RD audiobooks
Mar. 29th, 2010 09:26 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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reddwarfslash(Here I come wearing out my welcome once again. Ah, well ...)
I bring up the audiobooks for Red Dwarf because that's sort of what got me back into this show, and into this fandom. My sister gave me her old Zune and on it she had bought and loaded "Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers." At first I just listened to it during long drives because it passed the time and I remembered liking the show and the books; it was, of course, entertaining, and I completely ignored who was reading it until my sister mentioned it to me near the end of my first listening. ("Wow, Rimmer does voices?")
So I've listened to it a few times. She also managed to secure the other three books for me to upload to the Zune to listen to (although I think "Better Than Life" is abridged; it's the radio show Chris read, with all the sound effects done for him instead of him having to simulate his own vomit and disco music, LOL). I just finished BTL and have a couple of observations (if they've been made before here, forgive me; as I said, I'm a clueless n00b).
Right, then. If you haven't read or heard it, "Better Than Life" picks up with the guys all stuck in the video game from the end of "Infinity," all living their fantasies: The Cat is king of half-naked valkyries on an island, Kryten is his housekeeper and dishwasher, Lister is married to Kris in Bedford Falls, with twin sons and where every day is Christmas Eve, and Rimmer is the richest and most powerful man in the world. As on the show when BTL is introduced, however, Rimmer's brain eventually turns everything to shit for them all - which is actually fortunate, since it turns out they've been stuck in the game for a hella long time and NEED to want to escape.
Without going into great details, I'll just pretend people have actually listened to it (or read the book, at least), since that's easy and I'm lazy. IMO at least, BTL is like the saddest piece of unrequited slash romance you will ever listen to being professionally read. IMO, it is painfully clear that Rimmer has a thing for Lister a mile wide and ten miles long, almost on the scale of Lister's dream of finding Kochanski. Here's the bits I noticed:
1. Rimmer divorces his first wife in BTL, a sexy Brazilian model, because she's highstrung and adultering. She comes back in this one a changed woman - literally, having had a personality transplant. She has a sense of humor, has had some of her selfishness removed, and no longer cares about money - and he is hooked. (Who might that sound like a female version of? *G*)
2. When he crashes into Lister's town in the lorry, he actually apologizes and seems to feel bad for ruining his perfect life. (Which, for Rimmer is GAH.)
3. After Rimmer is forced to leave Starbug because Red Dwarf can't sustain his hologram on board there, and Lister crash-lands on an ice planet, Rimmer spends his time harassing Holly and the others to find a way for them to go rescue Lister, who he keeps pointing out is starving on that planet and waiting for them. I mean HARASSING. He brings it up constantly, even worrying while they're being sucked into a black hole.
4. When they slingshot out of the black hole and are safe again, Rimmer and the Cat go down to the ice planet and track down Lister - who has been there for 34 years because of time distortions, being a farmer, and is an old man. Rimmer just seems so happy to have found him, and crestfallen when he realizes how long it's been for Lister to be alone with the cockroaches. (He also refrains from saying anything contradictory when Lister goes on yet again about how he intends to find Kochanski, and notices the memorials he's put up to her: a photo the wall of his house, and a field planted in jasmine with the initials K.K. For Rimmer to shut up about something like this MUST be love.)
5. After Lister dies and they give him a space burial, there's a little line where Rimmer sadly murmurs "goodbye" to the coffin and then has to go inform Holly of Lister's death. Shortly after, Holly begins printing out instructions for how to revive Lister by going through the black hole and burying him on the Backwards planet and then picking him up 36 years later - this to me is the best part of the audiobook, because the description of how damn HAPPY the solution makes Rimmer, how it makes him laugh out of joy for the first time in forever, is quite sweet.
Yeah, I'm a girl. I can't help it. The entire BTL audiobook just has this great undercurrent of Rimmer's love of Lister, whether you choose to see it as slashy or brotherly.
Any of you who've listened to the audiobook/read the book - your thoughts on the Rimmer/Lister dynamic (present or just alluded to one-sided)? What about the other audiobooks?
I bring up the audiobooks for Red Dwarf because that's sort of what got me back into this show, and into this fandom. My sister gave me her old Zune and on it she had bought and loaded "Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers." At first I just listened to it during long drives because it passed the time and I remembered liking the show and the books; it was, of course, entertaining, and I completely ignored who was reading it until my sister mentioned it to me near the end of my first listening. ("Wow, Rimmer does voices?")
So I've listened to it a few times. She also managed to secure the other three books for me to upload to the Zune to listen to (although I think "Better Than Life" is abridged; it's the radio show Chris read, with all the sound effects done for him instead of him having to simulate his own vomit and disco music, LOL). I just finished BTL and have a couple of observations (if they've been made before here, forgive me; as I said, I'm a clueless n00b).
Right, then. If you haven't read or heard it, "Better Than Life" picks up with the guys all stuck in the video game from the end of "Infinity," all living their fantasies: The Cat is king of half-naked valkyries on an island, Kryten is his housekeeper and dishwasher, Lister is married to Kris in Bedford Falls, with twin sons and where every day is Christmas Eve, and Rimmer is the richest and most powerful man in the world. As on the show when BTL is introduced, however, Rimmer's brain eventually turns everything to shit for them all - which is actually fortunate, since it turns out they've been stuck in the game for a hella long time and NEED to want to escape.
Without going into great details, I'll just pretend people have actually listened to it (or read the book, at least), since that's easy and I'm lazy. IMO at least, BTL is like the saddest piece of unrequited slash romance you will ever listen to being professionally read. IMO, it is painfully clear that Rimmer has a thing for Lister a mile wide and ten miles long, almost on the scale of Lister's dream of finding Kochanski. Here's the bits I noticed:
1. Rimmer divorces his first wife in BTL, a sexy Brazilian model, because she's highstrung and adultering. She comes back in this one a changed woman - literally, having had a personality transplant. She has a sense of humor, has had some of her selfishness removed, and no longer cares about money - and he is hooked. (Who might that sound like a female version of? *G*)
2. When he crashes into Lister's town in the lorry, he actually apologizes and seems to feel bad for ruining his perfect life. (Which, for Rimmer is GAH.)
3. After Rimmer is forced to leave Starbug because Red Dwarf can't sustain his hologram on board there, and Lister crash-lands on an ice planet, Rimmer spends his time harassing Holly and the others to find a way for them to go rescue Lister, who he keeps pointing out is starving on that planet and waiting for them. I mean HARASSING. He brings it up constantly, even worrying while they're being sucked into a black hole.
4. When they slingshot out of the black hole and are safe again, Rimmer and the Cat go down to the ice planet and track down Lister - who has been there for 34 years because of time distortions, being a farmer, and is an old man. Rimmer just seems so happy to have found him, and crestfallen when he realizes how long it's been for Lister to be alone with the cockroaches. (He also refrains from saying anything contradictory when Lister goes on yet again about how he intends to find Kochanski, and notices the memorials he's put up to her: a photo the wall of his house, and a field planted in jasmine with the initials K.K. For Rimmer to shut up about something like this MUST be love.)
5. After Lister dies and they give him a space burial, there's a little line where Rimmer sadly murmurs "goodbye" to the coffin and then has to go inform Holly of Lister's death. Shortly after, Holly begins printing out instructions for how to revive Lister by going through the black hole and burying him on the Backwards planet and then picking him up 36 years later - this to me is the best part of the audiobook, because the description of how damn HAPPY the solution makes Rimmer, how it makes him laugh out of joy for the first time in forever, is quite sweet.
Yeah, I'm a girl. I can't help it. The entire BTL audiobook just has this great undercurrent of Rimmer's love of Lister, whether you choose to see it as slashy or brotherly.
Any of you who've listened to the audiobook/read the book - your thoughts on the Rimmer/Lister dynamic (present or just alluded to one-sided)? What about the other audiobooks?
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no subject
Date: 2010-03-30 01:40 pm (UTC)I did see a couple of clips on YouTube of Chris's standup - one where he was doing the 007 auditions to Sean Connery, and another with voices I didn't entirely recognize but still realized were probably being done quite well; the crowd was certainly entertained. He was very animated (and, my God, NERVOUS; I wonder at what point he finally stopped twisting the microphone stand like he was drilling for oil, poor kid).
I'd say that moment felt sort of um-Rimmer too, except that we do see flashes of concern in the TV show for Lister when he's sick or upset about something. I think Rimmer is a mother hen of sorts, as weird as that may sound - I almost wonder sometimes if that's why he and Kryten don't get on so well, because they both see it as their job to look after Lister, just in different ways (i.e., stimulating - arguing, needling, etc. - versus serving).
no subject
Date: 2010-03-30 02:08 pm (UTC)Oh god yes, poor guy! Man, he was 22 when he did that stand up *weeps*
> I think Rimmer is a mother hen of sorts, as weird as that may sound
Oh not at all - in fact I think that hits the nail on the head. Their relationship in the first two series is definitely the best.
I love that moment in Stasis Leak(?) when Rimmer says to Lister 'You're right, I don't like you. I don't like what you stand for. But for some strange reason... Oh I don't know, what's the point.' Beautifully done.
no subject
Date: 2010-03-30 02:49 pm (UTC)Yeah, it's entirely possible to love someone you don't like - or at least love someone you don't like yet. Because I do think he comes to like Lister over time; he definitely seeks his approval and seems to rely on their odd friendship by the time he takes over as Ace some time later.
no subject
Date: 2010-03-30 03:02 pm (UTC)Heh. Well I'm 25 and that seems young to me - I'd be scared of doing something like that no matter how old/young I was!
> Yeah, it's entirely possible to love someone you don't like - or at least love someone you don't like yet. Because I do think he comes to like Lister over time; he definitely seeks his approval and seems to rely on their odd friendship by the time he takes over as Ace some time later.
Oh yes THIS. This makes me happy ^__^
no subject
Date: 2010-03-30 02:59 pm (UTC)Oh that moment is so lovely. He says everything but "don't leave me" and Lister *still* doesn't quite get it.
no subject
Date: 2010-03-30 10:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-30 10:29 pm (UTC)ACK. I meant add, Rimmer seems very worried about Lister. I wonder if at that point it's anything more than concern for his own welfare, though - if Lister kicks it, there's a good chance he'd be turned off (and he definitely wouldn't have human companionship if he wasn't).
no subject
Date: 2010-03-31 07:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-31 01:09 am (UTC)But I was inspired to go in search of the standup, which was very sweet, so I appreciated the mention! (Even though, yes, the impersonations themselves were mostly lost on me *g*)
no subject
Date: 2010-03-31 01:48 am (UTC)