Visuals? Who needs visuals? The original Hitchhiker’s Guide radio show was evocative enough in sound to evoke the bizarre otherworldly imagination of Douglas Adams: close your eyes, listen to the wizardry of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop (the same team that worked on Doctor Who), and it was all there. For fans of the radio show, even Adams’ book version wasn’t quite as good; little wonder the show inspired listeners to become audio engineers.
If you haven’t heard the radio show, there’s still time — and the movie is ultimately different enough that it wouldn’t spoil much. Dave’s Imaginary Sound Space points to a bunch of links, including free streaming audio from KCRW of the original show. Radio 4 has a productivity-obliteratingly-huge website with interviews about Adams, the old show, and — of course — the new radio shows, which bring back most of the old cast. (Hell, there’s even information on the old Infocom Hitchhiker’s text adventure game — I told you you don’t need visuals.)
Douglas Adams was infamous for “raising procrastination to an art form.” (Favorite quote: “I love deadlines. I like the wooshing noise they make as they go past.”) So what are you waiting for? Procrastination as art takes practice! Have a listen! Of course, the best way to hear the show is via high-quality audio, not streaming. What’s a poor Yankee to do, now that the US version is out of print? Why, ditch Amazon.com and head straight for Amazon.co.uk