The fourth part of three

June 1, 2007 1:33 AM

The fourth part of a trilogy of interviews with Douglas Adams before he got all famous. "I find the difference, for me, between having no money and having quite a bit is that the bills get bigger. And that's it. The lifestyle doesn't change." Well, he certainly didn't. And for that, much thanks.
posted by humuhumu (11 comments total)

Thanks for this; DA was a great writer.

See also: Money can't buy happiness.
posted by chuckdarwin at 1:48 AM on June 1, 2007

"I find the difference, for me, between having no money and having quite a bit is that the bills get bigger. And that's it. The lifestyle doesn't change."

This reminds me of this Guardian interview with the author Daniel Handler, here. Handler, who is at this stage well into the trousering stage of his relationship with money, confirms that he has probably made about fifty million dollars from book sales. The interviewer asks if this wealth has changed his life at all. Handler ponders what would happen if he answered "no" - what conditions would have to exist for being a multimillionaire not to have affected somebody's life. The example he comes up with to demonstrate how his life has changed - having a Henry Darger on his wall rather than a poster of a Henry Darger - is rather a good one, since a Darger sold recently for $50,000, and a big poster with a decent frame would probably cost about $50. So, it is about a thousand times more money to cover the same space of wall.
posted by tannhauser at 4:03 AM on June 1, 2007

thanks for the post. I'd read the other three parts but was too lazy to keep checking for new ones. I like the way Adams thinks. Reading this interview helped me realize that I too am an atheist not an agnostic.
posted by sineater at 5:23 AM on June 1, 2007

I think sineater meant to point here
posted by Ateo Fiel at 6:43 AM on June 1, 2007

Ok.. I can't seem to get the link to work either... weird..

Here?


Bah..

http//www.americanatheist.org/win98-99/T2/silverman.html

Cut and paste it... :P
posted by Ateo Fiel at 6:44 AM on June 1, 2007

AH, I see what I did wrong.. man it is just early..


HERE


YAY!!!!

So long and thanks for all the fish...
posted by Ateo Fiel at 6:46 AM on June 1, 2007

When he spoke at ApacheCon Europe in 2000, he insisted on flying British Airways First Class and staying at some hotel like Claridge's. That's DA's choice, but money does lead to lifestyle changes for just about everyone, including DA.

PS, we were worried he might ask for the Van Halen "no brown m&ms" rider in his contract.
posted by chipsotoole at 6:52 AM on June 1, 2007

Well, that was quite a while later - at the time of the interview in 1979 he was doing pretty well, had a book out, had written a few radio shows... but was presumably quite well off rather than actually rich, which I imagine he was by 2000. Anyone who claims that being actually rich rich does not change your lifestyle is, of course, on crazy pills.
posted by tannhauser at 8:10 AM on June 1, 2007

You expect a multimillionaire to fly BA economy?
posted by Optamystic at 8:20 AM on June 1, 2007

Also, the guy was about eleven feet tall. If I were his size and I could get someone to cough for more legroom on an 11-hour flight, you can bet I would do so. And I'm far from rich.
posted by genghis at 9:50 AM on June 1, 2007

I think that if BA attempted to charge for a seat, it might be considered at this stage to be in extremely poor taste.
posted by tannhauser at 9:59 AM on June 1, 2007