AN AUDIENCE WITH MR NICE

Described in the past as 'the most sophisticated drugs baron of all time',
An Grianan Theatre will welcome Howard Marks to Letterkenny this Friday
for An Audience With Mr Nice.

Busted in 1988 by the American Drug Enforcement Agency and sentenced to 25
years in prison for drug smuggling, Howard Marks has become a best-selling
internationally published writer and columnist since receiving parole in
1995 after serving seven years.

Howard has worked with the British Secret Service and has been connected
with the Mafia, the IRA, MI6 and the CIA. He's a real gentleman and you
will like him.

Before becoming an international marijuana smuggler, Howard attended
Oxford University where he earned a degree in nuclear physics and post
graduate qualifications in philosophy.

Howard began to deal during his Oxford days and was soon moving large
quantities of hashish into Europe and America. The academic life began to
lose its allure.

At the height of his career, he was smuggling up to thirty tons from
Pakistan and Thailand to America and Canada and is said to have controlled
10 per cent of the world's hashish trade.

After many years and a world-wide operation by the Drug Enforcement
Agency, he was arrested and sent to prison at the United States Federal
Penitentiary, Terre Haute, Indiana, the site of America's only Federal
Death Row.

Howard said the idea of doing live shows was born out of his obligation to
do book readings for the release of his autobiography, Mr Nice, in 1997.

"Book shops just had a real sterile environment and they weren't really
working for me so I started doing readings in pubs and clubs," said
Howard.

Representatives of a comedy agency saw one of the readings and soon signed
Howard to go on a tour of theatres, over ten years on he still sells out
where ever he appears.

spotlight

"Obviously I wasn't used to being in the spotlight too much before this,"
he laughed, "And although it was never daunting I still get stage fright
before I go on."

Howard first went on an Irish tour nine years ago and since has regularly
appeared on the big stages around the country and made television
appearances on shows like, RTE's The Panel.

"I've been all around Ireland, but would you believe this is the first
time I'm coming up to Donegal so I'm very much looking forward to seeing
the county," he said.

The Welshman joked that his live shows have always gone down very well
with Irish audiences as they are very anti-establishment and anti-English.

An Audience With Mr Nice [also the title of a B-side track by The
Stereophonics dedicated to their fellow Welshman] is a great insight to
Howard's spectacular life story from his days at Oxford University to his
time at America's toughest prison, Terra Haute, Indiana.

Howard discusses his life as a marijuana smuggler, his views on drug use
and legalisation and his vigorous campaign to legalise recreational drugs.

But now performance of An Audience With Mr Nice is never the same, Howard
added. "I don't really know what part of my life I'm going to talk about
or what stories I will tell until I see the venue and sometimes I only
make my final decision when I'm on stage so it really varies."

big screen

It comes as no surprise that Howard's life will be coming to the big
screen in 2010, but he stressed it is very different to the life story of
American cocaine trafficker George Jung portrayed by Johnny Depp in the
Hollywood movie Blow. Howard says that during his smuggling career, he
opposed the use of violence and refused to deal with hard drugs.

In the upcoming biopic which is currently in post production, Welsh actor
Rhys Ifans has taken on the role of Howard Marks, who already gave him his
seal of approval many years ago.

"I've know Rhys for many years and we arranged a long time ago that he
would take on the role, so you can say he'll play a taller and better
looking version of me," he laughed.

"The movie is all shot and is currently being edited. It basically covers
my life from my childhood, university years to smuggling marijuana from
Pakistan and much more."

Howard has always had a strong connection to the music industry, in many
ways. In his early dealing days while doing his postgraduate philosophy
course at Oxford he was soon moving large quantities of hashish into
Europe and America in the equipment of touring rock bands.

But at heart he has always had a great love for music and after his show
at An Grianan Theatre you will be able to head to Bar Rouge at The Grill
where Howard will DJing with John Brennan and Daithi Ramsay. "By default,
considering my age, I love Rock'n'Roll but I also listen to a lot of
contemporary music of band like The Stereophonics or Supper Furry
Animals."

Howard revealed that he is about to submit his very first crime fiction
novel to his publishers which he is hoping will go on sale in the very
near future. If you would like to find out more about Mr Nice, his story
and his campaigns, log onto www.howardmarks.co.uk where you can also
purchase signed copies of his various best-selling books.