Why did Planer stop reading Discworld novels?

[eternalmetal]

"I agree with you. Planer can do Captain (Sir) Vime like no other, and Nanny Ogg! Perfect! Corporal Detritus also. I don't know. I guess it is just a matter of getting used to Briggs."

I agree with you on all counts. Also, I think Planer does Death the best. The only voice I think Briggs does better than Planer is Lady Sybil. I think Planer made her sound a bit more manly than I'd like her to sound.
Mostly though, I think Nigel Planer has more varied voices for the many characters he portrays when reading the books. I'm on my third round of listening to all the Pratchett books and while Briggs is pretty great...I mean *really* great...especially when compared to just about any other audio book reader other than Planer, I still prefer Planer. I think that so many of Brigg's vocal styles for different characters are the same. He just doesn't have the range that Nigel Planer has, IMO. Also, I hate the way he makes Detritus sound.

As much as I respect Briggs for his contribution to Discworld fandom, I pretty much agree with the post above. I love just about every character Planar does over Briggs. His Rincewind, Death, Detritus, Vimes, the Raven, the list goes on, they are all a joy to listen to imo. Briggs is a little better on the narration, but on dialogue Planar has no equal.

Oh! *surprised* OK. I haven't heard any recording of Carpe Jugulum, except Tony Robinson's. :|

How much are the Discworld books-on-CD? Is it possible to purchase some of the better ones (e.g. read by Nigel Planer or by Stephen Briggs)? *interested* I've only been able to listen to them by borrowing them from the library. Are they very expensive?

All of them I think, though for some reason I cant find every one on Audible. If you were to buy them on CD they can be a tad pricey (the only reason I could see spending this much would be for collective purposes), but if you buy credits from Audible to download them, they can be had for a worthwhile price.

 

[Perestroika]

I use audio exclusively, and I oddly don't have a problem listening to the books done by either, but i do have to say I prefer Stephen's personifications of dw characters more than I do Nigel's, but that's probably also got a lot to do with the fact that I love some of the newer books.

I'd love to hear Stephen rerecord all of the dw books, especially the first two witches ones.

 

[RathDarkblade]

As Mad said he is really good, l love his Feegles.

Dug, just wondering... what kind of Scottish accent does Stephen give the Feegles? I know that, like anywhere else, accents become different depending on where you are from - e.g. people from Edinburgh would sound different to people from Glasgow, etc. So... just wondering if we can place Rob Anybody, Daft Wullie, Fion the Kelda etc. on the map!

 

[raisindot]

I'd love to hear Stephen rerecord all of the dw books, especially the first two witches ones.

I second this. Celia Imrie's reading of Wyrd Sisters in particular (the only Celia I've ever listened to) was absolutely atrocious. Who would have thought that a male reader like Planer could voice Granny and Nanny far more effectively than a female reader? Even Briggs does the witches better than Celia (although not nearly as good as Planer).

 

[RathDarkblade]

Apologies for the necro-post, but ...

*LOL* I have now listened to Nigel Planer doing the Feegles in Carpe Jugulum. It was hilarious. I also liked his Mightily Oats - just the right mixture of wetness and defiance.

I'm surprised, by the way, how much the readings help me to make sense of the books. When I read CJ for the first time, I didn't understand much of it (e.g. Granny's journey to the cave, her journey through the briars, the significance of the firebird, and so on). After I listened to Planer, I re-read CJ, and this time it made so much more sense.

 

[Tonyblack]

I love Stephen Briggs reading. I haven't heard Nigel Planer. Maybe it was just a case of who was available. I imagine these recordings take a long time.

 

[raisindot]

While I prefer Briggs overall, Planer's readings of the witches books are masterful. His characterizations of Granny, Nanny and Magrat are perfect--Briggs voicings don't do them justice.

I think that Planer's reading of CJ--along with Jingo--are his best readings. CJ in particular is marvelous (althogh I do prefer Briggs's characterizations of feegles). While I still always imagine DW's vampires sounding the way Briggs voices them in The Fifth Elephant, the way Planer voices them in CJ is perfect for that particular book.

 

[MrsWizzard]

I have to say I prefer Stephen Briggs. I enjoyed Nigel Planer right up until Angua was introduced in Men At Arms. I'll never understand why he voiced her the way he did. Her voice was deeper than the male characters and she sounded so dopey.

All the other women were voiced just fine, but Angua stood out in a way I just couldn't get past.

 

[raisindot]

I agree with you about Angua. Planer didn't voice her with that mix of seriousness and a bit of menace that Briggs nailed. Planer made her sound like a petulant schoolgirl at time.

I also prefer Briggs' voicings of the other Watchmen. His voicing of Colon perfectly captures the combination of rotund pomposity and idiocy that Colon is--Planer just makes him sound like a scheming coward. And Brigg's Detritus is perfect--he nails the huge, "fick" voice of the troll while simultaneously conveying his underrated intelligence, where Planer makes him sound like a wheezing hobo. Maybe Planer does Nobby a bit better, because Planer is better in general at voicing lower-class characters.

 

[RathDarkblade]

To be fair to Planer, Sgt Colon is a bit of a scheming coward. Witness his scheming (and subsequent cowardliness) in Jingo, Fifth Elephant and, especially, Feet of Clay. (There's also a bit of scheming from Colon in Night Watch - i.e. moving the barricades forward. And then a bit of cowardliness - are we gonna get in trouble for this, sarge?)

But I agree that rotund pomposity and idiocy play a large role in Colon's character. This is, again, manifest in Jingo, especially when he tells Nobby: "We are men of special qualities." *L* Of course, the fact that this could mean more than one thing never enters his head - until it's too late ...

 

[raisindot]

But I agree that rotund pomposity and idiocy play a large role in Colon's character. This is, again, manifest in Jingo, especially when he tells Nobby: "We are men of special qualities."

Think of Briggs voicing this same line, and the compare it to how Planer voices it. Briggs would have given the line its true mix of pomposity and cluelessness. Planer does voices the cluelessness.

 

[Tonyblack]

Colon is a bit like Oliver Hardy - a pompous idiot. I like the way Briggs does the voice. I also like his Scots dwarfs.

 

[RathDarkblade]

Think of Briggs voicing this same line, and the compare it to how Planer voices it. Briggs would have given the line its true mix of pomposity and cluelessness. Planer does voices the cluelessness.

Hmm - I haven't heard Briggs read "Jingo" (or "Feet of Clay", for that matter). When did Briggs start reading the books? *curious*

 

[raisindot]

Briggs never read Jingo or Feet of Clay. I'm pretty sure he started with The Fifth Elephant.

 

[RathDarkblade]

Oh, OK. I wasn't aware of that. Thanks, raisin!

Um - but raisin, you said: "Think of Briggs voicing this same line" (i.e. when Colon tells Nobby: "We are men of special qualities.")

That line is from Jingo, but Briggs never read Jingo? I'm confused.

 

[Tonyblack]

Yes, Raisin is saying imagine Briggs voicing this line - as well as whoever voiced the line in Jingo.

 

[raisindot]

Thank you, Tony. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that the choice of one word caused so much confusion....