On Fri, 05 Oct 2007 16:07:54 +0100, Bill Pragnell wrote:

> Jim Henderson wrote:
>> Yes, I thought it was an interesting read.  And he was very likeable; I
>> might've mentioned my autographed towel at some point - he was doing a
>> book signing near the University of Minnesota while I was taking some
>> summer orchestra classes there; I skipped a rehearsal (much to the
>> chagrin of the conductor, who also happened to be my private teacher as
>> well) to go stand in line; I got to the front of the line and presented
>> the towel to Adams; he laughed, said nobody had ever asked him to sign
>> a towel before, and he proceeded to sign it.  Took both of us leaning
>> on the corners to keep it from moving while he did.
> Genius.

In retrospect, I'd find it hard to believe nobody else in the world has a 
towel autographed by him (there even was an "official" towel available 
for purchase once upon a time).  But it still was nice of him to act as 
if he'd never done that before.

>> And of course, being the hoopy frood I am, I know right where it is.
>> :-)
> I went backpacking round the world six years ago, and although I always
> knew where my towel was, I was disappointed to learn that it wasn't the
> most useful thing I had with me... :-(

Sadly, that is the case a lot of the time.  Probably due to the lack of 
antidepressants in one end of any given towel....

>>>>>>> Well, it was a wild stab in the dark. :)
>>>>>> I'm glad I wasn't in front of the knife.
>>>>> Well, given how accurate my answer was you'd have been perfectly
>>>>> safe.
>>>> True, true.  But still there's all the dodging and weaving to be done
>>>> - that's more effort than I'd want to put into it. :-)
>>> Just keep still. You'd have been like a greenfly on a dartboard 400
>>> yards away.
>> But you're rubbish at close range, is that what you're saying? ;-)
> I'm getting confused between reality and metaphor now. I'm deadly at
> close range and dangerous at long range, but I didn't know what I was
> supposed to be aiming at! :)

Well, not knowing what you're supposed to be aiming at makes it easier 
for me. :-)

>> Don't even talk to me about Mos Def as Ford.  That had to be the worst
>> possible choice for the role;
> I think it could have been worse. He wasn't great but he was better than
> I was expecting.

The thing is, he didn't seem to put anything into the role - he (and Sam 
Rockwell, for that matter) seemed to just be reading the lines.  Ford has 
to have this sort of manic energy, and with Mos Def, there wasn't ANY 
energy.

>> the movie, as far as I'm concerned, doesn't exist except for two
>> things:  1, Stephen Frye as the book, and 2, for the book animations. 
>> Those were well done.
> Well done, but not as inventive and fitting as those in the BBC TV
> series. 

True, and I think it's more impressive what was done in the TV series if 
you look at what Rod Lord had to do to create them (ISTR that's the guy 
who did it, but I could be wrong on that).

> My biggest problem with the movie was the lazy and unpleasant
> characterisation of Zaphod. He's supposed to be arrogant and shallow,
> but in the original series he's still fundamentally likeable and
> relatively with it. In the movie, they made him a total w**k*r with no
> real contribution to the plot whatsoever. A massive waste.

Yeah, and the second head thing was disappointing as well.  There are 
some things that shouldn't be messed with, and the idea that Zaphod 
picked Trillian up at a fancy dress party with his second head under a 
cage with a towel over it is one of those things.

Through the entire radio series, Zaphod does come across as shallow but 
also as smart.

>> "Right, Everyone understand?"
>> "Yes."
>> "Marvin?"
>> "Understand?  You ask me if *I* understand?" "Yes or no?"
>> "Guess."
> 
> That's one of the best. Makes me laugh just reading it!

Another:

"Think of a number.  Any number."
"Um, Five."
"Wrong."

From the tertiary phase.  They had a problem with the first recording of 
Marvin in that - Stephen Moore was so happy to "have the gang back 
together" that Marvin sounded too happy.  They had to re-record it.

> "The first 10 million years were the worst. And the second 10 million
> years. They were the worst too. After that I went into a bit of a
> decline."

Before "After that", "The third 10 million I didn't enjoy at all."  :-)

"Insanity is a gradual process; don't rush it." - that's also from the 
Tertiary phase. :-)

Jim

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