Interviewing Colin Wilson can be a very alienating experience: "He picks me up from St Austell in his ancient Jaguar and seems like the sort of amiable tweed-jacketed cove you see in glucosamine sulphate ads. But as we tootle along the lanes his con versation became increasingly odd - he periodically throws out the word 'fucker' with extraordinary venom, accompanied by a sly sideways glance to see if I am shocked."