"Time is an illusion, lunch time doubley so." - the immortal words of Betelgeusian Ford Prefect.
Yes it's towel day, the world wide celebration of The Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy and rememberance of it's creator, Douglas Adams who passed away on May 11, 2001. A day when self proclaimed nerds can show their love of Adam's stories which have spanned radio, books and television for the last thirty years. I am myself wearing a towel over my shoulder, and true to Adam's words it has been more than useful over the day.
I was first introduced to Douglas Adams when I began playing Starship Titanic twelve years ago. I loved the quirky oddball humour of the game, it had the large budget and graphics of an epic American video game, but it certainly didn't take itself seriously. I began reading the Hitchiker books when I was fourteen. Although my parents revelled in the television show, I was unaware of the kind of impact these stories made on the nation.
It's the pure, unglamourised Britishness that makes Hitchikers so accessible to it's English audience. We can all relate to despondant Arthur Dent, a man who simply wished to potter around his little house who ends up travelling the lengths of the galaxy in his dressing gown. He fumbles along in these adventures, pausing to gawp wide mouthed at life's little annoyances (i.e the world being destroyed) protesting to have a little lie down when things get tough and the ever lasting search for a good cup of tea.
Adams was famous for his style of improvised writing. His fluency and unique flair for combining the genres of comedy and sci-fi made his books an engaging read for the teenage me. However Adams who was well reknowned for writer's block and procrastination, "I love deadline, I love the whoosing sound they make as the fly by." The last books of the series; "So Long and Thanks for all the Fish" and "Mostly Harmless" did not reach critical acclaim and were based sketchy subplots of his creations from the previous series, although Arthur and his hapless friends are given their final curtain call.
In 1981 the BBC broadcast a television series of HHGG which thanks to a brilliant casting (I'm convinced Simon Jones really is Arthur Dent) and some fantastic hand made illustrations disguised as computer graphics, it is a very faithful adaptation of the story. The choice to use American "squeaky-tonsils" Sandra Dickinson was a brave one, seeing as Trillian was originally an "arabic looking" astrophysicist from England, but I wouldn't want to argue with Adams's decision.
The Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy epitomises what it is to be British: eccentricity, an overwhelming desire to drink a good cup of tea, being overwhelmingly startled at change but giving small responses like "Oh dear." HHGG philosophises about our very existence, how insignificant and mundane our lives are, but how wonderfully funny they are. Adams was never afraid to stare into the seemingly bleakness of life and laugh. There might not be a god, there might not be any rime or reason why some of us get shitty jobs, repulsive family members or get our houses crushed by a demolition squad, but we might as well have a giggle. Happy Towel Day!
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