129 replies to this topic

[Simon]

Very interesting interview - he comes across very well.

Certainly in this day and age of the internet, he's had to put up with more agression than earlier, non internet age artists, and it is good to see his in depth point of view.

If we have producers' films, we certainly seem to have editors' books. Why do the supposed central creative forces (directors and authors) take these jobs on?

Looking forward to the next instalment.

[zencat]

Great article, how many parts are there going to be do you know?

Right now I'm thinking four parts. Could grow into more (I just got an idea for Part V). Maybe I'll just keep going until RB screams, "Stop! Enough!"

Eventually I'd like to put it all together -- along with commentary on each book -- and create a massive Benson retropective, sort of like what Raymond did for John Gardner in 'OO7' #28. It's time.

[Genrewriter]

Sounds cool, John. Very cool. Any idea when the next part of the interview will be up and ready for viewing?

[zencat]

[quote name='Genrewriter' date='24 March 2004 - 08:59'] Sounds cool, John.

[Jim]

Splendid piece, most revealing.

Holiday with wife and credit card balance to support at present (it's time for "shock and awe" on Italian shoe shops, frankly) prevents lengthier views. But, still, fascinating.

[zencat]

Thanks, Jim.

We'll see if we can't rile you up on the next installments.

[zencat]

Hey all you High Time To Kill fans. I have a spot open for a HTTK question. If you have one, ask away (you can even post it here).

[Qwerty]

I've always thought the villain in HTTK to was one of the very best. One that really made me anyways, eagerly await to see what would happen to him. I've always wondered what Benson had in mind when creating Roland and how he compares him with his other villains he has created.

[Triton]

I agree Qwerty. I think that what makes Roland Marquis such an interesting villain is that Bond thinks Roland is more capable than he is. There is also some unresolved animosity between Bond and Roland which resulted from their rivalry during their public school days.

[Qwerty]

Exactly Triton, not the typical Bond villain you expect to find in a Bond novel, but I think that makes him all the more better and one of my favorites of Benson's.

[Sensualist]

Hi John. Further to your pm, I'd like you to ask Ray what his favourite memory/memories is/are of the locations he scouted for HTTK. Also, if he went up the mountain, how far up did he go and what was the experience like. Finally, of the four main locations in the book (Bahamas, England, Belgium, Himalayas) what was his favourite locale and what was his least favourite to visit (if at all) and why.

Thanks John

-Ray

[zencat]

PART II is now up!

In this installment we look at Raymond's work from The James Bond Beside Companion through High Time To Kill

Enjoy.

[Jim]

Splendid, splendid, splendid. Most entertaining.

[zencat]

Sorry gang, I tried to make a change and something went weird and I lost a large chunk at the end. I have to restore it. Hang tight.

EDIT: It's back. Whew!

[Loomis]

Woohoo! My question was used! Cheers, zen.

Here

[Simon]

Totally fascinating. Top notch stuff.

Keep it coming.

[Qwerty]

FANTASTIC stuff! Really! Outstanding, full of every bit of information and just plan excellent!

Love the information about the short stories, how he writes his villains, the cover art, yes the UK's are better and everything else!

EAGERLY await the next one! These interviews are just brilliant.

[Athena007]

I'm just glad Zen got the interview fixed... otherwise lunch today with him would be interspersed with "colorful metaphors"

Benson really does give great interviews, doesn

[Qwerty]

[quote name='Athena007' date='31 March 2004 - 15:50'] Benson really does give great interviews, doesn

[deth]

I can't wait for the next parts! This is great!!

................btw, how do you correspond with him? via e-mail? phone? chat?

[zencat]

So far it's all been via email -- which is a very good way to go, IMO. Saves an enormous amount of time in transcription and I think you get better, more thought out answers this way. Also follow-up is very easy.

[The Silver Beast]

Oh man, I really like the title "A Better Way To Die." That would have been a terrific title for HTTK (which I

Edited by The Silver Beast, 01 April 2004 - 04:43 AM.

[Xenobia]

Reading about the writing of The Bedside Companion was eeriely similar for me, in terms of how I do my research. I wonder if the BC wasn't the beginning of the end of his obssession with Bond. Sometimes research can do that.

I am dense; can someone explain the pun in HTTK.

-- Xenobia

[Triton]

So far it's all been via email -- which is a very good way to go, IMO. Saves an enormous amount of time in transcription and I think you get better, more thought out answers this way. Also follow-up is very easy.

I agree that the interview worked much better via e-mail because Mr. Benson was given a chance to think about the question and then draft a well reasoned and complete response. I think that his answers are much better than if he was put on the spot in an interview conducted in real-time like a telephone interview or meeting.

[Triton]

[quote name='The Silver Beast' date='31 March 2004 - 20:43'] Oh man, I really like the title "A Better Way To Die." That would have been a terrific title for HTTK (which I

[The Silver Beast]

I am dense; can someone explain the pun in HTTK.

Well, maybe it's not strictly a pun, but it's sort of a cutesy wink to the fact that the book is set on a mountain -- HIGH Time To Kill... Get it?

Mr. Bond and The Beast don't do "cute."

[Triton]

Reading about the writing of The Bedside Companion was eeriely similar for me, in terms of how I do my research.  I wonder if the BC wasn't the beginning of the end of his obssession with Bond.  Sometimes research can do that.

I am dense; can someone explain the pun in HTTK.

-- Xenobia

Do you really believe that research ends an obsession? For the most part, learning more about a particular topic usually increases my interest and my obsession. I guess it's possible to become bored with a subject when there is nothing new left to explore or learn and you move on to something else.

Do you really believe that Mr. Benson's obsession with James Bond is over and he is no longer a fan? The fact that he became an official Bond novelist may make it difficult for him to critique the books and movies, but I don't get the impression that he no longer has an interest in Bond. That's not to say that the experience of writing the Bedside Companion or his novels didn't leave Mr. Benson a little battered and scarred. But I think that if Benson was no longer a fan, I don't think that he would participate in zencat's interview or agree to tour the Japanese locations he used in The Man with the Red Tattoo with other Bond fans.

Was the task of writing Heaven Isn't Too Far Away the end of your obsession with Bond, Xenobia?

[Genrewriter]

Great stuff once again, John. I sent you some questions for part three and beyond a few minutes ago.

[zencat]

[quote name='Triton' date='31 March 2004 - 21:23'] [quote name='Xenobia' date='31 March 2004 - 20:47'] Reading about the writing of The Bedside Companion was eeriely similar for me, in terms of how I do my research.

[Xenobia]

That's what I was kind of thinking about when I made my comments. He is on the other side of it now; Benson has moved on, and that's cool. We all have to move on with our craft at some point.

As for me, no, writing my fan fiction did not kill my love of Bond, if anything is made it stronger because I could appreciate what Fleming, Amis, Gardner and Benson had to do. It also gives me an outlet for making Bond who I want him to be.

As for Benson, when he wrote The Bedside Companion he covered all aspects of the pheonmenon, pretty much, and he said all that could be said at that point. When you have done that, and then wrote some Bond novels yourself, where do you go from there?

Like the man said, you look back on it with fondness, and you go on to the other side.

-- Xenobia