unpublished chapters, and the original version of LTU&E which was going in a different direction (and then he broke up with his girlfriend and rewrote it).
Quote from: jdurand on May 30, 2014, 08:01:37 PM
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8694.Life_the_universe_and_everything_review (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8694.Life_the_Universe_and_Everything) https://essaydune.com/ (https://essaydune.com/)
I noticed on BBC News that the family allowed someone to go through his archives and they found unpublished chapters, and the original version of LTU&E which was going in a different direction (and then he broke up with his girlfriend and rewrote it).
The F-word was censored in Life, the Universe, and Everything, the US edition. Douglas Adams was a fascinating personality, I did a project about his writing style and, to tell the truth, his ambitions were remarkable. Btw, before his success as a sci-fi writer, he worked as a bodyguard to a Qatari family of oil tycoons.