M J Simpson on Harry Porter

May 5, 2004

It is a widely acknowledged fact among fans of Douglas Adams that, should any new information on the subject appear, it will be beamed immediately into Mike Simpson's head. It has been said about him, by Simon Jones (who played Arthur Dent), that:

"It was generally remarked, even by his subject, that Simpson knew more about Adams than Adams himself."

However, since from the comparatively little I know about Douglas Adams, that doesn't seem much of a claim, let's say instead that M J Simpson is probably the foremost expert on Douglas Adams in the world. As well as being, currently, Research Archivist for ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha, the official Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Appreciation Society (He's a former president and editor of their magazine, Mostly Harmless), he has written extensively on the subject and his recent book, Hitchhiker: A Biography of Douglas Adams, is to be highly recommended (I've mentioned it before here), and even comes with forewords by either John Lloyd or Neil Gaiman, depending which copy you buy (more about the book here and here). His Planet Magrathea website is the best source for information on the forthcoming, long overdue Hitchhiker film, while www.mjsimpson.co.uk has great news and reviews of Sci-Fi and Horror films.

Anyhoo, to the comment (well, actually, it was an e-mail, but he said I could put it up here). It's about Harry Porter:

James,

I was just taking a glance at the Footlights website to look something up for yet another piece on Douglas Adams, and I was shocked to find, somewhat belatedly, that dear old Harry Porter has passed away.

Harry was the epitome of generosity in helping me with my book. He didn't know me from Adam but responded to my initial enquiry by inviting me over to spend a fascinating day rifling through the archive. Without that day the Footlights chapters would have been scanty indeed; I can still remember him handing me a slip of paper with 1970s meeting minutes for which 'brief' would be an overstatement about who should direct A Kick in the Stalls, with 'Douglas Adams not interested' scribbled at the bottom.

In particular, his comment (without my prompting) about Douglas having seen a copy of The Plaine Man's Pathway to Heaven in his front room settled a long-standing HHGG question - and he recalled Douglas being rather embarrassed on one occasion when he reminded him of it.

The last time I was in touch with Harry was when the book was published (thank you for your kind comments on your blog, by the way). He sent me a typed letter dated 23rd March which I have in front of me now. Delightfully daft, as ever. One line reads 'If the correspondec xxxxxxit out tih va its own charm!' and he has added an asterisk with a handwritten footnote: 'I can't decipher all this, so will leave it undisturbed.'

Harry was one of those people where the world is poorer for his passing, but so much richer for his having been here in the first place. I did a short interview with him about his memories of Douglas Adams when I was at his house; I must dig it out and put it in the ZZ9 magazine (I'll send you a copy). On a more prosaic but practical note, I do hope that the Footlights Archive will continue to be preserved and maintained.

Anyway, I hope all is well with you. Hitchhiker continues to sell well (though how well it is impossible to determine, publishing being a complex and arcane industry). I have a new agent trying to sell a couple of non-Adams books but for the moment everything I'm writing is still HHGG-related. I don't like being typecast, but I'd rather I did it (and got paid for it) than some other bugger.

The letter quoted above is an excellent example of a Harry Porter typed missive. He typed his letters for a few years - I think between 1999 and 2002 - and they were full of wonderful spelling mistakes and corrections.

Again, I heartily recommend Mike Simpson's book. And not just because I'm in the acknowledgements. Actually, let me also recommend Don't Panic, which is a book about Douglas Adams and the HHGTTG; the original, by Neil Gaiman, I bought shortly before meeting Douglas Adams back in 1998 and actually gave me a couple more topics of conversation... Mike Simpson has since then written extra material for the book and it's a very, very good insight into the process of getting an idea and getting it made. The appendices are also very funny.

Harry Links

All about Harry

In Memoriam Harry Porter

The Harry Porter Tribute Evening

The Cambridge Footlights

The Harry Porter Gala Event, 2002

James Bachman on The Harry Porter Gala Event

Harry Porter on Google