Introductions.. pleased to meet you.
Hello! and thanks for joining my blog. I feel a little introduction might be useful. Clearly you know my name, ( its in the top left hand corner if you are still struggling).
At the time of writing this, I’m in my mid forties. I spent many of those years as a magician, stunt performer, and television producer. Over the course of my career I was hanged, buried alive, burnt at the stake, bitten by rattlesnakes, attacked by sharks and many other ridiculous and nail biting stunts. The photo image for this post is a stunt where I was escaping from a straitjacket, hanging from a burning rope attached to The London Eye.
Here is a link to a highlight reel of some of my performances.
https://vimeo.com/1085753615/4071d3ccbd
In 2021 I was rehearsing a stunt for America’s Got Talent Extreme and was badly injured. https://youtu.be/zzAkajelFz0?si=7qio3ZneW96etqrE
I broke both my legs, suffered massive third degree burns, I destroyed a kidney, broke my ribs, punctured a lung, broke both my shoulders and suffered a complete spinal injury. That began my journey into a whole new life.
It was immediately obvious that I couldn’t be a stunt performer any more, and so I was in the strange position of having to find a new career half way through my life. I had always loved writing and there was a lot of creative work that went into my previous career. I had been a consultant for some of the most successful magic performers in the world, including Derren Brown (he was my flatmate for a while) David Blaine, among others. I’d always wanted to write, but thought that it would be something I would segway into in my old age. Careful what you wish for.
I spent six months in hospital; which is a lot of time to just sit and think. I started writing as a way of occupying my time, as well as sharpening my skills. I began by writing nonsense poems. I have always loved the work of Spike Milligan and Hilaire Belloc. Here is one of my favorites that I wrote about a pig.
The Pig
Jemima was a graceful pig,
Who liked to dance the Tango
She loved to eat tortilla chips
With salsa made from mango
Jemima liked to suck and puff
The best Cuban cigars
She played Steinway pianos
Drove only Bentley Cars
Jemima travelled round the world
And met the great and fine
She debated politicians
She quaffed the royal wine
Did Jemima run for president?
Or receive a Nobel prize?
The people heaped on praises,
But they also poured on lies
This is a melancholy tale
To Jemima we raise a toast
You can be refined, but if porcine
You will still end up a roast.
Silly I know, but I became fascinated by the creative process. This poem wasn’t a difficult thing to write. It just fell out of me really, without much effort. Or, not effort but conscious thought. I think creativity comes from a void we haven’t really understood yet. Encouraged by my beloved Amanda, and my family and friends I have carried on writing. Since my accident I have written two feature length movies. Two television series, (currently optioned by a producer and being shopped to tv networks) and now a novel. I love writing it is a passion that is fast becoming an obsession. I will add further blog posts shortly which dive into more details about “The Persistence Hypothesis”. The process, the genesis and where the story is heading. Thanks for reading and see you soon!