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Bouncers and Bodyguards: Tales from a Twilight World
Bouncers and Bodyguards is a collection of astonishing true stories about the tough world of personal protection and nightclub doors from some of Britain’s most notorious figures. Read how Charlie Bronson helped his friends out on the doors of his local in the early 1970s before being banged up for well over 30 years; how Ken Wharfe, personal bodyguard to the late Princess Diana, spent his life in Special Branch looking after royalty and diplomats worldwide; how Manchester gangster Mickey Francis ran most of the city’s doors back in the 1980s; and how a top British security firm advertised for bouncers for a high-risk "suicide" operation in central Baghdad. By turns funny, sad, and shocking, these candid accounts were written exclusively for this publication by individuals who have spent much of their working lives in what is a volatile, violent, and frequently unpredictable industry. Compiled by former bodyguard, ex-mercenary, and well-known nightclub bouncer Robin Barratt, Bouncers and Bodyguards is an exposé of an infamous twilight world about which rumors have often circulated. The truth has never really been uncovered—until now. Contains contributions from many well-known figures, including Dave Courtney, Steve Wraith, Charlie Bronson, and Mickey Francis.
272 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 6, 2008
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April 11, 2022
All the words you shouldn't use in polite company (unless you hit your thumb with a hammer) are used liberally in this book. They give a clue to the type of person this book is about, hard, street level, violence is fun and women are there to be decorative and have sex.
Fuck, shag, cunt and variations thereof were used 250 times in the book. They were liberally used in the introduction where the author tells us that these are stories from his mates, including his really great mate Charles Bronson, locked up so far for 43 years. Bronson, famous for three things, his extreme violence - his original sentence was 7 years but his disruptive behaviour in prison have increased that, changing his name regularly and his brilliant artworks, he's very very talented which helps the time go by as he's mostly in solitary.
So I'm thinking Bronson as a bouncer or bodyguard is like giving giving a barman's job to an alcoholic. The first thing he says in one of his chapters is that now he is anti-violence, but that when he was free, back in the early 70s all you needed was a 'sharp eye and a good right hook' to be a good doorman. The next, fifth paragraph, he reminisces with a smile over when he really used that right hook.... And so on, happy memories of beating people up. I'm beginning to think this book isn't for me.
I read a couple more stories. Then went to the one where a bodyguard is asked to protect a 'well known male pop star'. This is more like it! But no, no names, no juicy gossip. Boring. The author writes a little bio at the end of each essay, and this one read, "John Badly can be found at his small villa on the Costa Blanca with a whisky bottle in one hand and a gorgeous girl half his age in the other." Ok, not my kind of book at all.
But it did bring up a memory of my own that made me smile. When I was 17, just before I left home, I had a bit of freedom since I could drive my mother's car. Living in a tiny village with the last bus 8.30 pm and a mile and a half away is not really conducive to clubbing!
I had a small group of friends, about 10 of us, including a really big, 6'4" and muscled, beautiful black guy who used to make up stories to tell me, adventure stories, mysteries, anything. Felix was a bouncer. He had never needed to hit anyone, as his size alone was enough to get misbehaving people to sober up and leave the club as requested.
But one day, he hit someone for the first and only time. The guy went flying, hit his head and died. Felix was arrested by a policeman, an inspector, who was really, really racist as Felix told us when out on bail. Said horrible things to him, and how he would go down for life. He got 4 years. He also (I don't remember how) got friendly with the policeman's daughter.
When the Appeal court reversed the verdict later that year, and he was freed, he married her. :-) I haven't seen him since, but I hope they are happy and I hope the father-in-law had to just swallow it if he wanted to see his grandchildren.
DNF'd the book after 4 chapters. I reserve 1 star for books that are despicable. This one was.
Fuck, shag, cunt and variations thereof were used 250 times in the book. They were liberally used in the introduction where the author tells us that these are stories from his mates, including his really great mate Charles Bronson, locked up so far for 43 years. Bronson, famous for three things, his extreme violence - his original sentence was 7 years but his disruptive behaviour in prison have increased that, changing his name regularly and his brilliant artworks, he's very very talented which helps the time go by as he's mostly in solitary.
So I'm thinking Bronson as a bouncer or bodyguard is like giving giving a barman's job to an alcoholic. The first thing he says in one of his chapters is that now he is anti-violence, but that when he was free, back in the early 70s all you needed was a 'sharp eye and a good right hook' to be a good doorman. The next, fifth paragraph, he reminisces with a smile over when he really used that right hook.... And so on, happy memories of beating people up. I'm beginning to think this book isn't for me.
I read a couple more stories. Then went to the one where a bodyguard is asked to protect a 'well known male pop star'. This is more like it! But no, no names, no juicy gossip. Boring. The author writes a little bio at the end of each essay, and this one read, "John Badly can be found at his small villa on the Costa Blanca with a whisky bottle in one hand and a gorgeous girl half his age in the other." Ok, not my kind of book at all.
But it did bring up a memory of my own that made me smile. When I was 17, just before I left home, I had a bit of freedom since I could drive my mother's car. Living in a tiny village with the last bus 8.30 pm and a mile and a half away is not really conducive to clubbing!
I had a small group of friends, about 10 of us, including a really big, 6'4" and muscled, beautiful black guy who used to make up stories to tell me, adventure stories, mysteries, anything. Felix was a bouncer. He had never needed to hit anyone, as his size alone was enough to get misbehaving people to sober up and leave the club as requested.
But one day, he hit someone for the first and only time. The guy went flying, hit his head and died. Felix was arrested by a policeman, an inspector, who was really, really racist as Felix told us when out on bail. Said horrible things to him, and how he would go down for life. He got 4 years. He also (I don't remember how) got friendly with the policeman's daughter.
When the Appeal court reversed the verdict later that year, and he was freed, he married her. :-) I haven't seen him since, but I hope they are happy and I hope the father-in-law had to just swallow it if he wanted to see his grandchildren.
DNF'd the book after 4 chapters. I reserve 1 star for books that are despicable. This one was.
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