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1979 Interview With Douglas Adams

Posted by kdawson on from the six-by-nine dept.

An anonymous reader points out the inaugural issue of the online sci-fi mag Darker Matter, which start off with a bang by publishing an interview with the late Douglas Adams that has not seen the light of day in 28 years, except for brief excerpts published in the magazine that commissioned the interview. The first two parts are now online with the last part coming next month.

5 of 73 comments (clear)

  1. Lem by Yurka · · Score: 4, Interesting

    How nice it is to see DNA give his respects to Pan Stanislaw - and his translator, Michael Kandel, though not by name. I've read Lem in Russian, a language very close to his native Polish, which makes the translator's job significantly easier, and still some places are better in English. Go get yourself a copy of the "Cyberiad".

    --
    I can assure you, the best way to get rid of dragons is to have one of your own.
  2. Re:Doctor Who's finest hour... by ewhac · · Score: 3, Interesting
    There are all kinds of wonderful quips from that season. I'm sure they're down to Adams' influence.

    There's a quote from the episode, "Nightmare of Eden." It's one of my favorite quotes anywhere, and I would be very surprised if it wasn't penned by Adams himself.

    Captain Rigg: Well who do you work for? The Doctor: Work for? I don't work for anybody! I'm just having fun.

    Schwab

    --
    Editor, A1-AAA AmeriCaptions
  3. Re:Best. Analogy. Evar. by 644bd346996 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    "The ships hung in the air in much the same way that bricks don't."

    There's a special, reserved place in heaven for anybody who can turn a phrase like that. Even for atheists. We can go on all night with our favorite quotes. I have my omnibus edition within arm's reach.

    I think it is great that Douglas Adams continues to appeal to younger audiences. With sci-fi, there is the risk of the real world catching up to the point that the sci-fi sounds quaint. Not so with Adams, partly because of the satire inherent in his work. Even kids who have grown up with Harry Potter can appreciate the Hitchhiker novels.

    And, for those who don't remember, the Paul Simon inspiration mentioned at the end of part 2 of the article is the album One Trick Pony. It was mentioned in the acknowledgments for "The Restaurant at the End of the Universe".
  4. A Tragedy by vertigoCiel · · Score: 5, Interesting

    His death, at only 49, was one of the saddest events in recent memory for English literatue. Apart from being brilliantly funny, he also made very keen observations on society and culture. One of my favorites: "... To summarize, the people who want to lead the government, are, by virtue of wanting to lead, the least qualified to do so. To summarize the summary: people are a problem." May he be remembered fondly, with tea and biscuits.

    1. Re:A Tragedy by Dan+Slotman · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I love that gag. It is so easy to imagine that it actually happened. Here is what I thought the most striking part of the interview was, "I just want to kill the idea that you have to be bland to appeal to your market, though I know a lot of the BBC old guard still regard Hitchhiker's as a momentary aberration, a fluke, and not really what radio comedy ought to be about." Adam's work definitely displays his quirky, almost backwards way of looking at life, and it is easy to see why his ideas didn't get a lot of immediate traction. However, between that outlook and his gift for wordplay, in my opinion, he is the best recent comedy writer. (I don't think Johnathan Swift's satire is beatable.)