Towel Day 2021 – Douglas Adams and Monty Python

Towel Day occurs on May 25th annually and is the internet-wide celebration of the life and work of Douglas Noel Adams (1952-2001).

 

“He was a brilliant writer….maybe that’s why he hated it. He put so much effort into it” Terry Jones quoted in an article on what would have been Douglas Adams’ 60th birthday. 

Graham Chapman discovered Douglas Adams in 1974 as the result of a live show the latter had written. They started a short lived writing collaboration when Chapman’s former collaborator, John Cleese, left Monty Python in December of 1974. Adams would go on to receive a writing credit for the sketch Patient Abuse which appeared on the final episode of Monty Python’s Flying Circus. Adams is one of only two non-Python members to receive a writing credit in the series. Adams also collaborated on a sketch for Monty Python and the Holy Grail.  

Continue reading Towel Day 2021 – Douglas Adams and Monty Python

And Now for Something Completely Different — Podcast Recommendation

I’m going to do something a little different for this Towel Day and make a recommendation of a podcast that has been around for years, but I’ve only recently started downloading.

Most Notorious is a true-crime podcast hosted by author and historian, Erik Rivenes. In each episode, Erik examines a certain moment, both well known and obscure, of history by interviewing the authors who have written books about the event. Erik and his guests strip the mythology of the bygone eras away and get to the hear of. His linear style of guiding the conversation through the event discussed is engrossing. Since discovering this podcast my “to be read” pile has grown exponentially.

In an early episode, Erik interviews author Harold Schechter whose work of non-fiction Hell’s Princess: The Mystery of Belle Gunness I reviewed last year (to read that review click here). The interview with Erik Rivenes focuses on Schechter’s book Fiend, the subject of which is America’s youngest serial killer, Jesse Pomeroy (to check out the book’s Amazon page, click here). They discuss the recorded and likely reasons that the 14-year-old sexual sadist chose his victims and what became of him after his conviction and the many years he spent in isolation. In another early episode, Erik interviews E. Don Harpe with a focus on his book The Harpe’s Last Rampage, the True Story of America’s First Serial Killers (to check out the book’s Amazon page, click here). E. Don Harpe, a descendant of the Harpe brothers, digs deep into his subject matter and opens up about the connection he felt to his ancestors when he visited the site of their hideout. In another episode, Erik and J.D. Chandler, author of Murder and Scandal in Prohibition Portland, discuss the Torso Murder and the police’s lack of action to find a missing woman who may have been more of a danger to local law enforcement officials than they might have liked. Why was the disappearance never investigated? Is the Torso found in the local river that of the missing woman? Will the recent reopening of her disappearance yield any results?

The host’s ease with his guests and his knowledge of each subject keeps the subject moving and really makes washing dishes and cleaning the bathroom in this time of isolation a delight. As with any true-crime podcast, the subject gets heavy at times but the style of the host imbues a lighter tone while not robbing the bad that happened of its gravity. That is not to say, that all of the episodes involving bloody and horrible crimes (Nazis in America with author Arnie Bernstein was entertaining and will give listeners a new perspective on journalist, Walter Winchell).

Most Notorious is my new favorite podcast and if, like me, you love history and maybe tend to run a little bit behind the times, check it out. I think you’ll love it too. I am rapidly plowing through the 162 episodes currently uploaded and unlike some of my other podcasts, no break needed. I’m spending a ton of books and there are no regrets. Check it out today!

To check out the Most Notorious podcast go to their website.

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

Publication Date: November 28, 2006

 

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry PratchettGood Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett deals with Aziraphale, an angel, and Crowley, a demon, aren’t ready for the end times. They’ve gotten quite comfortable in their years on Earth. Despite representing good and evil, the two decide to work together to postpone the inevitable.    Continue reading Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency Season 1 (2017)

DVD Release Date: January 24, 2017

 

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas AdamsDirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency Season 1 (2017) is based on Douglas Adams’s Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency series. Shortly after Todd (Elijah Wood) finds the body of Partick Spring, a billionaire with a lot of secrets, Holistic Detective Dirk Gently (Samuel Barnett) crawls through his window and presses him into investigating the murder. With a holistic assassin (Fiona Dourif) on Dirk’s heels, can he solve the case before he’s swimming with the fishes? Continue reading Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency Season 1 (2017)

The Watch (2012)

DVD Release Date: November 13, 2012

 

The Watch (2012)In The Watch (2012), a night watchman at the local Costco is brutally murdered, the manager of the store, Evan Trawling (Ben Stiller) starts a neighborhood watch group. He and his group of misfits, Bob (Vince Vaughn), Franklin (Jonah Hill) and Jamarcus (the IT Crowd’s amazing Richard Ayoade) soon suspect alien invasion. Can they stop the aliens before their small Ohio town is laid to waste? Continue reading The Watch (2012)

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Release Date: March 28, 2017

 

American Gods by Neil GaimanIn American Gods by Neil Gaiman, Shadow’s wife, Laura, is his driving motivation to stay on the straight and narrow when the day finally comes that he’s released from jail. When she’s killed in an accident shortly before his release, he’s left rudderless and accepts a job from a mysterious man named Mr. Wendesday. Soon he discovers a world that could not have been imagined of ambitious new gods versus weary ancient gods. As the storm brews, who will survive and who will win the battle of American gods. Continue reading American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Tron (1982)

Release Date: July 9, 1982 | DVD Release Date: April 5, 2011

 

Tron Science Fiction movie

In Tron (1982), Kevin Flynn’s (Jeff Bridges) video game creations were stolen by his former co-worker, Dillinger (David Warner). In order to prove that his games were stolen, Flynn tries to hack into the mainframe of his former workplace, ENDCOM with no success so decides to go to the business himself in order to find proof of the larceny. While there, the Master Control Program (MCP — voiced by David Warner), which has become self-aware, digitizes Flynn and downloads him into the mainframe. In the mainframe, Flynn is forced to fight other programs that appear in the image of their creators and they really can die. Can Flynn get out alive? Continue reading Tron (1982)

The Frood: The Authorised & Very Official History of Douglas Adams & The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Jem Roberts

Publication Date: March 1, 2016

 

The Frood: The Authorised & Very Official History of Douglas Adams & The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Jem RobertsThe Frood: The Authorised & Very Official History of Douglas Adams & The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Jem Roberts is an examination of the influences and impact of the late Douglas Adams on British comedy, his most famous work, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and his legacy.

Continue reading The Frood: The Authorised & Very Official History of Douglas Adams & The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Jem Roberts