Licence To Queer

“Just because someone seems happy, doesn’t mean it’s the reality of the situation. It’s good to check in and see how people are doing.” - Vinnie Harris

Vinnie Harris is an unfalteringly positive voice in the Bond community - his voice is also very deep and many of you will recognise it from his appearances on various podcasts!

As Anya Amasova tells Bond in The Spy Who Loved Me, “it’s very important to have a positive mental attitude.” This can be easier said than done however! So positive is Vinnie online that you might be surprised to learn about the challenges he has overcome and continues to battle in his everyday life. This is the first time Vinnie has opened up publicly about these and how he is learning to cope with them. 

Diagnosed with autism and ADHD early in life, Vinnie talks candidly about how, like Bond, he felt like he didn’t fit in. Two decades down the line, he shares his thoughts about combatting negative self-talk, taking advice from family and friends, how it’s important to live life at your own pace and learning to own your uniqueness.

You can follow Vinnie on X @Harris94Vinnie and Instagram @mrharris00794

“It shook my foundations. I flipped from being someone that was 'Just get on with it' to a person who felt far more empathy, understanding not everyone has the tools to be able to 'Just get on with it'.” - Natasha Stone

John is one of the fantastic lads who make up the Really, 007! podcast. While David has been honoured to be their guest multiple times and they've got to know each other well in real life, this is the first time John and David have publicly talked just the two of them.

The author of A Different Kind of Brave describes his novel as a “gay teen love letter to James Bond movies”, which is a pretty accurate description!

David chats with Thomas Gilbert, the illustrator of the new edition of Ian Fleming's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, released to celebrate the book's 60th anniversary. Although this is the first book Thomas has illustrated, you will likely be familiar with his work in other fields. He is not only a highly accomplished artist who turned to making Bond posters at the start of the Covid lockdowns (Instagram @gilbert_posters) but he also designs cars for a living!

Fleming originally commissioned his automotive engineer friend Amherst Villiers (namechecked in the early Bond books) to draw Chitty but his rendering was never used. So this edition marks the first time an actual car designer has illustrated the book!

Thomas and David also talk about where their creative sparks come from and why it's a good idea to say 'Yes!' to adventures which take you out of your comfort zone!

Following Thomas on Instagram here:

“At the core of a lot of depression is feeling like you don't have any meaning.” - David Zaritsky

David Zaritsky and David Lowbridge-Ellis candidly explore the dark side and light side of relevancy within the Bond community. (Yes, there are also Star Wars references.)

When we feel relevant, we get a natural hit of dopamine. But this can become dangerously addictive; creating content with the sole goal of gaining followers and likes can wreak havoc on our mental health.

David Z gets personal about how he has lost friends because they could not stop comparing their own relevance with other people’s. David L-E reveals how he strives to find meaning in himself, rather than by seeking affirmation from others.

This is a very personal conversation in which both Davids discuss how to navigate this tricky territory. The hope is that by sharing it publicly they will help others.

As David Z says here, when it comes to mental health, “There’s a real need to understand the why of what is happening.”

It’s tribal. Although some talk about the Bond Community as if it’s a place where everyone agrees with each other, in reality it consists of many subgroups. And while most Bond fans are positive voices, bringing diverse points of view and supporting others with positive affirmation, a few sadly pursue relevancy by propagating negativity, attempting to tear down those who they are jealous of.

The Davids hone in on their shared why: if it’s not followers and likes, what does motivate them to continue doing what they do?

Finally, David Z has some very practical advice for people who might be struggling with the issues raised in this video.

About the ‘On Our Minds Only?’ series:

Mental health is not discussed enough, despite it being an important element of the 007 stories. In this series, David talks very openly about mental health with members of the Bond community. He has a theory: these are the sorts of things on many of our minds but we often struggle to put them into words. Maybe we can change that?

Anyone who has seen Alex’s amazing YouTube knows that he always says yes to adventures! If something scares him, he follows Bond’s example and overcomes his fear by going and doing it. But as a child, he was not so confident.

Mental health is not discussed enough, despite it being an important element of the 007 stories. In this series, David talks very openly about mental health with members of the Bond community. He has a theory: these are the sorts of things on many of our minds but we often struggle to put them into words. Maybe we can change that?

Kim Sherwood's A Spy Like Me had its official launch on Saturday 27th April at Dukes Hotel in London.

The event was a collaboration between 007GB - The British James Bond Fan Club, Ian Fleming Publications Limited and Harper Collins. It was my pleasure to be not only an organiser but also the emcee for the evening. The centrepiece of the event was a conversation between Kim and me with a follow-up Q&A. This is a recording of that. I hope you enjoy it.

More about the book

A Spy Like Me is the second novel in the Double O trilogy, the follow-up to the critically acclaimed Double or Nothing. A Spy Like Me is even more tense than its predecessor. It’s both an addictively readable thriller and a work of great Literature.

How Kim achieved such a magnificent feat was explored at the launch, with David Lowbridge-Ellis MBE hosting the evening, conversing with Kim and taking questions from the audience.

Check out David's review of the book here: https://www.licencetoqueer.com/blog/book-review-a-spy-like-me

Watch David and Kim discussing other aspects of the novel in this series of Classified Chats:

https://www.licencetoqueer.com/blog/classified-chats-with-kim-sherwood

More about the launch event

The launch was a collaboration between 007GB - The British James Bond Fan Club, Ian Fleming Publications Limited and Harper Collins – the first time anything like this has happened.

We chose to have it at Dukes Hotel for reasons obvious to any Fleming fan; it’s practically a site of pilgrimage for us (Bond’s creator loved to drink at the sensational bar) and it has long associations with the character of 007.

Compared with a regular book launch, there was a more intimate, familial atmosphere. This was something we had planned for as soon as we were asked by Ian Fleming Publications and Harper Collins to collaborate with them. It’s unusual to have a book launch on a weekend, but having it on a Saturday meant it could be a more relaxed and convivial affair. It also meant more members from across the country could make it to London for the event. Some of our overseas members were also able to attend and it was lovely to have them there.

The evening began with a sumptuous wine reception and continued long after the official finish time. Representatives from the Fleming family, Ian Fleming Publications and Harper Collins mingled with club members, Kim’s family and invited guests. Fellow Bond author Charlie Higson was also in attendance; he asked a deliciously tongue in cheek question about the third book, which will be released in 2025. You can hear this - and all of the other questions - in this podcast.

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