Tuesday 28 April 2009


Here is an extract from a guest of mine on last weeks show his name is Peter Lane. I’ll say no more have a read from his blog……
Patrick Lane
Purchase and then read my book to find out who I am the old fashioned way or go to ww.recollectionsofaracketeer.com

I woke late with rather a thick head this morning.Initially I assumed this was some strange consequence of becoming a celebrity, following yesterday's appearance on the Maurice Boland show on Radio Europe. My wife argues that last night's third bottle of cooking sherry is a more likely cause of my current condition but I suspect she is merely envious of my new found fame.The Maurice Boland show is broadcast all over Spain's Costa del Sol - wherever British ex-pats gather and pine for a little homegrown culture. On yesterday's show, for example not only did Maurice interview me about my book 'Recollections of a Racketeer' but his other guests included a man who shot his wife from a cannon across the River Avon and a man who has invented an automatic catapult - or trebuchet – which fires animal feces at potential burglars when they attempt to enter his property at night. I feel that I have entered a new world of the intellectual elite where even the air is more rarified. Maybe that is why I have such a blinding headache this morning.Maurice was charming and said he had already interviewed my brother-in-law Howard Marks several times as well as my sister Judy to discuss the film they are currently making based on her book ‘Mr. Nice and Mrs Marks’ staring Chloë Sevigny and Rhys Ifans. He did however sound surprised that the person playing me, Richard Harris’s son Jamie, was reputably very good looking. I reassured him that, on the set at least, he was reputably also very drunk – so that at least was in character.I’ve been wearing dark glasses all morning even though my wife keeps saying “It was only a bloody radio show. Nobody will recognize you.” As I said, she’s very jealous. I called my sister Judy who lives on the Costa del Sol to ask her if she listened to the show and how I sounded.“Like a pompous stuffed shirt” she said.I think she was jealous also. I’m going to see if I can get one of those trebuchet things and a few bags of horse droppings.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Maurice Boland Show
Just think: two days ago I was a complete unknown. I’d successfully written my memoirs and had them published by a proper publishing house that actually paid me real money instead of sending me invoices and Final Demand letters every month. But then what?My book ‘Recollections of a Racketeer’ has been out almost two weeks and nothing has happened. I’ve checked the New York Times Review of Books, and The Guardian, the Economist, Loaded, The New Statesman, The News of the World – nothing in any of them – nothing, nowt, nada, zilch!I’ve even got a bloomin' blog for goodness sake!I have not been invited to any sophisticated publisher’s parties; I have not been approached by any attractive and sensual literary-groupies – or even ugly ones with hairy legs. I was beginning to feel that maybe, my wife’s fears of my literary success and the glamour of being a published author was all a myth.But then Costa del Sol’s Talk Radio Europe called and invited me on the Maurice Boland Show. Now my name is being bandied in every bar between Barcelona and Benidorm. I return from my interview, too giddy to continue, too excited to write a word more. Despite the guilt, I must abandon my Followers until tomorrow – forgive me – the cooking sherry calls. [More tomorrow]
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