| BENSON: Yes. It will be released simultaneously with the film.
HMSS: Why do you think people respond to James Bond? BENSON: I think that in the old days, it was because there was nothing like him. Cinematically, people responded to Sean Connery, and the glitz and glamour, and the "coolness" factor. Today I think it's more...just entertainment. But reliable, brand-name entertainment. The younger crowd, who didn't grow up with Bond, as we all did, probably don't get the same kick. HMSS: Is James Bond a "smart" guy? BENSON: Absolutley. He's very clever. Sharp, and quick on his feet. As far as formal education goes, no, he was probably a bad student. I think he's a survivor who really knows how to survive. He's not a great detective, but he's extremely worldly. He also has a very high threshold of pain which adds to his success. He's a machine; an animal. (Laughs.) Fleming referred to him as a "blunt instrument." HMSS: Obviously, you are a fan of the James Bond novels and films. What else is Raymond Benson a fan of? BENSON: Many things. Music, films, books...we could talk all night about that. I like Stanley Kubrick. He's my favorite director. I like Woody Allen; Hitchcock; Bergman; Truffaut; Scorsese. I love the Marx Brothers; Monty Python; Charlie Chaplin. As far as music goes, the Beatles are probably my favorite. (Kind of makes sense - Bond and the Beatles). Also, I'm a big fan of what's referred to as the "Canterbury School" of rock music, which came out of Canterbury, England in the late '60's and early '70's. It has a fairly big underground following, though not a lot of people may have heard of it. It includes bands like Soft Machine, Hatfield and the North, Caravan, National Health, Robert Wyatt, and many others.
| I've always been musical and responded to music. It was in college that I really began expanding my musical tastes. Of course, "altering my consciousness" back in the early '70's also helped (laughs).
I don't do that anymore, by the way. I really like all kinds of music. From "Progressive Rock" of the '70's to New Age to Country and Western today.
HMSS: Is James Bond a fan of music? BENSON: Not really. John Gardner tried to make him a jazz fan. And I'm not sure how that worked. Fleming never gave much clue as to what Bond listened to. Leiter was a big jazz fan. I may stick with the jazz thing; it doesn't not make sense. HMSS: Ian Fleming was known to undergo a fairly regimented routine when writing the Bond novels. What's your routine when writing? BENSON: Oh my God...well...I'll use "Zero Minus Ten" as an example. I have a day job, and so I'd get up at 6:30 to be there by 8:00. I'd be there till 5:00 or so, come home, have dinner with my family, spend some time with my son, and then, starting around 9:00 PM, I would write in my home office until 11:00 or 12:00. Sometimes later. Then, on weekends, I'd try to write five or six hours every day. I've always been a "routine" kind of guy. Disciplined. I don't have to force myself. It all came to me pretty well.HMSS: Is there anything to make it easier for you to write, in terms of environment? BENSON: I like to write to music, if I can. I could put on any kind of music. I could put on Jethro Tull; classical; really anything. I could put on Bond music. Jimi Hendrix. You name it. HMSS: What's your favorite Bond novel? |