Reasons to be radiophonically happy

My first introduction to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy wasn't those lovely books by Douglas Adams (who I miss very much)--it was the original BBC radio series (Note: you can get it as an MP3-cd collection). J. and I got hooked on it when our local upstate NY station broadcast it in the early 80s. While the whole series of books was a ball, I've still got a soft spot in my heart for the original radio program nonsense (I can't say I was a terrific fan of The BBC TV version, but this makes me a curmudgeon).

Oh, wait--if you don't know what I'm talking about, read this.

Or I suppose you could ask your parents.The new series dramatizes the next three novels: Life, The Universe And Everything; So Long And Thanks For All The Fish and Mostly Harmless. The program ran earlier today, it'll be repeated on Thursday, and then put online for your listening pleasure here for a week after that. This is definitely a possible use for Soundflower, innit? If you can't wait until Thursday, there's a nice MP3 sample full of the voices I know and love.

This will more than hold me until the Movie...or, rather, it will give me a bit more time to get used to things and to prepare for another possible disappointment of having a book I love made into a movie I'm not so wild about. So far, we have a bunch of bloggery, and one of those "really early teaser trailers with no actual footage in it" trailers here (big whoop). More to the point is a listing of the cast here. Hammer and Tongs directling? Tim Canterbury from "The Office" as Arthur Dent? Um, maybe. But Mos Def for Ford Prefect??? I really like his music, his acting in The Italian Job was just fine, etc., but I'll have to think about this one.

Don't get me wrong--sometimes a great book can be optioned and modified and turned into a really wonderful film. They just seem more the exception than the rule.

On that note, this interview with the film's screenwriter might be worth a look if you look at the cast list and mutter something unprintable. He appears to be aware of the problems facing him, and quite upfront about the objections that lovers of the original material are likely to have, too.

I wish everyone well, but I am going to be listening to the radio. I see best sitting in a dark room with no screens in it and listening with my imagination turned up, thanks.