Knock some of the crap off your Christmas list and put this on … the original BBC radio production of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy … trust me, you’ll still be enjoying it long after you’ve traded the summer blockbuster DVD or the lame video game adaptation of the summer blockbuster.
I’ve still got my old cassette version, but you can get it on CD and rip it onto your iPod and be set for life.
Why? Because it’s fun and funny and it’s fun and funny forever. And it’s brilliant, genius, life-changing, smartass, brain-warping, mind-expanding, etc…
If you’ve read Hitchhikers already, you still need this because it’s (a) the same and (b) different. The radio series is the original form of Hitchhikers. This is when “Don’t Panic” was fresh and new.
If you haven’t read Hitchhikers, you need to either (a) read it or (b) listen to this BBC masterpiece immediately.
Why do you “need” to read/listen to a relatively ancient science fiction comedy? ...
Because no one has topped it yet. No one has ever hit this many targets in a row.
A synopsis of the plot is futile, since the plot isn’t the point. I hesitate to say exactly what the point was, but puncturing all known human folly is certainly a byproduct.
If you insist on knowing something about the plot: There are people and a depressed robot flying around in a spaceship. See, as the depressed robot would tell you, that was futile. Perhaps it will help if I add that there are some doors on the spaceship that are very pleased with themselves for opening and closing to allow entry and egress.
Anyway, it doesn’t cost that much and your aunt will be happy to know what to get for you that’s not a gift card or an M rated video game.
If you’ve got more room on your list, here’s a reminder of some titles I’ve talked about before:
Books:
Stanislaw Lem: Cyberiad (Carries my highest possible recommendation.)
Martin Gardner: "The Colossal Book of Mathematics: Classic Puzzles, Paradoxes, and Problems."
Michael Moorcock: “The War Hound and The World’s Pain.”
“Freakonomics.”
Jobe Makar: “Macromedia Flash MX Game Design Demystified”
DVD
Time Bandits
Music
“Sympathy for the Devil” Rolling Stones album: Beggar’s Banquet
2 comments :
I have waited far too long for the reissue of the original BBC production... but it comes just in time for my eldest daughter who just finished the books and watches the movie version once a month. She might not think she needs to hear this radio version, but I (and you, I suspect) know better.
This is SO good. I heard this when I was about 12 and it truly cemented the characters' voices in my mind, particularly Arthur and Ford.
Also, the cheesy music is fantastic.
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