Iain Banks interviewed in ASIM #35

June 17th, 2008 in Global, Interviews

The latest issue of Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine includes an interview with Iain [M] Banks which was conducted in January this year.

David from 'The Banksoniain' tells us the piece "starts off being about Matter, but goes onto more general things, including the first hints that the next SF book is likely to be a 'Culture' one..."

Intriguing stuff. See the ASIM website for more information on ordering a print (AUD$8.95 plus postage) or pdf (AUD$4.95) copy of the latest issue.

Addendum: Simon Petrie of ASIM very kindly sent us a pdf copy of the interview with Iain, so we can confirm that he talks about (among many other things) his addiction to writing science fiction: "The point is, though, that science fiction is the genre that I love

Iain Banks video interview on CNN.com

May 16th, 2008 in Global, Interviews

During his recent appearance at the Lincoln Book Festival, Iain Banks talked to CNN's Linnie Rawlinson about a wide range of topics and subject areas, including the appeal of science fiction, his sf-nal influences, the social impact of post-scarcity economics in The Culture (and whether he's like to live there) as well as his vision for the future of humanity, including the one Culture-based gift he'd give the human race, if he could...

You can check out the video version (in two parts) over on the CNN website, or if you don't have a broadband connection handy right now, you can read the text version of the interview instead.

Quickfire Iain M Banks interview online at SciFi.com

April 10th, 2008 in Global, Interviews

John Joseph Adams talks to Iain [M] Banks about Matter, over at SciFi.com.

[Thanks to Gary W for the heads-up]

Iain Banks interviewed for The Edinburgh Evening News

March 25th, 2008 in Global, Interviews

Iain talks to Edinburgh Evening News interviewer Sandra Dick about his writing habits, his political views and his hankering for the Tesla Roadster...

Iain Banks interviewed for The Independent

March 12th, 2008 in Global, Interviews

Cole Moreton interviewed Iain for British daily The Independent back at the beginning of the month. The interviewer was very interested in Iain's politics and the fact that he's now renewed his UK passport, which he famously cut up and sent to Number 10, Downing Street in protest at the UK's involvement in the Iraq War.

Style-watchers will note that Iain is also very pleased indeed with his new leather jacket...

Iain Banks interviewed and 'Matter' reviewed for Time Magazine Online

March 4th, 2008 in Global, Interviews

Lev Grossman has posted a review of Matter over at www.Time.com as well as an interview with Iain, which you can find over at his and Matt Selman's Time.com hosted Nerd World blog.

In the interview, Iain reveals the secret of his amazing ability to transcribe fluent technobabble almost as if he were making it all up:

"I suspect it's just the right balance of wide-eyed, totally fascinated enthusiasm for 'real' tech speak along with a healthy dose of cynicism regarding how easy it is to make up such stuff without really having any idea what in the hell you're talking about. I am happy to report I have both, in spades."

Read the full interview at time-blog.com/nerd_world and thanks again to Alex for the heads-up.

Anatomy of an interview: Craig McGill posts his Iain Banks source material

February 26th, 2008 in Global, Interviews

Journalist Craig McGill has posted a piece on his blog that offers an insight into the journalistic / editorial processes of the UK's tabloid papers.

Craig recently interviewed Iain Banks for The Scottish Sun. In his blog piece he has posted the original audio file of the interview, along with the copy that he submitted to The Sun and a pdf of the final article as it was printed in the paper. He also invites journalism students to prepare their own piece from the audio transcript and submit it to the site for comparison purposes.

Iain Banks chats to The Cambridge Student online

February 25th, 2008 in Global, Interviews

There's a quick-fire interview / chat with Iain Banks over at The Cambridge Student Online. Iain talks about his writing habits, touches on politics and religion, and then finishes with mention of an intriguing new creative angle, which he plans to explore over the summer:

"I shall be using a staggeringly complicated but brilliantly capable music processing program called Logic 7 to make music on. Objectively the results might be unlistenable rubbish but as I can finally hear through my ears what I've only ever heard in my head all these years, I remain resolutely tickled pink by the whole process."

We'll be doing our best to blag some MP3 downloads for the site, of course, but can make no promises whatsoever...

Iain Banks interviewed for The Australian

February 25th, 2008 in Global, Interviews

Peter Wilson, Eurocorrespondent for The Australian, visited Iain Banks in Edinburgh and wrote up an interview that's available now on the website under the tag-line Two Curmudgeons for the Price of One.

Iain talks more about his life than his writing in this one (or at least, that's how it's written up), so it makes for some interesting background reading.

io9.com Iain Banks interview + 'Matter' review

February 20th, 2008 in Global, Interviews

io9.com blogger Annalee Newitz posted a double-dose of Banks-related content yesterday.

In her interview with Iain Banks Annalee asks questions like: "Do you suspect that a little weirdness is a necessary component of longevity for a species or civilization?" (answer: "Absolutely...") and in her accompanying review of Matter, she declares:

"Told with Banks' usual nihilistic humor and flair for outlandish description, this is a novel that will grab you by the shorthairs, scream at you about realpolitik, and then smack you on the head with a laser blast. And of course, you'll love every minute of it."

Head on over to io9.com to read the full interview and review.

Iain Banks interviewed for The Socialist Review

February 13th, 2008 in Global, Interviews

The February 2008 issue of The Socialist Review carries an interview with Iain, conducted by Patrick Ward. As you'd anticipate, there's plenty of political discussion, along with questions about both Matter and The Steep Approach to Garbadale and some thoughts on 'The Culture as Utopia'.

Iain also talks about his current plans for the next book...

"I'm thinking about thinking about the next book. I'm going to start typing it in October. So I'm not thinking about it. I'm thinking about thinking about it. There's a distinction I hope you appreciate."

...just in case you were wondering.

You can read the full interview at www.socialistreview.org.uk, as well as Patrick Ward's (brief) review of Matter.

Quick reminder: Iain Banks interview in Interzone #214

February 12th, 2008 in Global, Interviews

Just a quick reminder for anyone who missed issue #214 of Interzone, the UK's longest-running original short science fiction magazine, this particular issue (January 2008) contains a lengthy feature interview with Iain, conducted by Paul Raven of Velcro City Tourist Board and Futurismic.com.

Iain tells Paul about the background and inspiration for the major themes in Matter, the conceptual basis of The Culture, and his brief flirtation with short fiction. Well worth tracking down a copy.

Iain Banks interviewed for The Guardian

February 7th, 2008 in Global, Interviews

The Guardian's Sarah Kinson has conducted a quick-fire interview with Iain, that's available to read at The Guardian Unlimited.

The topic of the interview is 'Why I Write', and Iain talks about his inspiration and motivation for living the writer's life, plus the joy of getting up and writing at 4 a.m. if that's when inspiration happens to strike: "Which is good because then I can finish my allocation of words for the day by breakfast and have the day off."

Iain Banks talks to John Naish for the Times Online

February 3rd, 2008 in Global, Interviews

John Naish talks to Iain for the Life & Style section of The Times Online about his increasingly laid-back, green and low-octane approach to life. The opening paragraph reads:

"Iain Banks lifts a corduroy trouser leg to reveal a nasty-looking scar line just below his kneecap. It's the last physical mark of the best-selling author's rock'n'roll days as he renounces his decades of high-octane, health-shunning hedonism and embraces rather calmer ways of greener, cleaner living."

Read the full interview over at women.timesonline.co.uk.