“How I nearly became James Bond”, a talk for Graham Seaman
Graham started by giving an account of his early life. He was born and brought up in Leamington Spa, and followed in his father’s footsteps by attending Warwick School, a public School with a strong bias towards the arts and music. He was not good at sport, but became a member of the British Exploring Society, which gave him the opportunity to travel, spending up to 6 weeks in various locations.
After school he went up to Oxford to study music and Russian (he was particularly interested in Russian music). His studies were interrupted by National Service and he was conscripted to the Navy. He was sent on a course to study Russian, not an easy language and passed the exams in 6 months. He joined a choir while serving in Germany after the war and was introduced to many German composers. Back in the UK he trained as a sub-mariner, and had to endure very cramped conditions on board submarines.
From the Navy he returned to Oxford to study music and trained to train cathedral organists. Having graduated he received a letter from the Admiralty inviting his for an interview. Intrigued by the invitation, he attended. They knew he had a good command of French, German and Russian and it would appear he was being asked to spy on Russia! However he had already received an offer of a Professorship in music which he accepted, so no James Bond role! He had the opportunity to join a student exchange scheme, and went to Russia, quite an experience. He was warned to beware of spies. He attended many ballets an operas while there, which included some performances not performed outside Russia. Concert Halls were always well attended as it was the only place you could escape from propaganda. These concerts gave him the opportunity to meet Dmitri Shostakovich, a charming and witty man by all accounts. He also met up the Dmitri again when he attended the Edinburgh Festival in the 1960s and they became firm friends.