In a series for the BBC News website, Celebrities and news-makers are grilled by Matthew Stadlen in precisely five minutes. In this video, Matt talks to Iain M Banks.
The Greatest Science Fiction writer of the them all. Ian M Banks. Thank you for a brilliant version of AI and advanced civilizations totally within the realm of REALITY !
5 minutes. Mmm. It's a quirky idea....but....you can't begin to scratch the j in justice in interviewing someone as sharp, intellectual and more importantly, wonderful as Iain Banks ;) If you haven't read him; what are you waiting for? Personal suggestion? 'The Crow Road'. Thanks for the memories Iain. Rest in peace my friend x
I met Mr Banks at a talk he done on the Hydrogen Sonata and he was a gentleman. After the talk we spoke for almost an hour at the Byre theatre St Andrews where we spoke about power tools ( im a joiner to trade and use Hilti Iain preferred Dewalt but assured me he would definitely check the Hilti catalogue) and the fact that he could batter Irvine Welsh if they ever came to blows literary and physically cause he wrote the Wasp Factory and Irvine hadn't. Absolutely fuckin mental this was about 6 months before his death the morning i heard he had passed i cried
Every year I would wait for the next Banks release. Heartbroken he is gone. Rereading the Culture Series now. Just finished Excession and prologue of Consider Phlebas.
A phenomenal talent. Read Consider Phlebas right around the time of his death and followed it up with The Wasp Factory. Knew right away the world lost one of its greatest authors. Only lived to be 59. A terrible shame. He could have given us so much more, guess we'll just have to be grateful for what we have from him, which, fortunately, is a lot.
I met him at a book signing (feersum endjinn), a lovely chap. In truth one of my 2 goto authors and a great sorrow that he is no longer with us. I am rereading Consider Phlebas right now. How this hasn't been moviefied along with the rest I just do not understand... Simply the best scifi ever written. Excession is my favourite if anyone cares, the ship speak is just fantastic.
I’d love to see his Culture novels in movie format but I’d be equally terrified they’d Fuck it up. Like instead of getting someone sensible like Ridley Scott or Christopher Nolan or Denis Villeneuve or even James Cameron, they got a James Wong or a Uwe Boll or for some freakish reason a Tommy Wiseau. Although in an alternate world would interested to see what Tommy Wiseau would do with it if they gave him $200million
"How this hasn't been moviefied" - his estate are mostly against it. Dennis Kelly, who was adapting Consider Phlebas for Amazon says the project was cancelled because the estate didn't want it.
I still haven’t been able to start reading my copy of The Hydrogen Sonata because I know it’ll be the last new Iain M. Banks I’ll be able to. 😢 His creation of The Culture makes him a hero.
Gone way before his time. Thank you sir for your wonderful books.
The Greatest Science Fiction writer of the them all.
Ian M Banks. Thank you for a brilliant version of AI and advanced civilizations
totally within the realm of REALITY !
I miss you
A sad loss of the man, and the many more words he could have written.
miss you too
The Culture is the future that I want most for humanity.
I live in a world where there will be no new Culture books. Why God?
@App User Good suggestion. Thanks.
Because without that author, it wouldn't be worth reading.
He wrote enough for a Mind to emulate…
He died on my birthday in 2013. I really miss him
Just started The Culture. It's astounding that books written in the 80's can feel so damn modern....can't wait to see how the series progresses.
How far did you get?
@@SilentSwitchblade currently up to use of weapons, taking a break from series, will finish at later time. Currently on a fantasy kick
MostToasties I’m reading Inversions, it’s a mix of fantasy and sci-fi I would say.
@@JOlivier2011 Surface Detail really blew my mind, theres an awful concept based around hell that absolutely terrified me.
@@victorymansions Excession is best…..
SOOOO miss you IAIN ----SOOOO much man---never be another Culture novel, so much LOSS!!!!!
5 minutes. Mmm. It's a quirky idea....but....you can't begin to scratch the j in justice in interviewing someone as sharp, intellectual and more importantly, wonderful as Iain Banks ;)
If you haven't read him; what are you waiting for? Personal suggestion? 'The Crow Road'.
Thanks for the memories Iain. Rest in peace my friend x
He really was an extremely articulate and entertaining person.
he was a writer..
@@satoshinakamoto7253 Not all are articulate or entertaining!
I met Mr Banks at a talk he done on the Hydrogen Sonata and he was a gentleman. After the talk we spoke for almost an hour at the Byre theatre St Andrews where we spoke about power tools ( im a joiner to trade and use Hilti Iain preferred Dewalt but assured me he would definitely check the Hilti catalogue) and the fact that he could batter Irvine Welsh if they ever came to blows literary and physically cause he wrote the Wasp Factory and Irvine hadn't. Absolutely fuckin mental this was about 6 months before his death the morning i heard he had passed i cried
Of all the universes that I've been involved with over the years, The Culture is the most fascinating. Thank you Mr Banks.
Every year I would wait for the next Banks release. Heartbroken he is gone. Rereading the Culture Series now. Just finished Excession and prologue of Consider Phlebas.
An astonishingly inventive author, so sad he left so soon :(
Great answer to why SF is important.
Not that that surprises me whatsoever.
A phenomenal talent. Read Consider Phlebas right around the time of his death and followed it up with The Wasp Factory. Knew right away the world lost one of its greatest authors. Only lived to be 59. A terrible shame. He could have given us so much more, guess we'll just have to be grateful for what we have from him, which, fortunately, is a lot.
Such a shame this brilliant man died so young…without a shadow of a doubt the finest science fiction writer that ever picked up a pen r.I.p Iain
Greatly interview, Greatl writer. I love all the ships' names especially in the culture novels.
Probably my favourite interview ever. He's just so nice and down to earth!
I met him at a book signing (feersum endjinn), a lovely chap. In truth one of my 2 goto authors and a great sorrow that he is no longer with us. I am rereading Consider Phlebas right now. How this hasn't been moviefied along with the rest I just do not understand... Simply the best scifi ever written. Excession is my favourite if anyone cares, the ship speak is just fantastic.
The Usual But Etymologically Unsatisfactory
I’d love to see his Culture novels in movie format but I’d be equally terrified they’d Fuck it up. Like instead of getting someone sensible like Ridley Scott or Christopher Nolan or Denis Villeneuve or even James Cameron, they got a James Wong or a Uwe Boll or for some freakish reason a Tommy Wiseau. Although in an alternate world would interested to see what Tommy Wiseau would do with it if they gave him $200million
"How this hasn't been moviefied" - his estate are mostly against it. Dennis Kelly, who was adapting Consider Phlebas for Amazon says the project was cancelled because the estate didn't want it.
@@victorymansions The ship names are just fantastic.
@@TomDestry That is a real shame. Someone talk some sense into them! ;)
how beautifully sad.
He died too soon. RIP.
Just finished, Complicity. Loved it!! ❤
"Can we come back with ten minutes one day?" "I don't see why not." Damn. RIP, Mr. Banks.
Nice mention of his 'clever pal', the author, Ken MacLeod
One day, maybe in the far future people will actually get the true genius of Iain M Banks. Seems like now is not quite that time yet...
I enjoy how his books belie his own attempt to rationalize communism. Almost like it doesn't work even in fiction.
I still haven’t been able to start reading my copy of The Hydrogen Sonata because I know it’ll be the last new Iain M. Banks I’ll be able to. 😢 His creation of The Culture makes him a hero.
He's such a nice guy! I love his books so much more just seeing how he behaves and carries himself.
Amazing writer :) TFS, GB :)
That was brilliant. Ian M Banks was excellent and also the format and the questions were very good.
Espedair Street has got me rolling ever since.
A man from the future ✅
Such a shame this video only has 15 comments
Harber Highway
Well....he wasn't really "grilled" was he?
Nice friendly interview.
....as it should be.
You know Ian did some theatre interviews around the uk a long while back. Would’ve been good if one was filmed.
A quick look at Banks, not long before he died. This interviewer seemed to know very little about Banks.
"I love this man!" POTUS of Rick Sanchez
I loved him so much.
My favorite author- quite sad we have lost this literary icon
AMAZING questions
Got here from Virtual Mirage.
great interview
What a wasted opportunity... 5 minutes of uninformed puerile amateur questions
Andrew Colville. Scottish. You couldn't tell? The entire interview pointed to him being Scottish. Irish...jeez.