Licence To Queer LicenceToQueer

On their most recent trip to Tokyo, David and Antony really didn’t expect to find themselves in a lesbian bar themed around James Bond. Nor could they quite believe it when the owner herself was up for being interviewed about her Bond fandom and how ‘women only’ carries a different meaning in Japanese culture.

This interview was originally included in a podcast covering our whole trip to Japan, which you can find here:

https://www.licencetoqueer.com/blog/welcome-to-japan

Well, they can't all be winners, eh?

Antony and David dive into the second Warren Ellis/Jason Masters' "caper" Eidolon, which deals with dirty money and even dirtier duties as James and Tanner, er, torture a suspect by removing his skin (?!) to prevent the rise of a neo-SPECTRE.

Listen to what the couple thought, along with thoughts from LTQ listener, on 2016's Eidolon from Dynamite Entertainment.

This episode is also available as a video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6T0oz1O9yjU

Award-winning Bond author Kim Sherwood and Licence to Queer's David Lowbridge-Ellis sit down to watch together the Bond film appearances of Kim's grandfather, George Baker - the man who Fleming wanted to play Bond.

More than a decade after his passing, George remains a household name in the UK, immediately familiar to generations of film and TV viewers - especially Bond fans. Although his screen time in the Bond series is relatively svelte, he leaves a lasting impression in two very different roles: the no-nonsense Captain Benson in The Spy Who Loved Me and the comically fusty brass-rubbing genealogist Sir Hilary Bray in On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

Which of these roles was closest to the real George? Kim shares her unique insights.

In On Her Majesty's Secret Service, George Baker also revoiced George Lazenby for around a third of the film. Baker himself said he found dubbing Lazenby "extraordinary", not least of all because he would have played James Bond himself if Ian Fleming had got his own way. Kim and David explore in detail how George almost became Bond and also the lesser known parts of his legacy: how he was not just an actor but a poet and award-winning playwright; how he was a British icon who was actually born in Bulgaria (and he could still speak the language until his final days); how he might have been a spy using his acting roles as cover!; how he earned a reputation as a ladies' man while being someone who was very vocal towards any institution which discriminated against women (this film contains some strong language!). And of course, Kim shares how much of an influence George had - and continues to have - on her own life and work.

As usual with Kim and David, the chat ranges far and wide. Expect discussion of:

- The merits of DVD menus

- The complexities of keeping the British end up

- Tweed (See: #SirHilaryBrayDay)

- Accents! Accents! Accents! (And more accents!)



And: an accidental recreation of Lethal Weapon.

Utilising the Licence to Queer queer view system (Bond, Allies, Girls, Villains, Camp), Antony and David tackle the first in Dynamite Entertainment's long line of James Bond comic books:

Vargr by Warren Ellis and Jason Masters from late 2015.

We're launching a new mini-series on the Licence to Queer podcast feed and one which is going to be led by Antony Lowbridge-Ellis, David's (better) half.

In this introductory episode, Antony, a life-long fan of the medium of comic books (see his X-Men podcast X-Nation) gives a bit of background on this new Licence to Queer project where Antony and David will review each arc, in order, of the James Bond comic books being published by Dynamite Entertainment.

Before we get to Episode 001 (Warren Ellis' and Jason Masters' 2015/16 reboot "Vargr"), Antony explains in Episode 000 the history of James Bond on the comic book page, detailing how the "funny book" version pre-dates the cinematic Bond by almost four years.

Antony and David debate the merits of the various Bond comic books published by Dynamite Entertainment, including the new run by Garth Ennis.

As usual for the 'Our Month' series, they look back on the many ways Bond has intersected with their daily lives and the special events they've been involved with, including Jim Fanning Friday: Live and Let's Bow Tie and a Goldfinger celebration in a bank vault. They also get everyone up to speed with the events to come: Sir Hilary Bray Day and the epic watchalong fundraiser Time to Donate.

This episode's cocktail is a new creation: the Casino Royale.