Ian Fleming Birthday Bash

Sir Ian Fleming, the late British author whose post war era tales of international intrigue and adventure captivated the world through his 007 books, and later one of the world's most popular film franchises turned 100 today.

His father was a wealthy Scottish banker Valentine Fleming, and his mother a beautiful socialite, Evelyn St.Croix Rose who also bore Fleming three brothers, and later after his father's death in WWI, a half sister.


Already well to do, he soon became wealthy by developing an expertise in creating literature that mirrored the classic male fantasies of driving the fastest cars, having the newest toys, seducing the beautiful women, and battling fiendish villains and saving the world.


The grand spy master novelist eventually retired to Oracabessa, Jamaica where Chris Blackwell of Island records fame now runs his old hilltop refuge as a very exclusive guest hotel whose quarters rent for about $9000 a week. You'd be in creative atmosphere though, as apparently not only did Fleming write 17 Bond books here, Sting is said to have written “Every Breath You Take” there as well!

One can actually stay in Flemings room with a view of the Caribbean Sea and even play with his old typewriter...

Many people know that Ian Fleming loved cars ( he even wrote Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) but he also had a lifelong fascination with flowers and his only poetry collection, a vanity press run in 1928, was entitled The Black Daffodil. It is said that no copies of his poetry book exist today because Fleming rounded up every copy and burned them.

Here's a variety pack mix of tunes, some that likely should have also been burned along with Fleming's poetry, but they'll keep coming because I'll be adding to all night in his honor.




This first song actually predtates the emergence of James Bond as the top man in Her Majesty's Secret Service, being that it was recorded in 1942. But it was the pre-cold war WWII era that Bond has his roots in, the times when Fleming himself served in the Royal Navy.

so let's start here...

Raymond Scott & His Orchestra - Secret Agent

The 60's was the peak of Bond fever and everyone from Smokey Robinson to Johnny Rivers to Nancy Sinatra had to have a song to cash in on the craze

Nancy Sinatra - Last of The Secret Agents

Even actress Barbara Feldon had a spy record out, she being the co-star on a cheeky show that couldn't have existed without the seriousness of the Bond flicks.


Barbara Feldon was Don Adam's female co-star Agent "99" on Get Smart, the show produced by Mel Brooks. Here's her own kitschy Nancy Sinatra-esque theme song, produced by Elliot Mazer, whose other credits included Janis Joplin, Mike Bloomfield and the Byrds.



...lyrics follow ...

Barbara Feldon - 99

So you think you see a pussycat you'd like to pet
You start to come on strong to see how far you will get
You feed the pussycat that I'm a tiger lie
You don't know that you're mess'n with 99, 99
You brag about your motorboat and Cadillacs
How you cheated 'bout a million on your income tax
It isn't 'til they slap you with a great big fine
That you know that you've been mess'n with 99, 99
There's music on the hi-fi and she dims the light
She fixes a Martini that is out of sight
Your tongue begins to loosen 'cause you're all alone
But that ain't a olive buddy that's a microphone
You're a foreign spy who wants to come in from the cold
And you've never been uncovered you're so self controlled
But when they find your body floating down the Rhine
That's a lesson don't go mess'n with 99, 99
You're the highest paid informer for a Balkan State
On your night off you invite her for a dinner date
But when she freshens up, you'll end up unemployed
'Cause that ain't a lipstick buddy that's a Poloroid
So listen tigers this is what it's all about
A pussycat will get you if you don't watch out
Though she may send shivers running up and down your spine
She is doing her caress'n with a tiny Smith and Wesson
And that means you've been mess'n with 99, 99, 99, 99

My friends in 80's DC punk group Grey Matter got spy movie fever

Grey Matter - The Spy

Then we move onto contemporary Germany and then Brazil in the next two tracks...

The Audience - James Bond


Bonde do Role - James Bonde Live @ SXSW 2007 ( courtesy lullabyes.net )


Thailand is not immune as you will soon see from this escellent collection of 60's Thai pop quirkyness...

Son of P.M - James Bond Theme


Back home in the UK, Bond has his fans too...and they sound like this overblown bombastic welshman Tom Jones (whose track here is actually the first official Bond theme track in this post thus far, ridiculous bonus video below the mp3)

Tom Jones - Thunderball



Shirley Bassey is the singer most associated with Bond movie themes and this one is a remix of her most distinctive theme in my humble opinion by the Propellerheads. I remeber watching those gilded naked ladies cavorting about in the tv title sequence as a boy in a movie whose arch villainess was named Pussy Galore, and indeed I was wishing we had rewind on the imaginary uninvented TIVO.

Shirley BasseyGoldfinger - Propellerheads remix





and these days



N.Y.C's latest batch of disco dance rockers are tuned into the fleming ouevre
Men, Women & Children - James Bond (Demo)

How about Bond's influence on our French brethren?

Bénabar Le mechant de James Bond

more to come...I'll be back in a bit, but I'm watching some fireworks over Oakland A's stadium and just busy working on other thangs including some websites for other folks, and now that my net connection was downgraded for financial reasons, the ol FTP is a lot slower, my MP3 moving has to take a sidecar seat for a spell...