Howard Marks speaks to You’re Booked

Radio 4’s Mark Lawson will interview Howard Marks (aka Mr Nice) at this year’s Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival. Marks is a man whose own life story proves reality is always stranger than fiction. During the mid-1980s, Howard Marks had 43 aliases, 89 phone lines, and 25 companies trading throughout the world. Bars, recording studios, offshore banks: all were money-laundering vehicles serving the core activity: dope dealing.

His criminal career saw the Daily Mail dub him as ‘the most sophisticated drugs baron of all time.’ His autobiography Mr Nice was recently adapted for film and the book remains an international best-seller and all-time cult classic. 2011 sees the release of Marks’ first novel Sympathy For The Devil.

You’ve been described as Britain’s most wanted man. Is it nice to be wanted in a different context i.e. bestselling author?    

It’s not quite as exciting but certainly far less stressful, and the reception is much nicer.

It’s a controversial route to success – was the prison sentence worth it? Would you do things differently and live a law-abiding life if a genie gave you three wishes? 

The genie can get back in the bottle where he belongs. I wouldn’t change a thing.

43 aliases, 9 phone lines and 25 companies is a lot to juggle – did you ever forget who you were meant to be and which phone to answer the right alias to?

No, I didn’t. I used the various identities just one at a time. It was easier than remembering the date.

You had a pretty academic start – what motivated you to take a route that bends the rules so dramatically?

Mainly my enjoyment of hashish, my anger with the law against its consumption, the increase in income that the business provided me, and my strong desire not to be a nuclear physicist.

What’s your philosophy on life?

If you mean my moral code, it’s essentially to help people less fortunate than I am, to realise I cannot control events but that I can control my attitude to any event, and to know that my life is no more important than anyone else’s

You must have been exposed to a lot of crime – was there a line you wouldn’t cross?

Of course, many lines, including I wouldn’t deliberately harm anyone, I wouldn’t steal from anyone, I wouldn’t rape anyone, and I would never carry a gun or other weapon.

You’re a star act at this year’s Festival – why do you think people are so intrigued and have such an appetite for crime books?

Because it’s exciting, interesting, rebellious, well-paid, and to some extent, glamorous. But it’s dangerous so safer to experience vicariously.

The Festival is known for a lot of bar activity – do you have a take on why authors drink so much? And can we expect any drinking shenanigans from yourself?

I haven’t noticed authors to be particularly heavy drinkers, but I’ll certainly be getting drunk at the Festival myself

Are people scared of you? Should Harrogate be scared?

No, I’m not scary in the least.

Do you smoke weed when you write?

I tend to prefer hashish to weed, and I almost always smoke it when I write.

Do you ever find it hard work having to be such a notorious criminal – ever crave a cosier, more Miss Marple approach to crime and settle down with a nice cup of tea?

Yes, I feel I’m heading that way – very slowly.

What are your plans for the future (in terms of writing)?

Sympathy for the Devil is the first of a series of at least three books featuring the same heroine – Catrin Price. I have already finished writing the second, provisionally entitled The Score. I’ll start the third during the summer.

Is living a life of crime easier than writing a book about it?

In most ways, definitely, but there are significant downsides.

I think you’re quite local (Leeds?) Have you been to Harrogate before? We have very nice tearooms….

Yes I rent a flat and have an interest in a tapas bar (Azucar) in Brewery Place Leeds. I’ve visited Harrogate about 5 times. Last October, a first class art exhibition took place at the Gallery featuring several portraits of me and others. I attended it and got drunk. So far, I’ve not indulged myself in any of the tearooms there, but I’m looking forward to doing so.

X-Rated: Special Guest Howard Marks, interviewed by Mark Lawson –  10pm, Friday 22 July 2011 at The Old Swan Hotel, Tickets £12.