Mr Nice?

As mentioned in a previous blog, i once turned up at a gig to see Gillian Welch only to find out i had the wrong night once I had paid to get in and stood through an hour of rambling life story of Howard Marks. At that time I had no idea who he was but put up with an hour of his increasingly drunk and stoned chat before leaving. He must of said something that intrigued me that night as the movie of his life story is now out and I felt compelled to go and see it.

So the upshot is I quite enjoyed the movie, how this chancer found himself setting himself up as an international drug baron, conning the authorities and pretending to be an all-round mr nice guy. There in lies the problem. The movies portrayal of this charachter is comparible to a rock n roll star, particularly at the end with the standing ovation he receives and at no point is any remorse highlighted, for either the victims of his trade, via drugs or his direct dealings with the IRA and the arms trade he helped finance.

He seems to be still making money from his drug years with his book, tours and now movie, but i for one was glad i walked out that night.

I also at long last got to see Gillian Welch with Dave Rawlings & The Old Crow Medicine Machine in Glasgow recently making up for my prior error!.