Howard Marks is an Oxford University academic from Wales. He was also a major drug smuggler during the early 70s, shifting as much as thirty tons of cannabis at the height of his trafficking career. He was caught by the American authorities and imprisoned at Terre Haute federal prison for twenty-five years. Howard’s high profile case brought him much media attention. After release, serving only seven years of his sentence, Howard published a book in 1996 called Mr Nice in which he tells the story. Mr Nice became a cult legend. Over the years Howard has made numerous appearances on TV shows and songs, in films and at music festivals and cannabis conventions. In 2010 Mr Nice was made into a feature film. Howard instantly went from cult legend to film star.
Everyone present this evening knows the story of Mr Nice. For those who may have smoked too much on the way here, there is a ten minute introductory montage to bring them up to speed with Howard’s legacy. The stage is set, the Komedia is sold out and the longest video intro ever is finally over. We are all ready to see the man himself and listen attentively to anything he has to say.
Howard turns up predictably mellow, admitting “I’m wrecked” from the offset. It’s a slow start from the witty Welsh pothead but we don’t mind. He is the world’s most charismatic stoner and manages to charm his way into our approval. Howard asks “do you have everything you need?” and the first round of heckling begins. His quirky sense of humour is what brings one hundred and fifty (or so) people here on a Wednesday night.
Howard recalls his time living in Kemp Town on the run. He speaks about changing his appearance in subtle ways like growing a moustache or simply wearing glasses, and how funny the media describing him as a ‘master of disguise’ was at the time. Mr Nice sets about describing the four main occupations of his life (Scholar, Smuggler, Prisoner, Scribe) starting with smuggler.
We hear about the first big hash run and about some of Howard’s encounters with the IRA gunrunner, Jim McCann. Sections of the book have been adapted for live reading with the aid of slide show projections and character voiceovers from the film. It’s engaging to hear it all direct from the horse’s mouth but the unscripted banter is funnier than much of the stuff in the planned set. Comical tangents are by far the best part of Howard’s talk tonight.
It’s amazing that the media which threatened to expose Howard in his younger years did exactly that, and in the end Howard came out on top. The film was a natural next step to reaching a broader, greater audience. Now even the illiterate can enjoy Howard’s unique experiences, and tonight Howard has had yet another opportunity to continue earning a living from the same fascinating story. Fortunately for him we are quite happy to hear it a few more times.
Komedia, Wednesday 9th October 2013
Words by John Mclean
