MR NICE'S MASTERCLASS IN THE ART OF COOL

Howard Marks, Whitehaven Civic Hall, November 25

It seemed that even though nearly all the audience had read Mr Nice no-one
knew what to expect of Mark's first ever Cumbrian show. Would it match the
hype? ("fascinating" "hilarious" - Loaded) How wild would his hair be tonight?

The audience wasn't disappointed. From the moment he came on stage it was
clear that here was a natural showman. More than most other famous
individuals a cult of personality has grown up around Marks; he's a hero.
At the same time he's treated as "one of the lads" - the height of cool.
His show is a great addition to the Mr Nice story. It seemed in the past,
if you've followed his press, that he had nothing new to say in that
poetic, rhythmic accent of his. To hear him relating adventures such as
the time that he and four other "hippies" got 15 tonnes of the best
Moroccan black into the country through the Highlands, not far from one of
Britain's supposedly, most closely guarded military bases, was magical.

Marks is an evangelist for the legalisation of cannabis - even more so than
Colin Paisley, who was in the audience. He was preaching to the converted
tonight so he kept the sermonising to a minimum. Instead, he's walking,
talking proof that you can lead a bad, bad life and still be wittier,
cleverer, funnier and more charming than everyone else.