INTERVIEW WITH RAYMOND BENSON FROM TheCelebrityCafe.com ARCHIVES

DM) When did you first start reading Ian Fleming's James Bond novels?

RB) I first saw the movie "Goldfinger" in the theater when I was 9 years old and was blown away. I immediately started reading whatever Bond books I could get my hands on, even though I was probably too young at the time to fully comprehend them. By the time I was 11 I had read them all once. I re-read them again around the time I was in high school, and that's when I fully appreciated them. I've re-read them several times since.

DM) How did you get involved with the Fleming foundation and with continuing his James Bond saga?

RB) The Ian Fleming Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that deals exclusively with the preservation of Bond and Fleming memorabilia with the long term goal of erecting a permanent museum. I'm on the board of directors along with members of the Fleming family, representatives of Glidrose, and other Bond enthusiasts. It has nothing to do with my work as the novelist. Ian Fleming (Glidrose) Publications Ltd. is the company that Ian Fleming set up to handle the copyrights in his novels and act as worldwide agent for the literary Bond. His original literary agent, Peter Janson-Smith, is Chairman of Glidrose. It is Glidrose that picks the authors and handles the publication of Bond novels.I had written a non-fiction book on Bond in the early 80s entitled "The James Bond Bedside Companion". During the writing, I went to England to research and met members of the Fleming family, Peter Janson-Smith, and other Fleming friends and colleagues. When the book was published in 1984, it was well received. I kept in touch with the people at Glidrose through the years. In late 1995, John Gardner, my predecessor, decided to retire from the gig. Peter phoned me out of the blue and asked if I'd be interested in taking the job on.

DM) Do you think Ian himself would have been surprised about the longevity of the series?

RB) Yes. He didn't expect it to last so long. Unfortunately, he only saw the first two films and never got to enjoy the huge success that Bond brought others. As he once said, "It's all been such a lark."

DM) Although the era of the cold war is over and spies are slowly becoming a thing of the past, do you think the public will ever lose an interest in James Bond?

RB) They don't show any sign of doing so after nearly 50 years of books and 40 years of films. With 19 films under their belt, EON Productions is the most successful film production company in cinematic history (in terms of longevity with one series). Spies are not necessarily linked to the cold war-- we had spies in WW I, WW II, Vietnam, and we have spies today. Spies will never be a thing of the past. There will always be something for Bond to do. Frankly, I think the world situation is more dangerous now than it was then. There are more loose cannons in the world.

DM) Why do you think the world is more dangerous now?

RB) As I said, there are a lot of loose cannons. How many nuclear bombs are lying around in Russia? Who's really in charge there? It seems like it's wide open for some entrepreneur to get hold of one.

DM) Do you do your best to write in Ian's style, or do you write about Bond in your own style?

RB) I could never write like Ian Fleming. I hold him in very high regard, and I don't even attempt to write *like* him. What I try to do is capture the spirit of his writing and be as faithful as I can to his character. I've tried to bring back Fleming's more politically incorrect character, for Bond got a little too politically correct in the 80s and early 90s, in my opinion.

DM) How did he get more politically correct?

RB) By smoking less, womanizing less... being a "nicer" guy...

DM) What do you think Ian would think of the recent 1960's spy interest created via Austin Powers?

RB) I'm sure he would have been amused.

DM) Have you written any non-James Bond books?

RB) Yes, I have, and in fact my first non-Bond novel, EVIL HOURS, will soon be published as a serial novel by PublishingOnline.com. Watch the POL website in June for further details. I describe it as a cross between Larry McMurtry and David Lynch. It takes place in a small West Texas town and deals with a murder victim's daughter coming to grips with what happened to her mother 25 years ago.