James Bond's spare time

TeenageBond

I have opened this thread as the SPECTRE "buzz" is slowing down, we need to consider what we are going to be doing for the next 2-3 years. We have to discuss what Bond would do in his free time.

We already know that he enjoyed playing golf and cards with friends and that he had 3 lovers that he would spend time with (I think we all know what that means ).

But what else would he spend time doing?
I can imagine that he also enjoyed to relax with a bourbon, some music and a book in his hand.

Any ideas?

chrisisall

Bond's down time is sleep & breakfast.

Dutchfinger

Well for one, Fleming's Bond is also discribed to have a great intrest in Motor cars. So he would probably be concerned with that too

I think that could also apply to the Bond of the films. Maybe in particular to Craig's Bond. Who is seen in SF maintaining his DB5 well and keeping it stored somewhere in London and expressing tremendous anger when it is blown up.

chrisisall

Dutchfinger wrote:

expressing tremendous anger when it is blown up.

At least he brought back a piece of the car.... :v

Gassy Man

The Craig Bonds -- like most modern films -- give the impression the main character has no life outside of the job. The Connery Bonds, by contrast, suggest his 007 has a rich life outside of the job, yet another element that gives the films more realism.

TheWorldIsEnough

I'd bet James Bond would spend his spare time ranking his adventures from 1 to 24.

zaphod99

Gassy Man wrote:

The Craig Bonds -- like most modern films -- give the impression the main character has no life outside of the job. The Connery Bonds, by contrast, suggest his 007 has a rich life outside of the job, yet another element that gives the films more realism.

At least in SP we saw he had a flat. It's very Spartaness gives us some clues, not much fun or creature comforts, highly functional and a bit drab. I can't see Bond in his spare time taking Cha Cha classes or throwing the odd pot. He would spend some time 'sharpening the Saw' and I think Fleming mentions Military history at some point. If I were he I'd make sure that Sylvie Trench took up a fair bit of my time. Apart from that and the things already captured i think he as Fleming said "is a rather dull fellow" what is interesting about him is his job, not his life, although we are always keen to have a peek whenever we get the chance.

Barbel

This earlier thread may be of interest: http://www.ajb007.co.uk/topic/42368/does-bond-really-hang-out-in-london-when-not-on-a-mission/

Matt S

Gassy Man wrote:

The Craig Bonds -- like most modern films -- give the impression the main character has no life outside of the job. The Connery Bonds, by contrast, suggest his 007 has a rich life outside of the job, yet another element that gives the films more realism.

Actually, Craig's Bond spends a lot of time away from his job. He's always quitting! He goes to the beach whenever he's not working.

chrisisall

I bet Bond meditates when he has free time. With incense & s**t...
)

Thunderpussy

He'd spend his time reading reports, on exercise with various intelligence
And army units like the SAS, in the shooting range keeping his eye in. In
the evening he'd be checking out various restaurants and dating a few
Married women.
Very much like my own life ........... Except for the training with the SAS,
Using a shooting range, eating in expensive restaurants and dating any
Women

chrisisall

You so silly. )

Thunderpussy

Silly like a Fox !

TeenageBond

stag wrote:

What about the passage from the Moonraker novel which describes Bond's interest in musical theatre? Quote:

"Away from his duties Bond always found time to attend to the needs of his artistic side. He was a regular visitor to the theatre, indeed he had a particular passion for the lavish musical productions of the west end, having seen Gigi & South Pacific on no less than eight occasions."

That's very interesting... I would never have thought Bond to be the theatrical type -{

Thunderpussy

So Bond was a stage door Johnny ?
Probably working his way through the chorus line.

The Wicker Man

TeenageBond wrote:

stag wrote:

What about the passage from the Moonraker novel which describes Bond's interest in musical theatre? Quote:

"Away from his duties Bond always found time to attend to the needs of his artistic side. He was a regular visitor to the theatre, indeed he had a particular passion for the lavish musical productions of the west end, having seen Gigi & South Pacific on no less than eight occasions."

That's very interesting... I would never have thought Bond to be the theatrical type -{

Well he enjoyed the opera in QOS.

Thunderpussy

He enjoys Jazz, so I guess a few nightclubs would be frequented.

Charmed & Dangerous

stag wrote:

What about the passage from the Moonraker novel which describes Bond's interest in musical theatre? Quote:

"Away from his duties Bond always found time to attend to the needs of his artistic side. He was a regular visitor to the theatre, indeed he had a particular passion for the lavish musical productions of the west end, having seen Gigi & South Pacific on no less than eight occasions."

I must have missed that bit! Is it April 1st already? :007)

TeenageBond

Apart from Jazz are there any other types of music or entertainment we know he enjoys?
Or particular artists he enjoys?

Matt S

TeenageBond wrote:

Apart from Jazz are there any other types of music or entertainment we know he enjoys?
Or particular artists he enjoys?

He's shown to have a great appreciation for classical music in TLD.

nn75

Thunderpussy wrote:

He enjoys Jazz, so I guess a few nightclubs would be frequented.

how do we know that?

Barbel

nn75 wrote:

Thunderpussy wrote:

He enjoys Jazz, so I guess a few nightclubs would be frequented.

how do we know that?

Perhaps this thread may throw some light on that subject: http://www.ajb007.co.uk/topic/45119/what-sort-of-music-do-you-think-james-bond-would-listen-to/

The Domino Effect

stag wrote:

What about the passage from the Moonraker novel which describes Bond's interest in musical theatre? Quote:

"Away from his duties Bond always found time to attend to the needs of his artistic side. He was a regular visitor to the theatre, indeed he had a particular passion for the lavish musical productions of the west end, having seen Gigi & South Pacific on no less than eight occasions."

Funny, but I struggle to see Bond hanging out with a bunch of luvvies.

Number24

Gambling, cars, skiing, listening to jazz, swimming (in the Bahamas), reading (mainly travel, (military) history, current affairs etc.), golf

Enjoying Death

Gambling. How else does he afford all those expensive clothes?!

AtomJayeSmithe

New to the forum. I always try to imagine what Bond would be doing as a man in my time. I'm 24 years old and Bond is typically starting his federal government job in his mid 30's. So at my age, in my time, Bond would most likely still be in Special Forces (SAS, as Vesper deduces) and in a few years would earn his double-0 status.

Bond was a big fan of jazz in the novels because that's what was going on at the time. When he wasn't saving the world Bond was living a typical man's trending fantasy for the given time period. Fleming based Bond on who he WANTED TO BE, his own fantasy-self. So I would have to imagine that Bond during today's time would be ex-special forces (watch any recent documentary on the SAS to understand what those guys are all about), he always attended and graduated from prestigious schools because that's what his guardian (Miss Charmian Bond) wanted for him, but because he always had "a chip on his shoulder" he never quite felt like one of the prep boys he went to school with.

Now Bond was a man of the times, so if he were alive today he'd most likely live the fantasy life of any young British man from ages 25 to 35. Sex with any woman he wants, loves playing with cars (he always loved luxury so let's say anywhere from insane performance from Aston or lavish Bentley to supercharged Cadillac or maybe even some ridiculous drift Toyota), he's always been a lover of gambling so maybe if he has nothing else to do he hits the tables or even plays online. When he completes an extraordinary mission (remember most of his job is reading dossiers and writing reports) he relaxes on the beach but making him a man of today, maybe he chills at a club pool party in Cancun.

So Bond is a man of whatever current time it is but he's also extremely pompous and over analytical and opinionated about things because of his preppy upbringing. So he'd be into trending music (hip hop) but be over analytical of the artist and rappers. He'd love film (musical theater) but only love whatever the critics were probably in to. He'd be into cars but have his own style. And he would love woman, he'd be extremely confident (the man pretty much possesses every skill imaginable) and he'd do whatever the f*** he wants because the very next day someone could assassinate him.

Charmed & Dangerous

Hi AtomJayeSmithe and welcome to AJB -{

You're right in saying that Bond is, in large part, a fulfilment of Fleming's fantasies mixed with his own wartime experiences. The two are inextricably linked together. So it's difficult to deduce what Bond would be like if Fleming was writing today.

Given Fleming's upbringing and family, I'm not sure that your suppositions are all correct - his tastes in music don't feature much and there's no evidence that he's a great jazz lover; and he was a loner, rather than having a chip on his shoulder, which was a film invention - but it's fun to imagine and I like the idea of him playing with those cars and gambling online and at the tables.

Thunderpussy

I think Bond enjoyed the atmosphere of a casino, the tension,
The mix of people. So I don't think he be gambling on line, he
Would definitely still be having affairs with married women
Though and working on his golf handicap.

caractacus potts

There is the answer of what Fleming's Bond would be doing, he tells us in the opening chapters of Moonraker: juggling married women, gambling, drinking, and slogging through boring old paperwork.
And although unseen, he must do a lot of shopping, and enjoys it more than most macho type men typically do. He is snobbish about what towels he has in the house!

And we can see what Craig's Bond does on his time off: in SPECTRE we see his apartment, unfurnished, moving boxes still unopened, this is not how Fleming's Bond lived. Craig's Bond appears to have no life outside of work. I am absolutely certain Craig's Bond does not enjoy shopping for towels.
In Skyfall we see what he does when he gives up his job and gets the chance to live as a free man. It looks like a self-destructive lifestyle, I imagine his life would be even shorter as a free man than it would be as a double-oh agent.
I personally think Craig's Bond may be a high functioning autistic, like Doc Martin with a gun. He doesn't do interpersonal well, and seems pathologically devoted to his mission, even when his boss orders him off the case (which happens just about every movie). I don't think he knows what to do when he hasn't got a mission to carry out. Reorganises his gun collection according to a different logical sequence once a day?

always shaken

I can't see The DC Bond wandering around Peter Jones Sloane Square buying towels either ,I can't see DC Bond playing golf either , I think he would find it far too wide , it seems every golf course is full of plumbers called Tell (Terry) aw Wight Tell , this is my mate Tell ,you know I'm ees married to Tells sister , I think DC Bond would just wrap his 5 iron around Tells neck , I'm sure Bond would take his latest lady to Gaurds polo at Windsor , then a spot of lunch in Eton riverside , then back up the M4 for a bit of something or other (can't beat a bit of Gaurds club polo )

AtomJayeSmithe

Charmed & Dangerous wrote:

Hi AtomJayeSmithe and welcome to AJB -{

You're right in saying that Bond is, in large part, a fulfilment of Fleming's fantasies mixed with his own wartime experiences. The two are inextricably linked together. So it's difficult to deduce what Bond would be like if Fleming was writing today.

Given Fleming's upbringing and family, I'm not sure that your suppositions are all correct - his tastes in music don't feature much and there's no evidence that he's a great jazz lover; and he was a loner, rather than having a chip on his shoulder, which was a film invention - but it's fun to imagine and I like the idea of him playing with those cars and gambling online and at the tables.

I'm pretty sure it's in the Diamonds are forever novel, where bond and Tiffany Case discuss jazz music. And based on the conversation they have, I'd say Bond was pretty knowledgeable on the latest tunes.