Well, that moment of glory was indeed momentary. They tried calling me back before I was on the air but the line still crackled so I just got to warble briefly some ad hoc theories about what boys like to read and why. I don't think I got tongue tied but there were times when I certainly had no idea what the next words out of my mouth would be. I think I said something about "what boys want", listened to myself say it, almost panicked and emphatically didn't talk about sex thereafter. Then a blink-and-you-miss-it plug for The New World Order and it was on to the next item. If you absolutely have to, you can listen again.
Apparently they had earlier been talking to the guy who first signed up JK Rowling, but unfortunately I hadn't heard any of that so couldn't follow up any of the points. Instead I just got described on air as a "great fan" of the Young James Bond series, which might be accurate if I actually read any of them. I didn't have the heart or courage to contradict the nice lady live. "Reasonable fan of Alex Rider" would be a more accurate description (my favourite being Scorpia with Eagle Strike a close second, mostly because the baddie is quite obviously Elton John) but we didn't discuss him.
Now I'll talk about sex. It's a canonical fact in the original Fleming James Bond novels that Bond was expelled from Eton after "some alleged trouble with one of the boys' maids" and that he lost his virginity on a school trip to France aged 16. I'm curious to know if the Young James Bond series will reach that point in his career. But I didn't get to mention that either.
UPDATE: according to Wikipedia, the fifth Young James Bond novel will indeed deal with the Eton incident. No news on the school trip, though.
Ben, you were entirely natural on the radio.
ReplyDeleteTo those of us tuning into 3 counties radio from Lumen House (personally for the first and last time), it was the same Ben Jeapes we've come to know and love!!
Really funky.
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