WE HAVE ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD by MICHAELMAS

I Was A Teenage James Bond Fan - Michael Wood April 2015

The name is Wood, Michael Wood. 002079.  I was a teenage James Bond fan.  In contrast to some of the other artists on here, I love the James Bond films.  In the same way that I can’t remember what the first single was I bought, I can’t remember the first James Bond I saw.  I do remember seeing Octopussy at the cinema on holiday in Great Yarmouth in 1983, I hope that wasn't it.  ITV first started showing the films in 1975, two years after I was born, so I probably would've seen them on some Bank Holiday Monday or other.

I first owned the films on VHS, taped off the TV with hand drawn covers and labels and would re-watch them a lot. Sometimes, I would just watch my favourite pre-title sequences in a row – my own ‘Now That’s What I Call Bond’ compilation.

Eventually, I had the official VHSs, then DVDs and now I've got the Blu-ray box set.

And yes, I was a member of the James Bond fan club.  In 1990 I went to the 25th anniversary screening of Thunderball at the BFI and I remember meeting Terence Young, the director.  In September 1990 I attended a Fan Club convention at Pinewood studios where we saw exhibitions and screenings, I met Q and the whistling lady with the butterflies from A View To A Kill.

me at Pinewood Studios 1990

1990 was also the year I started playing the guitar. Soon music, clothes, and buying records would take over. I didn't renew my 007 fan club membership and the next club I joined was the Suede (!) fan club and Blow Up at the Laurel Tree in Camden.

me and my first guitar early 90s.

I can see now that some of the films are very silly, and easy to criticise in 2015, but if I catch Goldfinger, The Spy Who Loved Me or The Living Daylights on ITV2 on the next Bank Holiday, then I can still watch and enjoy them as I did back then.

I am covering Louis Armstrong’s ‘We Have All Time In The World’ from the film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, written by John Barry with lyrics by Hal David. It’s unusual for a Bond theme as this song features during the film itself rather than in the title sequence (the opening music is a John Barry instrumental - one of his best).

WIAIWYA very kindly asked me to be involved in this project quite early on and this song wasn't taken, so I took it, just because it I thought it would suit me and the music I make.  It was only afterwards that I realised I that I’d agreed to release a cover of the one of the greatest songs and performances ever recorded, no pressure!