I was ‘educated’ by Jesuit Priests at an all boys college in Leeds

I went on to Further Education College to study Pure Maths, Applied Maths & Physics. Guess what, after all that ‘education’ I still don’t have one academic qualification to my name

I never let schooling interfere with my education - Mark Twain
The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education - Albert Einstein

I speak enough Farsi (Persian) to get into & out of trouble if I’m ever in Iran    که به احتمال زیاد نمی

I hold a Gaming License

I worked as a Croupier, Gaming Inspector, Pitt Boss & Cashier in Casinos for 9 years. Very strange business. No commodity traded, nothing is bought or sold, just the transfer of money back & forth. Makes for some strange attitudes & paradigms at both sides of the tables.

What that life taught me …

A mans worth cannot be judged by his pocketbook. Having a few quid in your pocket won’t stop you being an ass. Excess money, like excess alcohol, platform, celebrity or time doesn’t change a person, it reveals them

I was a guest columnist on the Daily Mirror’s ‘Biz Bureau’ (as was S’Rallan Lord Sugar)

What that taught me …

Entrepreneurs struggle to get good advice. I often despair at the advice ‘experts’ give small businesses. If someone is on the wrong track they don’t want speeding up, they need turning around! More tuff love needed out there.

When someone invests themselves in a pet project for 6 months before it falls on it’s ass, they moan about the time & money they’ve lost. Truth is, if time were so valuable, we wouldn’t waste so much of it now would we … and let’s face it, we can always find a few quid to poke an interesting idea with a stick. No, the price they really pay is in lost enthusiasm & momentum. Fail forward fast.

I was a competitive bodybuilder in the 80’s

… even won a few trophies don’t you know. My most treasured … Mr Leeds, Best Poser

What that life taught me …

Although bodybuilders furnish many of the totems of health (abs, low body fat, tan etc) they are in fact more akin to daredevils than health nuts. Bodybuilding has nothing to do with health. Small men can come in big bodies, and vice versa People are VERY susceptible & responsive to to celebrity endorsement. I met Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1981. He said … “It’s more want power than willpower”. Fat is not your enemy – sugar is. Abs are built at the dinner table. Low body fat is 80% diet 10% cardio 10% belief & persistence. Many very smart people leave their brains at the gym door

I’ve been a luvvie

I’ve done a bit of acting. That’s me in the BBC political drama ‘Underbelly’.

What that taught me …

Many many performers, but especially actors, live in fear of being ‘found out’. It’s called the Impostor Syndrome – and VERY few ever settle in to a genuine belief in their own talent. Even household names secretly await that phone call or knock on the dressing room door to hear someone say – “We’ve rumbled you. You’ve gotten lucky so far, but it’s over”

Many professional actors aren’t very good at being themselves. Writers & editors are the ‘photoshoppers’ of the acting world. Add world class lighting & makeup & you can even cast Orlando Bloom as an action hero, and he doesn’t weigh more than a buck-05 wet through

I was a Clothes Horse Model

Yes, I did a bit of modelling back in the day

What that taught me …

All beautiful women die twice

There is a huge difference between being good looking & being attractive

I was a Nightclub Manager

At Madisons / Sunset & Vine, Leeds. I must have been the ‘Assistant’ manager because my wage packet said ‘Ass Man’

What that life taught me …

At the end of the night, the Womens toilets are waaaaay worse than the mens. We once found a plastic bag with … Oh never mind

… and 15 years later a Bouncer

What that life taught me …

Alcohol is the worst drug by far. Being a Doorman polarizes both men & women. Men either want to pal you or punch you, women are either all over you or totally ignore you. Much like in the military, men watching each others back can lead to lifetime friendships

Many years a Saleman & Sales Trainer

What that life taught me…

Ha. Where do I start. Selling is the highest paying hard work, & the lowest paying easy work in the world.

Systems beat talent all day long

I’m a Brain Tumor Survivor

What that adventure taught me:

We humans do tend to whistle past the graveyard of reality – entertaining some eternal life fantasy, all the while knowing for sure the death rate is 100%

I know deep down that if the whole ‘Brain Tumor Experience’ did NOT result in any new decisions about my life, I would have gone through it all for nothing – effectively squandering the second chance life handed me

I’m an old Raver

I love trance, especially from the 90’s

What that life gave me …

The best nights of my life … by far

From the original Glasshouse in Leeds to the Joy Old Skool reunions to DC10 on Ibiza. Hundreds, or even thousands of strangers all luvved-up, as one, zero conflict, all swept up, rushing, weeping with positive emotion, the true altered state. Changed my life for the better, forever.