日本科幻文学 经典科幻文学:《宇宙尽头的餐馆》第17章1

经典科幻文学:《宇宙尽头的餐馆》第17章1  

The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy notes that Disaster Area
a plutonium rock band from the Gagrakacka Mind Zones
are generally held to be not only the loudest rock band in the Galaxy
but in fact the loudest noise of any kind at all. Regular concert goers judge that the best sound balance is usually to be heard from within large concrete bunkers some thirty-seven miles from the stage
whilst the musicians themselves play their instruments by remote control from within a heavily insulated spaceship which stays in orbit around the pla – or more frequently around a pletely different pla.
Their songs are on the whole very simple and mostly follow the familiar theme of boy-being meets girl-being beneath a silvery moon
which then explodes for no adequately explored reason.
Many worlds have now banned their act altogether
sometimes for artistic reasons
but most monly because the band’s public address system contravenes local strategic arms limitations treaties.
This has not
however
stopped their earnings from pushing back the boundaries of pure hypermathematics
and their chief research accountant has recently been appointed Professor of Neomathematics at the University of Maximegalon
in recognition of both his General and his Special Theories of Disaster Area Tax Returns
in which he proves that the whole fabric of the space-time continuum is not merely curved
it is in fact totally bent.
Ford staggered back to the table where Zaphod
Arthur and Trillian were sitting waiting for the fun to begin.
“Gotta have some food
” said Ford.
“Hi
Ford
” said Zaphod
“you speak to the big noise boy?”
Ford waggled his head nonmittally.
“Hotblack? I sort of spoke to him
yeah.”
“What’d he say?”
“Well
not a lot really. He’s… er…”
“Yeah?”
“He’s spending a year dead for tax reasons. I’ve got to sit down.”
He sat down.
The waiter approached.
“Would you like to see the menu?” he said
“or would you like to meet the Dish of the Day?”
“Huh?” said Ford.
“Huh?” said Arthur.
“Huh?” said Trillian.
“That’s cool
” said Zaphod
“we’ll meet the meat.”