“Why do I smoke so much dope? I’ve been trying… to think of a meaningful answer… but the answer’s quite simple… I smoke so much dope because I like getting stoned.

“...I’ve been smoking since 1969, when I was nineteen, which is quite old, isn’t it, to be smoking your first joint?”

- Howard Marks, stand up part 2 CUT on YouTube [Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MivwbVkrcfM&playnext=1&list=PLEE9BE8A9143....



Most people know Howard Marks as a drug-smuggling, joint-smoking, smooth-talking wise guy - which he is; but Mr. Marks is also known by the name ‘Mr. Nice’, and that’s for very good reason indeed.

For those that know Mr. Marks and have read and loved Mr. Nice (on Flipkart here), waste no more time: pick up Señor Nice: Straight Life From Wales to South America from Flipkart here; then, lock yourself up in a room for a weekend, disconnect the telephone and the Internet, ensure a steady supply of stimulants of choice, and enjoy!

For those still hanging around, here’s a quick introduction [Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Marks] to Mr. Marks. There’s all the facts and figures, of course, which are impressive in themselves: born and brought up in Wales, then an Oxford academic, a string of degrees from studying the philosophy of science, and, of course, a headlining drug-smuggling career, leading to eventual arrest and incarceration at the Terre Haute Penitentiary in the U.S. of A. That entire story is told in Mr. Nice, which is a nice enough read in itself, and sufficiently thought-provoking to warrant a warning sign uniquely its own: ‘May cause life-altering decisions. Read without supervision and with an open mind.’

Señor Nice is Mr. Marks’ second autobiographical novel - The Howard Marks Book of Dope Stories is anything but, and would, I suppose, have limited appeal, and that too, for persons with a particular proclivity. This book, though, is different in that dope isn’t the central theme of the book; there’s enough of it, and a mere riffle through the pages will release a whiff of Mary Jane, but that’s not what the book is about. This is the older, more mellow Marks: the crazy days of double-digit aliases and triple-digit kilos of smuggled hashish are over, and Mr. Marks is left pondering where it all began through a series of stand-up shows, book readings, brand endorsements, campaigns for election toParliament, film appearances and drunken nights with film stars, and travels across Wales, England, Europe, and South and Central America. ‘Where it all began’, though, is a pretty large canvas when Mr. Marks picks it to paint on, and the book describes his quest to better understand his long deceased and profusely profiled predecessor, the prodigiously piratical Sir Henry Morgan.

The book has Welsh glory galore, tales of travels across the smoke-filled globe, and diatribes against illogical drug laws all across the universe, but that’s not why Mr. Marks’ fans will like the book - as I said, there’s been enough of that and more in Mr. Nice. In Señor Nice, one understands once again why Mr. Marks is equally - if not better - known as Mr. Nice. Mr. Marks comes from a gentler age, when smuggling could still be gentlemanly, and being an outlaw could still be considered romantic; when it was considered more desirable to be friendly than competitive, and when you’d rather have a good smoke with someone you just met rather than prove to them that you’re better than they are. As a sample, here’s Howard in one of his stand-up shows:


“By no means was I the head of any pack… I was right at the back, trying desperately to catch up… a late starter!”

- Howard Marks , stand up part 2 CUT on YouTube [Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MivwbVkrcfM&playnext=1&list=PLEE9BE8A9143....


...and this, from a man who could legitimately claim to be da shit when it comes to smuggling and being the poster-boy of dope smokers across the haziverse.

While he is quite legitimately a candidate for the nicest guy you ever met, the true magic lies in the life that is Howard Marks’, rather than the man himself. If ever there were a case that serendipity could be bottled and released at regular intervals, this man’s life would lead the evidence. Mr. Marks happens to live in a fairly conspiratorial universe, and the best part is that he’s only too willing to share the joy of letting things happen. So if there’s been too much hullabaloo around you lately, turn down the lights, put on the hippy music, read this book at leisure, and spend some time in the company of a drug smuggler from another time - it will be worth it, because they just don’t make nice guys like that any more.

[First published on www.myLaw.net on April 21, 2011] ( )