Talk: Banged Up Abroad with Shaun Attwood

The most interesting thing that came up on Meetup for yesterday was "Banged Up Abroad with Shaun Attwood" - a talk with Interesting Talks London. I wasn't a member - now I am, and I booked for this. An early start, but even though I was in Guildford, I figured I'd make it - it was in The Bolton, which turns out to be a few minutes' walk down the road from West Brompton, which used to be my local station. An Irish pub, I must've passed it a dozen times or more when I lived around there. So all I had to do was to catch an Overground from Clapham Junction.

I had to nip in home first, so didn't make the 6:15.. I watched the 6:30 pull in as I approached the station, and then had to shove my way up the stairs, past a sea of people disembarking. Actually, had I thought of it, I should've gone up the stairs to the other platform - these two are contiguous. Well, the train was still there when I made it up - in fact, we were so long in departing that I wondered whether there was a problem! Nope, we set off in due course. Probably a bit late.

Turn right from West Brompton station - The Bolton is on the other side of the road, at the corner of the second major road junction. When I went in, I had a quick scan of the place - I knew that the talk was to take place in the upstairs function room, so I made for the only staircase I could see. Followed my nose, came to the function room - easy, and handy toilets just beside. The organiser said I should get a drink downstairs if I wanted, and bring it up. So I did.

By the time I returned, the place was nearly full.. I saw someone I knew, just inside the door, who grabbed me and asked whether I knew Shaun. Er - no.. so she ushered me towards the raised area at the far end of the room, where he was waiting to give his talk. And indeed, he turned out to be a lovely, mild-mannered chap: friendly, happy to chat. I left him after a bit and grabbed a seat, while there were still seats to be had.

I was to be glad I'd got a large wine. Not only was it an excellent Pinot Grigio.. but what this man went through would turn your hair grey. In short: an Englishman, he moved to the States, where he made it rich and - in perhaps not the cleverest of moves - got involved with the emerging rave scene, and became a dealer of Ecstasy. Had it all - the house on the hill, bodyguards, girlfriend.. and then, one day, a SWAT team broke down his door.

Arrested and charged, he found himself in high security.. but when an appeal failed, his bail was doubled and came to $1.5 million. Not only had all his assets been seized, so he couldn't pay it - but now that it was over $1 million, he was moved to maximum security - in the prison with the highest rate of death in the United States, run by Sherriff Joe Arpaio. The inhumane conditions he described there.. the attitude of the guards.. the infestation of pests.. He also described some of his fellow inmates, and horrific as their crimes were, and scary as they sounded, their descriptions scared us less than the thought of what we'd be given to eat, and where we'd be sleeping, in his place. Really, if your choice were to sleep wrapped in a sheet, in Phoenix - the hottest large city in the US, apparently - or just let the 'roaches spend the night scuttling over you.. which would you choose?

Concerns have been raised before about treatment of prisoners in the United States. He mentioned his parents, who managed to raise $100,000 to get him a lawyer - he got a sentence of 9.5 years eventually, of which he served six. He had a horrible time - but he got off lucky. After all, he came out alive.. These days, he writes books, the proceeds from the sale of which go to providing books for prisoners. And, of course, he gives talks - to schools, as well as to groups like ours. Check out his website for further details - also his very interesting blog. Oh, and the talk title refers to an episode of Locked Up Abroad that featured his story..

He's not trying to defend what he did. However, what he is doing - apart from warning young people about heading down the same path - is trying to let people know what the prison system is like in the US, which they're trying to bring to the UK. His is a story that deserves to be told, and he's given this talk a few times, apparently - which must've come in handy as sirens screamed past outside; he carried on undisturbed. For my first event with Interesting Talks London.. they lived up to their name!

I didn't hang around for a drink afterwards - went home (unusually early) and had some dinner instead (also unusually!). Today and tomorrow are Man with the Hat days - this evening, Let's Do London - for less! is headed to Southwark Playhouse, for a play called Darknet. Now, I have more sense than to have anything to do with the real Darknet - the closest I've come to it are short horror films on YouTube. (In the course of my regular surfing for short horror films, of which I'm a big fan.) But I'll find this interesting.

Tomorrow, both of the Man with the Hat's groups (Let's Do London - for less! and London for Less Than a Tenner) are off to a show called The Passion of Lady Vendredi, at Soho Theatre - and so am I. This was a recent development - I was originally supposed to be going to Doctor Faustus, with London Dramatic Arts Meetup, but sadly, the organiser's mother-in-law just died (as I found out last weekend) and the funeral is that very day. Works out well for me though - the event has been rescheduled, at a cheaper price, the difference has been refunded to me, and I can now go to both shows! (So I'm going for Less Than a Tenner - 'coz I'm cheap.) The Passion of Lady Vendredi is, apparently, musical theatre, and designed to promote the music of the Lady Vendredi band. And should be interesting.

Thursday, I'm off to a comedy show in King's Cross, with London Live Comedy. Then it's back to Ireland for the weekend, again..