More Lives Than One: The Extraordinary Life of Felix Dennis

by Fergus Byrne

Canny, infuriating, cynical, and generous by turns, Felix Dennis was a true one-off. When he died in 2014 he was a multi-millionaire. Yet he spent his last months writing poetry and planting the millionth tree in his own forest in Warwickshire. Journalist, Fergus Byrne got to know him well in this time and was granted exclusive access to Dennis's archives and papers. He found everything had been kept and, along with hours of interviews with girlfriends, family, staff, and friends the world over, he has now written the only authorized biography of a man who described himself as lucky to have led several lives. His early rebellious days started with dropping out of grammar school, playing in a rock 'n' roll band, and being imprisoned (with Richard Neville and Jim Anderson) for charges of obscenity relating to a priapic Rupert Bear in the "schoolkids" issue of the magazine Oz . The launch of Kung-Fu magazine, created when Dennis spotted a queue at a Leicester Square cinema for a Bruce Lee film, changed his fortunes. An industrious and self-destructive era then followed. He moved to America, added the magazines MacUser and Maxim to his portfolio, but also discovered crack, hookers, and S & M. When his lifestyle led him to the hospital he gave up the drugs overnight and took to writing poetry. He acquired a mansion in Warwickshire, bought a much loved home in Mustique from rock star David Bowie, gave generously to charities, planted the largest broadleaf forest in Britain, and published several volumes of verse promoted by very well received readings nationwide. This is a hugely readable account of one of the most extraordinary characters of our time.

Genres: Biography

384 pages, Hardcover

First published June 4, 2015

Reviews

[Jared Woods · Rating 3 out of 5]

For those who don’t know, Felix Dennis was the sole share holder of the company I’ve worked at for the last 7 years, Dennis Publishing, until his bitter death in 2014. So you’d be right in assuming my enjoyment of this book may have been tainted with a slice of bias, but even with that considered, no one could deny that the word ‘extraordinary’ vigorously applies to the man in question.

Designed to entice your own potential reading, here are some of my favourite facts about Mr Dennis himself:
He became the co-editor for the counterculture magazine Oz.
Due to a sexually explicit issue of Oz, he was heavily prosecuted in the longest conspiracy trial in English history.
To help him out, John Lennon recorded a single to aid the finances during said trial (and it was terrible).
Felix also stayed at Lennon’s house whilst the Imagine album was being written and recorded.
He was the first person to say the word ‘cunt’ on live British Television.
He once claimed he’d killed a man.
He was the driving force behind Maxim, and has owned such publications as Bizarre, The Week, Men’s Fitness, and Viz (to mention very, very fucking few, there’s a lot).
He accumulated an estimated net-worth of £750million+.
He claims to have spent over $100 million on crack and hookers.
He bought David Bowie’s mansion on the Caribbean island of Mustique. Google it, it looks like the best thing you’ve ever seen.
He owned one of the largest private collections of original bronze sculptures in the world.
He has written various best-selling books, many of which were collections of his poetry published in his later years.
And, perhaps the most relevant to me, he set out to plant the biggest forest in England (named The Heart of England Forest), and with over a million trees already in the ground (some of which I was responsible for!), it’s currently the largest new native forest anyway. When he passed, he left the majority of his fortune to this project, meaning: I actually work for trees now. Which is rad, and so very inspirational.

But even with all these exceptional details considered, the author wasn’t the best, and I would only recommend this book to a very select few of you. If you are fascinated by rag-to-riches stories, then this would be an essential addition to your stockpile. If you have dreams of being an entrepreneurial success by leading a business one day (done your own rockstar way), then the tips sown throughout this book will be invaluable to your progress. But most importantly of all: if you work at, have ever worked at, or have any interest in the Dennis Publishing company whatsoever, this should be the next immediate read on your list. This is not, however, because people you know in real life are name-dropped, nor is it because of the importance of knowing the backstory of the place you spend most of your time. Rather, it is for reasons of pride that the man who created all of this, was so exceptional and entertaining that his life actually warranted an entire book, which is a statement I don’t reckon applies to many figureheads of a multi-million quid company. And that makes me feel very fortunate to be here indeed.

[Peter Dixon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating. I can't say that I fully understand what that made Felix tick, or even approve of many of his life choices, but I appreciate the way he treated his friends, his contributions to society and his ongoing, spectacular legacy. As someone who lives within walking distance of Felix's primary home, I get to see that legacy all the time and am thankful for it. You would be hard pressed to find a better overview of this man's life and I can recommend it wholeheartedly.

[Lipin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is fascinating. I read the book to learn more about Felix's business acumen. And it didn't disappoint me. This book is a must for any Felix enthusiast. There are some wow moments in this book and sometimes I was laughing uncontrollably. Still, towards the end it seems like a race to reach the end. There are some golden nuggets for an entrepreneur too inside this book. Go head, you won't be disappointed.

[Martin Castle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was excited to read this book due to the Oz magazine connection. It's a good account of his life but the manner in which the book is written is a bit cold and lifeless it just seems to be the facts and details of his life and doesn't get to the drivers of his amazing journey!