Douglas Adams

EVIL V2.1 · #1 (**permalink**) 08-20-2007, 01:32 PM

Who likes Douglas Adams (God Rest His Soul) Works?
Works:
#1 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1979)
#2 The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (1980)
#3 Life, the Universe and Everything (1982)
#4 So Long, and Thanks For All the Fish (1984)
#5 Mostly Harmless (1992)
#6 Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (1987)
#7 The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul (1988)
#8 The Salmon of Doubt (incomplete, 2002)
#9 The Meaning of Liff (1983, with John Lloyd)
#10 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: The Original Radio Scripts (1985, with Geoffrey Perkins)
#11 The Utterly Utterly Merry Comic Relief Christmas Book (1986)
#12 The Deeper Meaning of Liff (1990, with John Lloyd; extended version of The Meaning of Liff)
#13 Last Chance to See (1990, with Mark Carwardine)
#14 The Illustrated Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1994)
#15 Starship Titanic (computer game) (1998)
#16 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (computer game) (1984, with Steve Meretzky)
#17 Bureaucracy (computer game) (1987)
#18 Hyperland (TV documentary) (1990)
And More...

Ode to a Grasshopper · #2 (**permalink**) 08-21-2007, 09:55 AM

Haven't read a lot of them, but those I have I've loved.

May he RIP.

galraen · #3 (**permalink**) 08-21-2007, 09:58 AM

I enjoyed the original radio shows back in the day, but I wasn't too keen on his books I'm afraid. Some of the best radio comedy of all time IMO though.

Magelord648 · #4 (**permalink**) 08-21-2007, 01:47 PM

I read Hitch-Hiker's guide but I found his style of writing tiring. The story was great though. When the film came out it was accurate enough to be enjoyable. So I watch that every now and then. I might try reading it again though. It was a few years ago last time I tried.

EVIL V2.1 · #5 (**permalink**) 08-23-2007, 02:53 PM

Does No One Else Like This Great Mans Works?!?!

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dragon wench · #6 (**permalink**) 08-23-2007, 02:58 PM

Personally, I prefer Terry Pratchett. But, these things are always subjective, and I did find Hitchhiker's Guide humorous.

Er... Must you really use that size font? It's so... well.... uhm.. big...

Siberys · #7 (**permalink**) 08-23-2007, 03:42 PM

@Evil-

IMO, Adam's wasn't that great a writer. Honestly, it looked like he just got trashed stoned and threw whatever ideas popped into his head on a book. The story itself makes very little logical sense, and the movies are obviously worse, so I'm not that great a fan of the man. Though, I respect that he was a writer and did make it in the world, that much I can give him.

@DW-

YES! Discworld is awesome! Sgt. Vimes and his pocket gnome, ahh the stories he could tell. I need to find more of his books, I haven't read much really, and it's been so long since I read anything of his.

rmemmett84 · #8 (**permalink**) 08-23-2007, 03:54 PM

I have only read the Hitchhiker series so I wouldn't consider myself an expert but I found them very dry and a little dull. His humor was lost on me. I finished them only because I started them and hate to stop in the middle.

JesterKing · #9 (**permalink**) 08-30-2007, 01:36 PM

Ah this is tragic. I loved the humor. As per writing, no he wasn't revolutionary, or even particularly skilled in any area except irony and timing, but then he wasn't a writer, was he? He was a comedian, and a damned fine one at that in my opinion. I've always thought his works were more or less the equivalent of Monty Python in prose.

rmemmett84 · #10 (**permalink**) 08-31-2007, 07:59 PM

I would definitely agree with the Monty Python comparison. I actually almost said that my self. I did not however enjoy Monty Python either. (With the possible exception of the knight guarding the bridge in The Holy Graile) Maybe I'm a little more dirty or slap stick because I found both Benny Hill and Dave Allen far funnier.

dragon wench · #11 (**permalink**) 08-31-2007, 09:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rmemmett84

Maybe I'm a little more dirty or slap stick because I found both Benny Hill and Dave Allen far funnier.

Hmmm... I'm not sure I'd put Benny Hill and Dave Allen on the same level, personally. Benny Hill always seemed quite crass to me, whereas Dave Allen generally presented his humour with panache and subtlety...
But, those are obviously subjective perceptions

I also see the Monty Python and Douglas Adams correlation, though. There are parts of Monty Python, notably "The Meaning of Life," and some of their skits/songs I find really humorous. But... I also feel that sometimes they just go to the point where something is no longer funny. "The Ministry of Funny Walks" comes to mind...

This is one reason why I prefer Terry Pratchett over Douglas Adams. The humour is far more layered and tongue-in-cheek.

Cyro · #12 (**permalink**) 09-01-2007, 08:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dragon wench

Er... Must you really use that size font? It's so... well.... uhm.. big...

Maybe he's compensating? (kidding)

Douglas Adams is my favourite comedic author.

Ode to a Grasshopper · #13 (**permalink**) 09-01-2007, 09:53 AM

Gotta disagree there DW, as a philosopher-type DA is even more of a beautiful read than TP (much as I love my Pratchett, I even have an autographed copy of the Hedgehog Song floating around somewhere at my mother's place).

rmemmett84 · #14 (**permalink**) 09-02-2007, 06:43 PM

[quote=dragon wench;957936]Hmmm... I'm not sure I'd put Benny Hill and Dave Allen on the same level, personally. Benny Hill always seemed quite crass to me, whereas Dave Allen generally presented his humour with panache and subtlety...

Benny Hill was most definitely crass but Dave Allen was far from subtle. All of his humor was ethnic. In fact I remember Benny Hill actually doing a skit making fun of Dave Allen's bigotry.

That being said I still don't think Adams was funny, sorry.
Maybe I'm just not very bright but I really never "got" any of his humor.

fable · #15 (**permalink**) 09-02-2007, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rmemmett84

Benny Hill was most definitely crass but Dave Allen was far from subtle. All of his humor was ethnic. In fact I remember Benny Hill actually doing a skit making fun of Dave Allen's bigotry.

I don't think you mean, "bigotry." That refers to unfair discrimination based on any particular qualifier (sex, race, nationality, etc). Allen was Irish. He poked fun at the Scots, English, and Irish, and he also loved Irish ethnic humor. He was *not* a bigot.

The only way I could see any comic doing a takeoff on Dave Allen would be if they came on-stage, sat on a stool, smoking and carrying a drink; finished their routine, and said, "May your god go with you." Everything thing else in Allen's shows was funny, but not Allen-specific, if you follow me. I can see Spike Milligan going some of Allen's takeoffs on Wuthering Heights, for example.

I liked Douglas Adams. His Hitchhiker's Guide reminded me of William S Gilbert's The Mikado, in a way: no matter the apparent subject, both were wonderful, in depth attacks on humanity in general and the English in particular. Each was highly amusing, and a discerning social critic.