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Lol but seriously I'm not sure why it doesn't appeal to me. Once I'd get there, I'd just be like "Okay then. Time to go home".
Well said.
1.) So first, tell us a bit about yourself and your life.
"I've had a particularly fascinating life. Would you like to hear about it?"
(Mi6 community muffled protestations)
"You would?!..."
I'm 44 and work in television as an editor. Born and raised in New Zealand I've traveled the world extensively as many of my fellow country people do...we're a long way from anyway - last stop before the end of the earth - so we have itchy feet when we hear the word travel. I live for travel adventures - Driving across the plains of Tanzania, standing on the edge of the world on the latruberg cliffs in Iceland, dining in the houses of locals in Cuba, moshing to Metallica in Detroit, cycling the Golden Gate Bridge, snorkelling in the blue waters of Rarotonga, getting married in the mountains of Italy, walking in a protest in the streets of Barcelona, climbing the ancient ruins of Sigiriya in Sri Lanka, encountering seals and sharks while swimming among the Galápagos Islands, charging giant steins of beer in Bruges, going to a punk gigs in dive bars, in Berlin, driving from New York to Seattle, from Sydney to Melbourne, stepping onto the shores of James Bond Island in Thailand, watching cricket at the MCG in Melbourne, rugby at the Stade de france, baseball at Yankee Stadium, football at the Camp Nou, San Siro, Stamford Bridge. I've lived in the UK and now visit Italy every year as my wonderful wife is Italian. I enjoy outdoor hiking, swimming and in the past indulged in Bondian pursuits like rafting over waterfalls and skydiving.
I play cricket socially every summer and adore Test cricket - the long form of the game. I've played in a band, written and directed plays, made short films, have had a short story published in an anthology, I have a novel submitted for publication currently and I'm writing two further novels currently (one a children's book, the other adult fiction). I've been a vegan for over a decade. I enjoy listening to music and have an ever growing vinyl collection that began as a teenager. Since 2011 I've been doing a monthly podcast on film with my friend Simon called Spoiler Alert.
2.) How did you become interested in James Bond? Did it begin with the novels, the films, or something else, and what exactly kickstarted your fandom? Also, what inevitably led you to our forums?
When I was 12 years old I saw 'Happy Anniversary 007' on television. The 25th anniversary celebration hosted by Roger Moore entranced me. The opening titles set to Bill Conti's 'Submarine' were exotic and inviting. There were segments with Moore focussing on meeting villains in train compartments and his romantic interludes set to the love theme version of 'Nobody Does it better' - but there were three moments that stuck with me. One was the knowledge montage where Bond displayed his encyclopaedic memory which inspired me to read about topics as varied as gold, birds, marine life and aeroplanes. The other was the life threatening situations Bond would get into - it was a montage set to Live and Let Die (the first time I had heard the song was watching this.) and of course the final segment was Dalton's debut as he exploded on to the screen with the jeep smashing through the wall on Gibraltar. After this I was hooked, and would watch this recorded on VHS daily. I loved every small moment and was curious to see them in context.
For Xmas in 1987 I was given a James Bond themes collection on cassette and Sally Hibbin's 'The Official James Bond 007 Movie Book' 25th Anniversary edition. I cannot adequately explain how all consuming this book was for me. I took it everywhere with me and it was my bible. I lived most of the Bond films through this because in my small town there wasn't any Bond films on VHS for rent other than A View To A Kill and Never Say Never Again. I saw The Living Daylights in the cinema on New Years Day 1988 (this was back in the old days when films would take 6 months to get into New Zealand cinemas after their UK or US releases. Now it's the same day release!)
But I could find the books in my local second hand shop and purchased new editions of some of the Berkley silhouette editions. I didn't know the order of the novels but thanks to Hibbin's book I knew the order of the films so I read them in that order. Hence why I'll always have a soft spot for the Dr No novel. I read through nearly all the books before I got an opportunity to see all the films in late 1989.
Mid-1987 until early 1991 was my absolute zenith of Bond fandom. My 1988 present was a subscription to the James Bond fan club. And I managed to get two editions of their magazine called 'Bondage' - one with Dalton on the cover from LTK and the next an artist's rendition of Ian Fleming surrounded by his books. It was around this time - mid 1991 when the fan club folded, the news from EON was near non-existent and being a 16 year old - other things began to crowd my attention. I always had an interest in Bond but it was a quiet one, picking up some old vinyl, collecting the James Bond role playing games...but it wasn't the same. Eventually there was the Bond reincarnation with Brosnan which I always felt a little out of step with. I collected nothing Bondian from 1996-2012. It was Craig and his electrifying appearance in Casino Royale that got me involved again, and dare I say it - proud of Bond again. I eventually found my way to this forum around 2012. Skyfall was the catalyst. I found the build up to Skyfall delicious. There was lots of discussions to be had. But I didn't post that much. This was the time I got back into collecting a few items - the Charles Helfenstein books and the 50th anniversary bluray box set. So after that I checked out from the mi6 forum and lay dormant for about three years. It was the lead up to Spectre where I returned and then instead of disappearing I hung around a little more. I feel like I got to recognise posters and their interests and there were some fun games (James bond conversation, the 'bond movie vs bond movie' thread, the guess the character game).
3.) What are some of your favorite/least favorite films throughout the series? Do any of them definitively sit in first and last place, with no intention of shifting them? If so, why are they your favorite/least favorite?
My absolute favourite from now until the end of time is From Russia With Love. I adore that film. (The only Bond poster I have hanging in my house is an original large Italian language version of FRWL). The reasons for this are multitude. The tone of the film is perfect. Having fun, but also dangerous with an entertaining espionage angle. It stays fairly true to Fleming's original - particularly in spirit. And the combination of the character of Red Grant and Robert Shaw's casting knocks the film out of the park.i love Terence Young's direction and I believe this is his best directed Bond film. Peter hunt's editing and the way the film is structured, particularly with Red Grant's ominous presence from the beginning right through to his reveal.
Casino Royale is a close second. I love that film - for everything it does, every time I watch it. And also, for everything it did for the series. I still remember being exhilarated when I was watching it. OHMSS is third and a film I've grown to love over the years. I found in the 90s I kept returning to this film more and more. I always found the ending haunting and loved the music. I think this is some of Lee and Maxwell's finest work and I love the attack on Piz Gloria. The living Daylights is fourth because it was my gateway drug. I find it captivating with great action and Dalton is exceptional in this film. Along with Connery in DN and FRWL It may actually be my favourite Bond performance. The soundtrack is alternately dangerous, suspenseful, romantic and epic. I find it eminently quotable as well.
In earnest my top four are rock solid. From Russia With Love, Casino Royale, On Her Majesty's Secret Service and The Living Daylights. Dr No usually rounds out my top 5.
Least favourite? Well, gimme any Bond and I'll enjoy it. There's none I hate. Die Another Day is down the bottom of the rankings because I remember being in the cinemas at the end and worse than being disappointed was a sense of resignation thinking...'oh well, guess this is what James Bond films are now'. I went to the New Zealand premiere and Lee Tamahori and the actor who played Mr Kill walked the red carpet. But I still enjoy watching it..it's silly and has some goofy, camp moments - much like the other one that is near the bottom of my rankings, Diamonds Are Forever. There's never a real sense of danger for 007 in any of it (with the exception of the cremation sequence). Except for Wint and Kidd and the soundtrack I find I check out of this film quite a lot while watching. Yet I'd still watch both right now!
4.) Throughout the series, what would you say are some of the higher points/moments for you? Lower points/moments?
The swagger and confidence of the first four or five Bond films is marvellous. They were setting trends at this point, unlike in later decades when they seemed to be chasing them a little.
Connery's performance in Dr No and From Russia With Love are high points. The volley of releasing six films in seven years from 62-69.
I enjoy watching Thunderball and You Only Live Twice because of the Bondmania, I'm envious of people who were Bond fans in that time period. There's something so seductively exotic about the first five Connery films but especially DN, FRWL and TB.
I think OHMSS is such a wonderful throwing of caution to the wind. At the height of Bondmania they went in another direction. I wish they could have sustained it.
Low point of Diamonds Are Forever signals a slight tacky and tattiness that runs over the following films until The Spy Who Loved Me.
Having said that - Live and Let Die is a go-to Bond film for me. My favourite Moore film. The music is my favourite non-Barry soundtrack, title song and credits are exciting, the villains fantastic fun and the voodoo angle whacky and memorable. It's a hell of a good time and one I like to put on for the uninitiated viewers who have a sense of humour. They'll appreciate the 70s aspect, playful dialogue and chaotic stunts.
The Spy Who Loved Me and Goldfinger seem to tower above the others because of their visibility in the wider public consciousness. I'm a big defender of Moonraker - when I got into Bond MR was the laughing stock the way that DAD appears to be now. But remove Jaws from MR and most of the goofy humour goes with him. I enjoy the first hour of this film a lot. I really like Moore's performance in it and Drax is a top flight villain - put him in TSWLM instead of Stromberg and that film is elevated even further.
FYEO's action and suspense - particularly in the rock climbing sequence. I really like the nods to OHMSS throughout the film - especially in the sequence on the beach when Countess Lisl is dressed like Diana Rigg and Moore like Lazenby.
Octopussy is the beginning of the new era of Barry soundtracks. That dangerous, urgent edge to his sound. A View To A Kill is a phenomenal soundtrack and that film reignited the franchise slightly - Grace Jones and Duran Duran were storming the charts on their own at this time in history so Bond was pretty hip to get them.
The Living Daylights is my gateway Bond film and Licence To Kill is a great watch every time. I find I'm engaged with it every time I watch it. Davi's performance is vital and the film always reminds me of a special time in Bond fandom for me.
Goldeneye has that great jump into the unknown at the beginning and I'm really glad it caught on the way it did. While not on the level of public awareness as GF and TSWLM, GE is however a well known Bond film with the help of the game and the song and Brosnan. I'd say it's a slow slide down to DAD and then the explosion of CR as Craig burst through that wall - I was hooked again!
QOS was a little disappointing but I've grown to appreciate it pretty quickly - SF joined those ranks of GE and TSWLM as being visible to the wider public with Adele's song, the 50th anniversary, Deakins stunning cinematography and Bardem's memorable turn while putting Dench front and centre, reintroducing Q and Moneypenny and lots of nods to the past.
SP has a solid, occasionally beautifully shot first two thirds before that troublesome finale.
Overall highlights include -
Connery's introduction in Dr No
Everything about FRWL but especially Red Grant
GF's iconic golden girl and laser table scene as well as Connery's irresistible performance.
TB's soundtrack, cinematography and Fiona Volpe
YOLT's beautiful Freddie Young lensing, Ken Adam's set, finale battle.
OHMSS soundtrack, stunts, cinematography faithfulness to Fleming, Diana Rigg and downer ending.
DAF's soundtrack and Wint and Kidd.
LALD's soundtrack, voodoo setting and dangerous stunts.
TMWTGG's villain, iconic setting, still amazing corkscrew car stunt.
TSWLM Moore's performance, Bond 77, lotus crashing into the sea, opening ski jump and beautiful settings and luscious underwater filming.
MR's villain, soundtrack as Bond approaches the space station, corrine's death presented dreamily like a 70s European horror.
FYEO's harder nosed Moore kicking the car off the cliff, memorable ski chase and climbing the monastery, 'forgive me father for I have sinned' line and response.
OP's soundtrack, 009 death, checkpoint Charlie setting, countdown to bomb exploding.
AVTAK's villains, title song, soundtrack and golden gate fight.
TLD's PTS, introduction shot of Dalton, Sniper sequence ripped from the pages of Fleming, Necros, koskov's overly dramatic delivery at the Mi6 meeting, Saunders, Vienna beautifully presented, snow chase, 'we're free!' 'We're inside a Russian air base in the middle of Afghanistan', meeting Pushkin - 'you should have brought lilies.' Fight on the plane.
LTK's brutal edge, reclaiming lost Fleming in the script (felix's maiming, Sanchez' TMWTTG inspired adopting of Bond) striking music in the gun barrel, Q in the field.
GE's PTS, Xenia, Natalya, tank chase, final fight, tension with boris flicking the pen (should that be...pension? Apologies...awful pun)
TND's soundtrack, Brosnan's expression of delight during the remote control car chase, Michelle Yeoh kicking ass, stunt ripping down the front of the carver poster.
TWINE's dual villains and Carlyle and Marceau's performances.
DAD...hmmm...rosamund pike, title sequence visuals, Brosnan kicking the sword up to his hands during the sword fight.
CR's PTS, title song, soundtrack, Craig and green's chemistry, the parkour sequence, Miami airport chase, car flip, mads mikklesen, brother from Langley, scratching balls, the last hand nearly killed me, Stephanie broadchest, Mathis, stairwell fight, hello mr white...
QOS - soundtrack, PTS car chase, rooftop running, rope swinging fight, Tosca isn't for everyone, plane dogfight, finale.
SF - shooting cuffs of destroyed train, plunging from bridge into the water, chills while watching title sequence wedded with title song, Dench, Q introduction, Bardem's introduction, Deakins cinematography, picking my jaw off the floor after watching the Shanghai sequence, with pleasure M with pleasure.
SP's PTS, Spectre meeting, Hinx fight, Wishaw 'told you to bring it back in one piece, not bring back one piece', Van Hoytema's cinematography.
5.) Give us your opinions on all of the actors to play Bond. Also, feel free to share thoughts on some of your favorite/least favorite directors, crew members, composers, etc. of the series.
Timothy Dalton is my Bond. He seemed like the first actor who made a conscious effort to delve into the books. That's not to say his interpretation is singularly Fleming but his approach was to take the original source seriously and ask what defines the character. It's often been said Bond is an extension of the author. A wish fulfilment but by all accounts Fleming was both charming and abrasive. Melancholic and indulgent. These come across in the books, especially the longer the series go on. I believe a Shakespearean actor of Dalton's ability would have picked up on this and made acting choices - like when he barks orders at Kara or gets terse with Saunders. These are reflected in the novels. Bond isn't always the loveable, suave ladies man that he became in the films. Of course I like that representation as well, the dapper, easy going gentleman that Moore and Brosnan often presented. But Dalton was all business. He is brilliant in The Living Daylights especially. The scene immediately after Saunders is killed is a standout. The subtle variations in his demeanour within the space of a minute - he goes from trying to protect Kara from the truth, to being alarmed that she knows Whittaker, to suspicious of her, and then the simmering rage when she mentions Koskov...finishing with the now legendary line...'yes, I got the message'. It is among my favourite acting scenes in the series and it's all Dalton.
Connery is the benchmark for cinematic Bond. The first four films have a very special place for me as they were always the most exotic looking of the series. And Connery was total perfection. His first three performances are different from each other but all three have elements of charm, danger and coolness. I know Goldfinger cops some justifiable criticism but every time I watch it I can see why audiences in 1964 were captivated by it. Connery is the epitome of cool and Ken Adam's imagination is bursting off the screen. Connery also has the most pleasingly portrayed relationships with M (particularly in the first four films) and Maxwell - especially in DN and FRWL. But Connery's Bond transcends film - he is a pop culture icon of the 20th century.
I always feel at ease with Roger Moore. He definitely settled into a rhythm after TSWLM but I think his films have subtle tone changes that he adjusts to very well. There's three distinct periods for him - 73-74, 77-79 and 81-85. I think his interactions with villains is a strength - against Scaramanga, Drax and Zorin his banter is top class. Perhaps even unparalleled. With only Connery in DN and GF coming close.
Brosnan is a curious one. GE is his best Bond film by some margin. I always felt that he was a safe option and what people expected of Bond. I neither had strong feelings either way with his reign. And even something like DAD is clearly not to his liking and neither could he really be consigned blame for its final form. I think Brosnan does non-chalant cool very well. The way he reflexively dodges a bullet as he continues to change the timer on a bomb is excellent - and the kind of thing cinematic bond should be doing more often. He can do deadly very well, but it's actually the emotional angle that I think he overplays. He could learn from how Moore handled those situations with a soulful detachment. But I was always grateful that Brosnan and GE resurrected the franchise. That shouldn't be sniffed at.
Lazenby is the natural outlier and his reputation enhanced by his off screen story - particularly as it has been presented in the last decade through the Helfenstein book and Becoming Bond film.
He's solid in the film, with a vulnerable, muscular and fresh edge that suits that film perfectly. Like many on this forum I would have liked to have seen him in Diamonds Are Forever. And I think he could have easily served the transitioning into the lighter Moore era.
John Barry, Ken Adam and Peter Hunt are all vital elements of the fresh air that was injected into 60s cinema at the beginning of that decade. Terence Young is my favourite Bond director and while he gets a lot of credit on these pages I always make sure I draw attention to him when the subject arises with casual Bond viewers. I really like Robert Brownjohn's contribution in FRWL and GF, I think he did show the way forward. Of course Binder was a unique talent and rightfully deserves his kudos too. And the stunt teams throughout the years but especially in the first 25 or so years. They were really pushing the envelope in those days.
6.) What are some of your favorite/least favorite PTS's/finales? Villains? Allies? Bond girls? Henchmen?
Favourite PTS is The Living Daylights. Among the top are also CR, GF, GE, TSWLM, QOS - in fact I may be in the minority but I rate all the Craig PTS's highly. It's one area that EON have taken seriously and got right.
Among my least favourite are DAF, TMWTGG and controversially TB (I like the jet pack but little else in it.) with the exception of GE I find Brosnan's PTS's a little underwhelming especially TND and DAD.
Top villains go,something like this... Dr No, Goldfinger, Scarmanga, Drax, Zorin, Blofeld (Telly then Donald), Sanchez, Le Chiffre, Rosa Klebb and Silva. I know I'm not alone in this - my favourite incarnation of Blofeld is the faceless one in FRWL and TB.
Favourite allies - easily Kerim Bey. Pedro Armendariz is a charming actor and his smile lights up the screen. His death serves not only to cause grief for the viewer and Bond but once he is gone the warmth disappears from the picture. The uneasiness and menace that has lurked in the background now casts a suffocating shadow over the film's atmosphere. Grant too takes this precise opportunity to emerge and confront Bond. Also the amount of times I say 'back to the salt mines' when heading back to work is out of control.
Other allies I like - I actually enjoy Saunders and Bond's relationship and how it starts out antagonistically and ends up as allies just seconds before Saunders' brutal death.
The Kerim Clones - Draco, Coloumbo even Mathis...are all good fun.
As far as leading women - Vesper Lynd is my favourite. Eva Green works so well with Craig and her character has the tragic, vulnerable yet guarded side that is never overcome. Her presence continues to haunt in QOS but over done by the time it's brought up in SP.
Underrated is Natalya in GE. She is resourceful, independent, principled and does things other characters cannot. She also effects the plot.
I also rate Tatiana Romanova & Pussy Galore.
Henchmen (& women) - my two favourites are Red Grant and Fiona Volpe. They elevate both their respective films - and I like Odd job, May Day & Baron Samedi too. To throw Spectre a bone I'll say that Hinx was a step in the right direction for the series.
7.) What's your favorite/least favorite soundtrack of the series? Favorite/least favorite title song?
This is difficult. I think the most universally loved aspect of Bond among fans is John Barry's work. What a legacy he left. Such powerful, beautiful, heart-pounding, sexy, soaring, exciting music. He always delivered. My wife and I even had 'We have all the time in the world' as our first dance.
I can't really separate TB, YOLT and OHMSS so at present I'm going with You Only Live Twice. Capsule in Space, Mountains and Sunsets, Death of Aki, Fight at the Kobe Docks and the title song and all its variations. It's a dreamy, astounding piece of work. I also love AVTAK and TLD. Amazing soundtracks. Favourite theme song is probably You Only Live Twice as well.
My ring tone is 'Into Miami', my favourite theme songs are 'OHMSS theme', 'You Only Live Twice', 'Diamonds Are Forever', 'Live and Let Die', 'A View To A Kill', 'From Russia With Love', 'You Know My Name' and 'Skyfall'. I have a special place in my heart for 'Submarine' from FYEO and 'Golden Gate Fight' from AVTAK is exhilarating stuff.
Least favourite soundtrack. Probably GE. 'Ladies first' is so bad I almost enjoy it.
Least favourite theme song - 'Die Another Day' theme is so bad I don't enjoy it.
8.) What are some of your favorite/least favorite stunts/action sequences/fights throughout the series? Lines of dialogue? Outfits? Feel free to wax poetic on other smaller aspects of the series you enjoy/dislike the most that we haven't covered.
The Red Grant fight still remains the benchmark. The Parkour Chase in Casino Royale is exceptional. I was breathless watching it the first time I saw it and I love the inventiveness and the wordless character explanation it delivers for both men but Craig's Bond in particular. I like the fight at Osato's office in YOLT, the assault on Piz Gloria and the boat stunts in LALD as well as the PTS of MR, the rock climbing on FYEO gets me edgy every time I watch it! The PTS in TLD and the fight with Necros on the plane is a favourite. The truck chase in LTK, PTS in GE and car chase in QOS as well as Bond dropping out of the sky onto the car at the end of QOS. SF silhouetted fight and SP Hinx fight. The brave men and women doing stunts throughout the series - but especially in the 70s and 80s. Incredible courage and commitment to a vision.
It always bothered me that you can see the dummies in TND when the helicopter explodes - that's ok for a 70s Bond but shouldn't be happening in '97 Bond.
I love the cinematography in so many of the Bond films. The way Jamaica is presented to us in Dr No - Fleming's Jamaica while he was still alive to appreciate it on screen. The underwater filming of TB, the way gold shimmers in GF, the rooftop fight in YOLT - as if God himself has taken a break to watch Bond in action. OHMSS skiing scenes are remarkable. The sunrise shot in TLD, Deakins delivering SF to us! Van Hoytema's SP. All their work is amazing.
So many great lines of dialogue, just a couple that spring to mind that may not have already mentioned:
Moore talking about the origin of the hat on the bed in LALD.
Connery's line 'no, but I know a little about women'
I love the exchanges in TLD between Pushkin and Bond. Every line is dangerous and Rhys Davies and Dalton are deadly serious.
Clothing: The way Connery wears a suit...is striking. I also like him in the outfit at DN's dinner, the white tuxedo in GF and the grey three piece. Moore in the Bullit inspired black turtle neck and shoulder holster wielding a sword and magnum. Moore rocking the naval suit across the ocean on the wet bike in TSWLM. I like Moore all in black in MR as well - this is the last time he doesn't look too aged in the series. He looks in really good shape in MR. FYEO in his rock climbing outfit. Dalton in the TLD PTS outfit and the tux at the symphony. Brosnan in the PTS opening of GE, in the naval uniform in TND. Craig in the three piece at the end of CR and his combo at the end of QOS.
One of the aspects I dislike is Tom Mackenwicz' writing of women. It's uniformly awful and if anything compounds the stereotype of brainless, sexually available women that the Bond series got lumped with - it's his era of writing. While in fact many of the 60s Bond women had their own motivations or could help, fight, join in the action (GF, TB, YOLT, OHMSS). If Mankewicz had only given us one or two examples then you might be able to forgive him but he delivered Tiffany Case, Plenty O'Toole, Rosie Carver and Mary Goodnight plus had Roger Moore slap around Andrea Anders before Scaramanga rubs his gun over her lips. Admittedly his scripts were exclusively handled by Guy Hamilton which doesn't seem to help with performances. Having said all this...Mankewicz can write a mean one liner! Some of his lines are very quotable. "names is for tombstones baby" is one of my favourite lines in the series.
9.) What are some aspects you feel have been missing/lacking in the current era(s) that you wish they'd return to eventually? What are some aspects you hope to never see again?
I was happy with the Craig era up to and including SF. It wasn't a perfect journey to that point but it made sense and I thought they had earned the final scene of SF where there was a re-establishment of the old order. Moneypenny welcoming Bond, M behind the double quilted doors handing over an 'eyes only' folder. Bond reporting for duty. I liked that SF was not a narrative continuation of CR and QOS. So one of the many things done wrong in SP is the insistence of tying the villain's motivation back into the previous three films. I wanted a clean break from the previous three films, I liked some of the lighter touches introduced and I'm in the apparent minority of liking Craig's performance in SP. I think it was him reaching for a Connery cool detachment and being held back by the script and ghosts of vesper, silva and Dench's M. I wish they had titled bond 24 something different - cast waltz but never shown his face - introduced Blofeld as the shadowy figure as they did in the spectre meeting and never shown him again until the end. Irma Bunt could have been the central villain (ala Largo in TB or Klebb in FRWL). Then bond 25 should have been called Spectre and it leads up to revelation of Blofeld mid-way through the film (ala Pleasance in YOLT). This would basically have given Blofeld a film and a half to terrorise Bond and the audience. It would have built the tension and rivalry between the two characters for a modern audience (the best I can reasonably ask a modern audience is a movie and a half without showing the Bond villain - while the 60s had two and half movies (three and a half if you count DN).
So I think Bond 25 will stick to the slightly muddled tone of SP. in the future I'd love to see a return to individual stand-alone stories that reclaim a bit of Bond's mystique. Bond has lots of different flavours and they should all be enjoyed so I'm looking forward to seeing where the new Bond goes.
10.) Jumping to the other areas of Bond, what would you say are some of your favorite/least favorite novels of Fleming's and why? Some of your favorites/least favorites of the post-Fleming authors? If you have an interest in the James Bond video games, what are some of your favorites/least favorites and why?
As I explained earlier Fleming's originals are very important in forming my view of Bond. They took me to far away places and exotic adventures and it's a thrill I still get when I travel. Whenever I'm swimming among brightly coloured fishes swarming around coral or walking on glaciers with crampons or ordering a martini in a crowded casino - I think of Fleming's writing. My favourites are, perhaps unsurprisingly, From Russia With Love (I love the structure and build up to Grant vs Bond confrontation.) OHMSS (the second wind of Fleming is never better than in this book. An infectiously vulnerable edge to the cynical author with an evocatively drawn setting.) Dr No (my favourite of Fleming's Jamaica novels) and I also have a real soft spot for YOLT. I think it's Fleming's haunting atmosphere and languid pace that remains with me. A novel where the travelogue aspect consumes the narrative but because of the lead character's numb, tortured state of mind it is a welcome respite to wallow in the frivolities of food or the rituals of culture before the final act's explosion of vengeful violence.
I also enjoy his short stories - specifically Quantum of Solace. I remember hearing this as an audiobook before reading it. It was Anthony Valentine narrating both The Living Daylights and Quantum of Solace (this was released in 1987 to coincide with TLD.) I got it from the public library and recorded it. I remember being shaken by QOS as an impressionable 12 year old. It's description of the cold disintegration of a marriage was both unusual for Bond but also spoke to Fleming wanting to stretch his wings away from continually pumping out spy novels. It suggests Fleming being fascinated by a story he knew well - crumbling marriages in the crumbling empire of 50s Jamaica.
DAF, TSWLM & TMWTGG would be near the bottom of my Fleming list. But TMWTGG has an intense opening and TSWLM an intense finale to recommend them.
I also love reading books about the Bond phenomenon. Robert Sellers 'Battle for Bond' is a page turner. Very engagingly told. Charles Helfenstein's 'Making of OHMSS' is elite material and his 'Making of TLD' is naturally in my wheel house. Henry Chancellor's 'James Bond - The Man and his World' which for an 'official companion' is constructively critical of Fleming's works. It's a breezy read and I liked the chapter structure. I also really enjoyed Matthew Parker's 'Goldeneye: Where Bond Was Born' - I recommend it to anyone who, like me, has an affinity for how Fleming portrays Jamaica. It tells the story of what was going on in the West Indies and how it manifested in Fleming's novels. I'm currently spending summer on the beach reading Simon Winder's irreverent 'The Man Who Saved Britain'. It's a refreshing read because Winder is an entertainingly conflicted Bond fan and the socio-political backdrop of post-war Britain is used as a unique canvas to paint his opinions of Fleming's creation.
Favourite continuations - Amis' Colonel Sun still ranks as the best. I enjoyed both Trigger Mortis and Forever and a Day - but I prefer Horowitz' debut Bond. Perhaps for the simple reason it was his first and it felt fresher. The villain's backstory was vivid and the final act worked well. I thought as a prequel Forever and a Day's climax ran over some of the same ground as Casino Royale. I'm slowly working my way through John Gardner's novels in order. Of the first three 'For Special Services' is my preference. It has a good opening but Gardner's strength is describing action, his dialogue is often awkward and female characters are occasionally embarrassing (I'm looking at you Cedar Leiter!) He also rushes through the finales - the plot of the last act in 'For Special Services' is not bad but it goes by so fast it feels like you're reading an outline of a book than the actual novel. I haven't read Benson, Faulks, Deaver, Higson or Cole's efforts but I will get through them - as is my duty.
Video games: I grew up on Spectrum 48k video games in the 80s so played AVTAK, TLD, LTK, LALD and TSWLM on Spectrum from 85-90. My brother had an AVTAK poster that was free in the 'Crash' magazine that reviewed spectrum games. Needless to say I inherited that poster! I skipped N64 - although I did play GE at the tail end of the platform's popularity and enjoyed it. I enjoyed QOS and Bloodstone games and even From Russia With Love (my bias for that film is really showing through!) although Connery's older voice really jars with his younger visage.
11.) What are your current thoughts on Bond 25 and the level of enthusiasm you have? Any expectations regarding the locales, the plot, the action scenes, who may star, etc.?
I'm not at pre-SP level expectations - I was truly pumped for that film hence my disappointment. But of course I'm looking forward to this one. I'm intrigued by Fukinaga, not excited by Sedouyx, but I think as long as they nail two genuinely great action sequences and don't get too hung up on messy personal angles for the sake of it - then I'll think they'll do well without doing spectacular. I think they've painted themselves into a corner slightly so if they pull out a landmark Bond film I would be pleasantly surprised.
12.) What are your current thoughts on the future of the series, post-Bond 25? As you know, we'll have a brand new actor taking over in just a few years. Do you have any expectations for who it might be, what they might deliver, or just what direction the next era will take?
I think the best thing that a new Bond brings is a liberation from the previous incarnation. All of the Bond's brought something new. They burst off the screen with energy and for me personally five of the six Bond's debuts are my favourite films of their respective reigns (even if I concede TSWLM is the classic Moore film - I still enjoy LALD the most out of his era.)
I have no idea who the next Bond will be - and I like that I don't. I do hope they revert to the stand alone missions and refrain from personal angles. Bond being a professional is an advantage and they should use it. I recognise they have difficulty with spying as so much of its unique craft is now gone, rendered obsolete by technology. But they can concentrate on narrative. Go back to those initial Maibaum & Harwood adaptations for inspiration and make a coherent & engaging script and all the rest will follow.
13.) You can star in one Bond film: which one and why? Novel? Game?
I definitely agree with many of the posters before that Thunderball is the most attractive adventure to fall into. Goldfinger wouldn't be too bad either. Apart from sweating out a potential laser beam castration and a punch up with Oddjob I could just sit around in comfy cells, drink indifferently blended brandy and wait for Pussy Galore to save the day.
14.) You can take three Bond films, three novels, and three soundtracks with you to a desert island. Which ones do you take?
So I'll split these so I don't repeat and get an even spread of nine...
Bond films - FRWL, CR, TLD
Bond Soundtracks - YOLT, AVTAK, OHMSS
Bond novels - FYEO, DN, TB
15.) In 2012, we celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the James Bond films. Where do you think the series might be in 2062, during its 100th Anniversary?
That's a tough question...if I'm honest I'd be surprised if Bond is still going in 2062. But if he is then he'll probably be in space for the second time! The world will still be in some kind of shape to save and we'll still need someone to do it in style.
16.) Share your dream ANYTHING for the series: Dream cast? Directors? Plot? Soundtrack? Set Pieces? Anything you care to share.
Dreams for the past...
- Dalton getting to do the two more films he should have - 1991's 'Property of a Lady' and 1993's 'Risico' before handing over the reins to Brosnan for Goldeneye in 1995.
- Lazenby doing Diamonds are Forever in 1971 with the revenge angle.
- Seeing what Speilberg in his early heyday might have done with a Bond film. This would have been 1976-1981 Speilberg - before he became the brand name he was in the 80s. William Friedkin in the 70s as well.
- Goldeneye with an original John Barry soundtrack.
- the brainwashed bond returning to kill M. I think they could have done this in the 70s when quality paranoia political thrillers were in fashion.
Dreams for the future...
- Bond 25 to have an appropriate reworking of the 007 theme.
- a bounty is placed on Bond and he is hunted down by individual elite assassins (they'd all be quite different from each other with their own eccentricities and vivid styles.)
- A faithful, high-end, high-budget Bond tv series set in the 50s based on the Fleming novels.
- an open sandbox style game on PlayStation where you can play any of the Bond films including traveling the world and following the plot lines as well as some surprises in the narratives thrown in. Games start in certain locations you can hang out in (if you want to gamble with Sylvia Trench for hours on end then just do that - but be aware there's a bloke trying to get your attention - if you finally succumb to chatting to him he'll mention that M wants to see you right away about a dead radio signal in Jamaica.)
Also mixed in would be multiple new mission and narratives created specifically for the game (I'm thinking of this as a Skyrim or GTA style world where you can do off-shoot characters activity missions as well - like gambling, car races or scorpion drinking games)
- new radio plays starring old bonds (like dalton and Brosnan) similar to the Big Finish ones I know they do for Dr Who.
17.) Outside of Bond, what are some of your favorite films? TV shows? Novels? Artists/bands?
Films - Anything by David Lynch. Anything by the Coen Brothers. The Big Sleep, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The Remains of the Day, Pan's Labyrinth, Umberto D, Naked, The Thing, Krull, The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Fight Club, LA Confidential, Taxi Driver, JFK, The Godfather 1 & 2, Hard Boiled, The Raid, Suspiria, Once Upon a Time in the West, Alien, Aliens, The Wages of Fear, Suburbia, Psycho, Vertigo, The Guns of the Navarone, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, Duck Soup, Horse Feathers
The greatest TV show of all time - The Sopranos. Adore this series - seen it through three times.
Also...Blackadder, Twin Peaks, Young Ones, Alan Partridge, Brasseye, the Day today... basically anything by Chris Morris or Armando Ianucci, Seinfeld, The Wire, Breaking Bad, Robin of Sherwood, early seasons of Red Dwarf, Peep Show, Jeeves and Wooster, Monty Pythons Flying Circus, Kids in the Hall, The League of Gentlemen, Deadwood
Authors: P G Wodehouse, Louis Ferdinand Celine, Douglas Adams, David Foster Wallace, J D Salinger, Murikami, Kazuo Ishiguro, Franz Kafka
Music: The Afghan Whigs, Fugazi, Nick Drake, Neil Young, The Clash, Ride, Pink Floyd, Nick Cave, P J Harvey, The Melvins, Kyuss, Radiohead, Pavement, The Jesus Lizard, Wu Tang Clan, The Pixies, Blackalicious, Public Enemy, Sepultura, Mudhoney, Two Gallants, Bad Brains, Dinosaur Jr, Lucio Batisti, Joy Division, New Order, The Cult, Tool, David Bowie, Ween, Billy Bragg, Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart, The Beatles, Black Flag, Suicidal Tendencies, Run DMC, Beastie Boys, Jane's Addiction, Nas, Faith No More, Fantomas, Mr Bungle (basically anything Mike Patton does)
18.) You can meet any three people who have ever existed, who do you pick and why?
Ian Mackaye - driving force behind Minor Threat and Fugazi. I think he'd be fascinating to spend some time with, hearing his philosophy, his stories of playing in the hardcore scene, I'd grill him on every aspect of every Fugazi song ever and round off the day by asking to reform Fugazi and jamming with them (maybe slyly recording it too.)
Lee Harvey Oswald - after he was arrested, before he was killed - to ask him what he knew and did. I was always fascinated by the JFK conspiracy and it would give me an excuse to call up Oliver Stone and chat to him afterwards! "Hey Ollie...guess what..."
As long as it didn't blow up the time-space continuum - Either my great grandfather or grandmother that I never met. (I knew one who lived to an old age.) Would love to get to know them and discover their lives, thoughts and experiences in great detail.
19.) You can be anywhere on this planet at any point in the past, which three do you choose and why? This can range from being at the inauguration of a President to being in the recording studio of one of your favorite songs to being on set during one of your favorite movie scenes being shot. Think on it!
The filming of Dr No. Particularly in Jamaica in 1961 & 62. Scouting locations with Chris Blackwell. Staying at Goldeneye with Fleming. Harry Saltzman, Ursula Andress, Ken Adam, John Kitzmiler, Joseph Wiseman, partying with Cubby, Sean and Monty Norman as he gets the inspiration for Jump Up!
I'd love to be present as PG Wodehouse wrote one of his first Jeeves novels. I know this is probably leaning into the previous questions territory as Wodehouse would be another person I'd love to meet and spend time with. A raconteur with delightful wit who was so prolific I don't think I'd be that bothersome sitting at the back of the room with a cocktail and listening to an old phonograph record as he tapped away on his typewriter.
I'd love to be at the 1982 Football World Cup game between Italy and Brazil. Where my favourite football team ever - 82's Brazil - were knocked out by a Paolo Rossi hat trick. To see both those teams in the flesh would be amazing but especially Brazil's team of Zico, Socrates, Falcao, Eder and Serginho.
20.) Finally, I'll go with a hypothetical question (This one is unique, so make it your own!): Someone offers you $1,000, or they'll give you $1,000,000 if you can correctly guess the number they're thinking of between 1-4, what do you do and why?
Is this an offer Creasy?! Because I'll take the guess of a 1,000,000 - assuming the person is playing fair. A one in four chance? Definitely - I'd probably even take a one in ten chance of getting a million. A thousand would be helpful but a million would change my life.
Damn, now I want this too! Excellent answers.
Yep, cought my eye and fantasy too and it's running with it!
goes to show Kiwi's are by definition laid back cool people, thanks @Major_Boothroyd !
I enjoyed putting in one piece many of my thoughts on Bond. We do it over so many small posts on so many threads on this site that to see it combined like that is quite overwhelming!
I enjoyed reading your interview too - being a historian stood out to me because I've always loved history - even studied a bit at university. Did you combine your love of history and aviation and write about the history of flight?
Ha, I wish! No, allthough I did write my batchelor thesis about the fascist mayor of my home town during the war, and got that published. It was for sale here in the local book stores and did quite well. got my 15 minutes when the local paper wrote about it in a half-page interview.
Perhaps one day when I've got time, but somehow that's the commodity I'm running ot of. Got two boardgames to develop too, would love to go glider flying again (did it when I was 15-16). For now it;s just work, study, baby.
1.) So first, tell us a bit about yourself and your life.
Hi, I'm Alice! I'm 41 going on 12. I grew up in Dorset, on the south coast of the UK, and now live in London because that's where all the cool stuff happens. I have a degree in dead languages and I write website content for a living.
I'm part of the furry fandom, where I go by 'Huskyteer'. I've had short stories and poems published within the fandom, and on occasion by small press sci-fi/fantasy publishers outside it. I'm glad to have found a place where I can write stories with talking animals in for grown-ups.
Motorcycles have been a big part of my life since I was a student. I met my partner on a biking holiday in 2005 and we've had lots of two-wheeled travels together, to Slovenia and Croatia, Sweden, Italy, and the Czech Republic amongst others. I love planes and my trips often include an aviation museum or air show.
Another hobby is karate - the only form of exercise I've managed to stick with, because there's always something new to learn. I'm hoping to grade to first dan in 2019.
2.) How did you become interested in James Bond? Did it begin with the novels, the films, or something else, and what exactly kickstarted your fandom? Also, what inevitably led you to our forums?
It all started with the paperback copy of Dr No I found in the 10p charity book bin at the Happy Shopper convenience store up the road from my parents' home in the early 90s, when I was 13 or 14.
No - I lie. It started with 60s spy spoof sitcom Get Smart, my favourite TV show and the origin of my username. The show was filled with Bond references, and that was what made me pick up that copy of Dr No in the first place. I read it, got hooked, and sought out the rest of the books (widely and cheaply available at the time) as well as watching the films on TV or video whenever the opportunity arose. That spiralled (spy-ralled?) into an interest in spy fiction in general, written and filmed, especially anything from the 1960s.
I came across the forum a couple of years ago when I dug out my Goldeneye cap gun and decided to look for more information about it online.
3.) What are some of your favorite/least favorite films throughout the series? Do any of them definitively sit in first and last place, with no intention of shifting them? If so, why are they your favorite/least favorite?
I usually do a top six films so I can pick one for each actor. I feel guilty otherwise!
TLD: I have a very clear memory of watching TLD on TV in the early '90s: it was the first Bond film I'd seen that felt contemporary, like it was happening right now, and the first time a screen Bond had matched up to the book Bond in my head. Dalton became my favourite Bond instantly.
OHMSS: There just isn't another Bond film like this one. Such a mixture of 60s camp, action and romance, not to mention the sheer balls of sticking to the book's downer ending!
GF: For me, this is the film where all the classic Bond elements really come together: the gadgets, the cars, the locations, the cast, the sets.
SF: My favourite of Craig's films, largely because Judi Dench gets such a meaty role. I don't care that the DB5 showing up makes no logical sense, because the reaction from the cinema audience was so amazing.
GE: Will always have a place in my heart as the first Bond I saw on the big screen. I still have the programme I was given at the MGM cinema in Oxford on opening night.
TSWLM: I have a soft spot for this one as it's the Bond film from the year I was born. For my 40th birthday I hired out a small local cinema and screened it for my friends, which was great fun.
I don't have a definite least favourite but let's say I watch Moore's films significantly less often than anyone else's.
4.) Throughout the series, what would you say are some of the higher points/moments for you? Lower points/moments?
Both GE and CR were high points, as we got a new Bond on screen after a lengthy wait. It's hard to beat those levels of excitement, anticipation and potential. GE in particular because there was lots of associated merchandise! Low point was post-DAD, when nothing at all seemed to be happening on the Bond front.
5.) Give us your opinions on all of the actors to play Bond. Also, feel free to share thoughts on some of your favorite/least favorite directors, crew members, composers, etc. of the series.
Connery is the standard by whom all other Bond actors shall be judged. He suffers a little from overexposure - as he's the media's go-to Bond, with all those iconic images, I sometimes get sick of the sight of him. However, when I revisit the films I remember how very good he is and how he set the template for everything that followed.
Lazenby doesn't quite convince me as Bond, but he gets a free pass because OHMSS is consistently in my top three Bond films. (Second-best legs of any Bond, after Dalton. Just saying.)
I love Roger Moore, the person, to pieces - you'd have to be some kind of monster if you didn't - but he's my least favourite Bond. Coming from the books, I thought he was wrong for the character, and his scripts and wardrobe didn't do him a lot of favours, either.
I wear my heart on my sleeve when it comes to Dalton and I make no apologies. He's the closest match to how I imagine Bond looking, and he's the only one I can believe in as both irresistible lover and deadly killer. (I also think he's a very attractive man, yes.)
Brosnan is a funny one. I absolutely loathed him all the time he was Bond; I thought he was too smug, too smarmy, too pretty...in a nutshell, too not-Dalton. As the years roll by I've softened to a sort of amused affection, and his films have become a go-to when I want light entertainment. I spend an unhealthy amount of time poking fun at him but I love him really.
I'll admit I was one of the many people who were dubious about Daniel Craig's casting because he's blonde and has funny ears. He won me over within the first seconds of CR - the boy can ACT! - and he's probably my second-favourite Bond now.
6.) What are some of your favorite/least favorite PTS's/finales? Villains? Allies? Bond girls? Henchmen?
The PTS of GE is a standout for me. It was the first Bond film I got to see in the cinema, having become a fan during that long hiatus, and as soon as it opened I thought yes, here we go, Bond's back!
TSWLM probably has the best-known PTS of the entire series, and rightly so. I defy anyone to watch it without cheering.
I have a sneaking fondness for the old 'Bond evades rescue so he can have some alone time with the girl' finale, especially TSWLM which has 007 and XXX afloat in a sort of 70s maritime shag pad.
I absolutely hate the finale of TWINE, because it drags poor old M in on the sordid sex perving. Q did well to scuttle off before this disgrace went down.
My favourite villain is Gert Frobe's Goldfinger. Evil he may be but I'd like to give him a big hug. Is that weird?
Allies: Judi Dench as M was inspired casting and I've loved every moment of her onscreen time. Elsewhere at HQ, I'm a total traditionalist: it's unlikely any Q or Moneypenny will ever eclipse Llewellyn and Maxwell for me. Special mention for Julie T. Wallace's character in TLD; I love her brief scene and there's a high chance I'd pick her if I did Bond cosplay.
Girls: I have a massive and well-documented womancrush on Honor Blackman, so it's Pussy Galore all the way. And Pam because she has the shortest hair of any Bond girl. Oh, they're both pilots, too. Now there's a coincidence.
Henchmen: Xenia Onatopp, or should that be Overthetopp? She's so much fun. And Fiona in Thunderball. (Another pilot and a biker, well well.)
7.) What's your favorite/least favorite soundtrack of the series? Favorite/least favorite title song?
It's hard to disassociate soundtracks from films, so my favourite soundtracks tend to belong to my favourite movies and, inevitably, I like TLD best. It's one of the few soundtracks I own and I often stick it on when I'm writing; works for action scenes and romance too!
I love it when a Bond theme manages to capture the zeitgeist so it sounds utterly of its time; I'd single out GF, LALD, AVTAK and TLD for that. TB is my favourite to sing in the shower. YOLT gets a mention because it got me into the songs of Nancy Sinatra.
With the exception of Skyfall, which I love, I find all the Brosnan and Craig themes a bit forgettable. Possibly this is the fault of the 40th Anniversary Collection cassette, which has ensured I know everything up to LTK off by heart but nothing later! QOS is the worst offender: by the end of the film I've completely forgotten how the title track goes.
I have TLD on the playlist for my funeral, because I think it would be pretty funny to hear 'Hey driver, where we going?' as my coffin disappears from sight.
8.) What are some of your favorite/least favorite stunts/action sequences/fights throughout the series? Lines of dialogue? Outfits? Feel free to wax poetic on other smaller aspects of the series you enjoy/dislike the most that we haven't covered.
I could write hundreds of words for each of these, but I don't think anyone would thank me for it!
I love both the dam jump and the improbable motorbike/plane escape in GE, and the riding-a-bike-in-handcuffs from TND. And I'll never get tired of the Acrostar jet in OP. The fuel tanker chase in LTK is so, so good both as a vehicle chase and for the amount of emotion we get out of Bond.
Lines: So many good ones. I think my all-time favourite is the 'balls' exchange between Judi Dench and her old sitcom foil The Lovely Geoffrey Palmer in TND.
Outfits: well, gosh, who could fail to look super hot in black tie? NONE OF THE BONDS, THAT'S FOR SURE. I love Lazenby's Sir Hilary outfit complete with kilt. Connery in his towelling playsuit, because how the heck does he look so effortlessly cool wearing that? Love to see Roger in a safari suit. Dalton's leather coat/woolly jumper combo in TLD because it makes him look cuddly, which takes some doing. (Aspirational outfit: Pussy Galore wears a corduroy jacket I'm pretty sure I could carry off.)
Have we done opening titles? Because those are always fabulous. Like the theme songs, I love the ones that end up looking particularly of their time, like Dr No, the falling communist symbols of GE, and the CR playing-cards (which will look just as delightfully dated as GE in a few years).
Can I also do some favourite planes? The Vulcan in TB is the apex of cool British product placement in Bond. The not-a-Hercules in TLD. The obvious model passenger plane in GF that looks like it's been borrowed from Thunderbirds. The DC-3 in QOS - alas poor DC-3, it fought like a champ.
9.) What are some aspects you feel have been missing/lacking in the current era(s) that you wish they'd return to eventually? What are some aspects you hope to never see again?
I'd like to laugh a little more. I prefer my Bond serious (a friend of mine reckons this is because my great love is Bond spoofs, so I like the original Bond to be pretty straight by comparison) but I need the occasional lighter moment to relieve the tension, and then deepen it again.
10.) Jumping to the other areas of Bond, what would you say are some of your favorite/least favorite novels of Fleming's and why? Some of your favorites/least favorites of the post-Fleming authors? If you have an interest in the James Bond video games, what are some of your favorites/least favorites and why?
I realise that my top three Fleming novels are all the ones where Bond loses the girl - poor Bond, how could I be so mean?
Moonraker: I love the ending, and the way it's set entirely in the UK - especially as it's round the area where I now live, in places and on roads I know well from biking.
Casino Royale: Again, it's mostly about the setting: I've had a lot of holidays in northern France and find it easy to picture Royale-les-Eaux.
OHMSS: First time round, I remember re-reading the ending several times to be certain what had happened. I love the bobsled chase (I am determined to try bobsledding some day) and Christmas with M. Opens with perhaps the loveliest description in Bond.
I'm also fond of TSWLM, as it was a big influence on my decision to get a scooter all those years ago. I haven't done that big US/Canada trip yet, but one day I will!
I’ve loved both Anthony Horowitz’s Bond novels, and I hope he gets a third.
I’m not a big fan of either John Gardner or Raymond Benson; they have interesting things to say but I don’t think either of them is a particularly skilled writer, and I find it hard to get past that.
I've read Faulks, Deaver and Boyd and I wasn't nuts about any of them, but I'm glad that they exist because they kept literary Bond alive. Solo might be my favourite of the three, but I'd need to re-read them all to be sure.
I'm not a big gamer but I spent a lot of time in the early ‘00s playing 007 Racing on the PlayStation, very badly. Recently a friend and I have been working our way through 007 Legends, also very badly.
11.) What are your current thoughts on Bond 25 and the level of enthusiasm you have? Any expectations regarding the locales, the plot, the action scenes, who may star, etc.?
I'm looking forward to it, and I'm one of those members who's deliberately avoiding spoilers about the whats, whos and wheres of it all. I want to be surprised and have my socks knocked off!
12.) What are your current thoughts on the future of the series, post-Bond 25? As you know, we'll have a brand new actor taking over in just a few years. Do you have any expectations for who it might be, what they might deliver, or just what direction the next era will take?
I think we’ll swing back towards a Moore/Brosnan style era that doesn’t take itself too seriously. The previous Bond's style always seems to be in the doghouse when the new one comes in.
There's no actor I'm particularly rooting for. I hope I'll be pleasantly surprised by someone unknown to me.
(By the way, I would absolutely go and see a Bond film if Bond were portrayed as black, or female, or both. Daniel Craig didn't look the way I thought Bond should look either, and he's done fine.)
13.) You can star in one Bond film: which one and why? Novel? Game?
A tough question if, like me, you're a massive physical coward, because it's impossible to get through a Bond adventure without being roughed up at least a little.
Of the films, probably TLD, as I'd get to go to the funfair (I love funfairs). Then there's that superb car/cello case chase through the snow and flying a Hercules.
Of the novels, Dr No, even though Bond endures a lot of punishment (and I'm terrified of spiders). The book made a big impression on me and I spent a lot of time in my teens wondering how I'd match up to Dr No's obstacle course.
14.) You can take three Bond films, three novels, and three soundtracks with you to a desert island. Which ones do you take?
I'm going to be boring and take my favourites. I'll need something familiar and comforting.
Films: TLD, OHMSS, MR
Books: MR, CR, OHMSS
...can I take audiobooks instead of soundtracks? The unabridged Bond should keep me going for a while.
15.) In 2012, we celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the James Bond films. Where do you think the series might be in 2062, during its 100th Anniversary?
IN SPAAAAACE!
Not really.
I'd like to think that, should we be spared nuclear destruction and the ravages of climate change and cling on for another half-century, there will still be a Britain, and the world will still be interested in a British hero fighting global evil. Bond has always changed with the times while remaining essentially the same, and I see no reason for that to stop.
16.) Share your dream ANYTHING for the series: Dream cast? Directors? Plot? Soundtrack? Set Pieces? Anything you care to share.
My ultimate fantasy Bond film will probably come as no surprise: a faithful adaptation of Moonraker, starring Timothy Dalton. In my alternate universe this came out in 1993 and was the first Bond I saw at the cinema.
17.) Outside of Bond, what are some of your favorite films? TV shows? Novels? Artists/bands?
Almost all my favourite films are comedies. I must have watched The Naked Gun hundreds of times, and Austin Powers and Team America: World Police are high on my list too. The more dramatic films I find most moving are the ones with comic elements and funny lines; there’s a lot of humour in, for example, Casablanca and A Matter of Life and Death.
I love 60s spy shows like The Avengers and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. - and, of course, Get Smart - as well as anything from the ITC stable, especially Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased). Other favourites include Sapphire & Steel and Quantum Leap. I think what I'm saying is I like slightly quirky buddy shows.
I’m the kind of person who gets into an author and must then own everything they’ve ever written. As well as a bookcase full of Bond and spy books, I have a sizeable collection of both Biggles and the Saint. An author's writing style is almost more important than the subject; I'll read anything by J.G. Ballard, Ray Bradbury or Tom Wolfe just to enjoy their prose.
Musically, I’m a huge fan of Paul Simon; I’ve seen him live 7 times, including last summer in Hyde Park on his farewell tour. I enjoy a lot of 60s artists - Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood, the Doors and Jefferson Airplane, to name but a few. Otherwise, you could describe my tastes as ‘dad rock’: the Eagles, Pink Floyd, Dire Straits, REM.
18.) You can meet any three people who have ever existed, who do you pick and why?
Douglas Adams, because we have a lot of interests in common (wildlife, Dr Who, Dire Straits, Apple computers, Pink Floyd...).
Noel Coward, because he'd be witty and interesting (and probably share some juicy gossip about Ian Fleming).
and Humphrey Bogart because honestly I just want to look at him and listen to his voice. If I was really lucky, he might address me as 'Kid'.
19.) You can be anywhere on this planet at any point in the past, which three do you choose and why? This can range from being at the inauguration of a President to being in the recording studio of one of your favorite songs to being on set during one of your favorite movie scenes being shot. Think on it!
I'd love to be present at one of the UK folk clubs where Paul Simon played on the 'tour of one-night stands', before The Sound of Silence catapulted Simon and Garfunkel to fame. I'd buy Paul a pint and thank him.
Pink Floyd performing The Wall live at the Berlin Wall. I can barely imagine what a gig that was.
The Western Front, April 1918, to witness the final flight of the Red Baron.
20.) Finally, I'll go with a hypothetical question (This one is unique, so make it your own!): You can have any superpower you want, but you have to use it once a day and it's not a secret. Which one do you pick and why?
Easy - the power of flight! Great for my commute, as well as general messing around and showing off. I might even use it for doing good, too.
Which edition was the Dr No book you picked up for 10p? Was it the pan edition with Bond and Honey on the cover from the film?
Aww, thank you! It's what I aim for.
Yes, it was! Considering all that followed, it has to be one of the best bargains I've ever bought myself.
Oh, yes, I love everything from the Abrahams/Zucker stable. Watched Top Secret! again on New Year's Eve because my partner had unaccountably never seen it!
Thanks! As am I, it was always an interesting and engaging thread, getting to know one another, and you lot have made it infinitely easier to get it running so smoothly and quickly. I don't believe any of you have taken more than 48 hours to reply with all the answers.
Hopefully I'm keeping you all in the spotlight long enough too, I've been trying to strike a balance between focusing on each member long enough, and not letting the thread fall into silent limbo again.
Agreed. All very interesting reads.
Psych is (or was) a fantastic show! Shame they only made 8 seasons – which is not something you can say of most TV series.
Also, great interviews, @Creasy47! Interesting to read.
I've been jinxed! I had the next interview lined up, and then that user simply disappeared and hasn't been online since. Now the new interview I have scheduled is a day behind, maybe two, so hopefully I can get it orchestrated and posted sooner rather than later.
Again, for those on the list (or wish to be on the list eventually), please shoot me down if I approach you to be interviewed and you don't have the time available. I'll return to you eventually, don't worry, but it's better for the speed of things if we're not held up several weeks waiting.
Thanks for sharing yourself with us here. To be honest I thought with the handle you would be a male. Goes to show you can't judge a handle (or book) by it's name (or cover)
:D I'm always surprised people don't figure it out: I'm named after a female agent, I have the word 'girl' in my tagline and I spend much of my forum time perving on Timothy Dalton (though men are allowed to do that too, of course). Glad you enjoyed the read!