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Licence To Queer covers queer aspects of Bond books, video games and more. Search here for your favourite titles and characters or find content related to particular queer identities (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, etc).
Sneaky Bond
The scenes where Bond sneaks around places - hotels, enemy bases, even his boss’s house - are highlights of the series. What is about them that makes them tick - and our hearts race? Do we experience these episodes differently if we have reasons to feel fearful in our own lives? How much is the music responsible for their effectiveness? And what are Licence To Queer readers’ favourite sneaky scenes?
The enduring appeal of Arnold's aurally androgynous Bond scores
No one integrates the masculine and feminine qualities of James Bond into the music as well as David Arnold. Is that why we keep wanting him back?
Warm welcomes and cold Martinis: a two night stay at Dukes
Bond purists might baulk but the best Martinis in the world are neither shaken nor stirred. Just ask the experts at Dukes in London, where Ian Fleming preferred to drink them.
Campari-ing it up with 007
Nothing else tastes quite like Campari. It’s an essential ingredient of the Milano-Torino, the Americano, the Negroni and the Negroni Sbagliato. In this video we take you through the history of all four of these classic drinks, making them live as we go. We also discuss Bond's experiences with these cocktails and what qualifies some drinks as more 'masculine' than others.
No time for family?
Much as the Bond character might persuade us to indulge in a fantasy of being able to live self-sufficiently, the truth is he’s always been part of a family. 007’s recent adventures place him at the centre of an ever-expanding ‘found family’, something he has in common with the heroes of the Marvel, Star Wars and Fast & Furious cinematic franchises.
So he strikes - and scores - like Thunderball! James Bond, football and the making of men
Football and/or James Bond are ready-made conversation starters among many men - things which you can more or less safely assume they will have an opinion about. But although these social lubricants overlap in significant ways, they present radically alternative versions of masculinity. Do we even realise how much we have been shaped by these cultural tentpoles? And why aren’t we all talking about this more?
Armour on or off? Why Tom Ford is the perfect fit for James Bond
Versace, Cardin, McQueen, Calvin Klein… the Bond series has been associated with many of the world’s most famous queer fashion designers. But there is no more perfect fit for Daniel Craig’s Bond than Tom Ford.
OSS117: The Spy Who (Covertly) Loved Them All
On the page, Agent 117 pre-dates 007 by several years. In the noughties he was brought back to the screen by a team who would go on to win Best Picture at the Oscars. As well as poking affectionate fun at the Bond character (especially his sexuality), the films have a serious side, satirising outdated attitudes. Will the upcoming third film maintain the same winning balance of comedy and social commentary?
James Bond: Muscle Mary
The lines between ‘gay’ and ‘straight’ fashion are more blurred than ever, in part thanks to James Bond. Nevertheless, stereotypical assumptions about the clothing we choose to wear still persist. Craig’s Bond carries off a classic ‘gay look’ down to a (very tightly fitted) tee.
The Sinning Daylights
Some unused Bond songs just refuse to fade away. Back in 1986, the Pet Shop Boys were led to believe they were going to be chosen to represent queens and their country by doing musical duties on The Living Daylights. So what happened and how different would Dalton’s first film have sounded had they got the gig?
Film students from East Sussex have recreated the iconic opening titles to Goldfinger, subverting the presumed-to-be straight male gaze by substituting the buxom female form with a muscled male model.