Thoughts From A Writer

Here's a portion of an Iain Banks interview by the Ouatermass Experiment that I found amusing.

TQE - Do you feel a smug satisfaction at being more famous than the people you pass in the street?

IB - No. I'm glad to say I only feel anything remotely like that very rarely, if I'm in the company of people who've written bad reviews of my books and/or won lots of prizes but who don't sell as well as I do; I get to think along the lines of, "You have the prizes, I'll take the Porsche, asshole...." This is a mean and shaming feeling and to punish myself I'm appearing on a double bill with Terry Pratchett at the Embra Festival this year; he sells much, much better than I do and that'll teach me a little humility.

TQE - Do you enjoy being interviewed?

IB - I don't mind it and I more or less never refuse, but I prefer doing my stand-up question-and-answer routine. It tends to degenerate into my impersonation of Robin Williams and it isn't very good but hey if you're going to ape somebody, ape the best, I say.

TQE - With whom would you least like to be stuck in a broken-down lift?

IB - Any Tory.

TQE - Which is your favourite Monty Python sketch?

IB - Tricky one. Let's say the musical mice (programme two, first series).

TQE - What one word would you use to sum yourself up?

IB - How about "Banksie"?

For the whole thing, go here.